Dwc vs ebb and flow??

Hello everyone,
I am brand new to the hydroponic world and growing period. I would like to purchase a hydroponics system but do not know which one to choose? I want to go with the simplest but want it to be effective also. A good beginner system. My local hydro shop is all about the eb and flow systems, then I surf the internet and see people saying aeroponics is the most effective way, and I saw another post on a message board where dwc was the easiest and very effective. I have read many posts also with people saying build your own. I would really rather go with a system that has some instructions with it and maybe in the future build my own if I suceed at it. I was looking at an 8 plant deal for 170.00 from dwchydro.com. I was about ready to pull the trigger on that and then read about eb and flow being a better choice for beginners. It would be nice to hear from any one person their choices for a beginner instead of seeing a company speaking maybe just to sell you an item. It is very frustrating trying to read only to be more confused than when you started. This site is great and is getting me motivated to give it a try even if I fail. Any help would be highly appreciated and please pardon me for all of my ignorance.

check out my thread DWC The Best Part Of Waking Up
i have a small dwc now but i am also running a 6 plant bubbleponics system
mine is ok so far
but i have no experience with ebb and flow tho--sorry

chiefer - i would say the ebb & flow system would be better for a beginner...

although, as a beginner, i used DWC with good results, it is just harder to maintain, and easier to flood currently i use a 3 planter ebb & flow system, with 2 plants per planter and a 45 gal reservoir...

the main problem i had with DWC was the room temperature - with higher temps, and air pumps constantly running and pumping that hot air though my nutrient solution, the temps of the water and res went too high... you need to keep them between 65-70f for ideal results, over 72 and you can get root rot, and really bad algae...

DWC is more susceptible to power outages, if the air pump goes off, the plant wont last long... if anything happens to the water level, the plants wont last long, because the roots will dry out really fast... also, if you get root rot - its pretty much uncurable.

ebb/flow is less sensitive to water temps because they are only flooded for a short time... (several times a day) and if you ever lose power you can manually water the plants. ebb/flow systems tend to put the plants a little further off of the ground, because the reservoir has to be lower than the planter, because the water is returned to the res usually by way of gravity... DWC buckets or containers can sit on the floor though.

its a tough choice... i cant say 1 system would be better for you though, it depends on the other constraints...

I use DWC & Waterfarm combo and i really like it. Ebb & Flo has more setup to it, but it has the potential for stellar results.

chiefer said:

Hello everyone,
I am brand new to the hydroponic world and growing period. I would like to purchase a hydroponics system but do not know which one to choose? I want to go with the simplest but want it to be effective also. A good beginner system. My local hydro shop is all about the eb and flow systems, then I surf the internet and see people saying aeroponics is the most effective way, and I saw another post on a message board where dwc was the easiest and very effective.

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It is the easiest to build a DWC, there are a lot of ways in which DWC is not easier to maintain.

chiefer said:

I have read many posts also with people saying build your own. I would really rather go with a system that has some instructions with it and maybe in the future build my own if I suceed at it. I was looking at an 8 plant deal for 170.00 from dwchydro.com. I was about ready to pull the trigger on that and then read about eb and flow being a better choice for beginners. It would be nice to hear from any one person their choices for a beginner instead of seeing a company speaking maybe just to sell you an item. It is very frustrating trying to read only to be more confused than when you started. This site is great and is getting me motivated to give it a try even if I fail. Any help would be highly appreciated and please pardon me for all of my ignorance.

Click to expand...

DWC, NFT, or Aeroponic hydro systems can not handle power outages of more than a few hours. Plants can die super fast, it sucks. Also ebb-flow systems that use those clay pebbles will dry fast and kill the plants in a long power outtage. An uninterruptable power supply is a must for those systems.

ebb-flow with rockwool or coco coir is nice because in the event of a power failure or broken pump you can get by 48 hours without watering. So basically in the event of a problem you can manually water each day while you fix it. One nice thing about ebb flow is you can move plants around, add and remove plants with out causing any problem. If you are growing from seed, you will get males, you want to be able to remove the entire plant, in DWC you can but the roots may be tangled with the others and you must plug the empty hole.

Really excellent soil grows nice plants and while less productive than ebb-flow it is easier and less risky.

Some hydro systems sold have a small reserviour. Like 10 or less gallons. That is asking for problems. PH and nutrient concentrations will fluxuate fast in tiny reserviours.

Here is my recipie for success for you:
1,get a 400w or 600w HPS with a cool tube and fan.
2,Find a good deal on a "Botanicare Turbo Garden EBB and Flow", and buy it.
Purchase 8 bricks of coco coir, this stuff

just use normal containers for soil for this stuff.
3, Purchase 5L containers of canna coco A & B (2 jugs, 1 each). Also there PK stuff.
4, Purchase PH down, general hydroponics or some major brand or liquid.
5, Purchase a PH meter and a PPM meter. Also buy a $10 bottle of PH solution so if your PH meter breaks you have a reliable backup.
6, Do not purchase and magic sauce, mosasus, carb-load plant boost. Get at least one good grow before learning your lesson the hard way.
7, Dont use strong nutrient concentrations, make 1400 PPM a high end. Monitor your PH regullarly. Many new growers get excited and over do the nutrients and kill their plants. It happens all to often.
8, Get your seeds started soon and learn to clone. Genetics is everything. Dont start with the most valuable seeds in the world. Trial and error is normal.
9, Buy a gallon of 35% or 50% H2O2. You will need this for sterilization.


I like to order 2 nice strains and cross them this way I get 100's of seeds. Maybe a White Widow x Haze is for you


You will have to battle some problems but not right away.
1, mold at the end of budding cycle. To combat this you need low humidity and temp, a sulfer burner on for 10 minutes 2 times a day is good for mold control. Bad air curculation and high humidity is bad.
2, bugs! spider mites, ect... I keep pestside around, I never need to spray a bud, I use this stuff



Make sure you use good fire safty, a fire can get you busted.

Thank you all for the quick and detailed responses. I really appreciate it a whole lot. I am going to do a search on a few ebb and flow setups now.

If you go ebb and flo is which is what I did then dont waste your money on a new table. Check craigslist. I got a 3x3 Botanicare ebb table for 40 bucks like new. Save a tone. Also I am using a card table i already had as a stand. Also 20 dollar hd saw horses would work well.

When you go new ebb and flow they try and screw you on the stand like you would not beleive. Also I am using an 18 gallon rubbermaid as a reservoir and have had no probs yet. That is a lot better than the 60 or so u can be charged.

Check craigslist cuz wowowowowow. Good luck.

Wow I found a guy one hour from where I live by typing in botanicare turbo garden and found this. It may be worth the drive for the lights and maybe more. http://athensga.craigslist.org/grd/971080362.html

chiefer said:

Wow I found a guy one hour from where I live by typing in botanicare turbo garden and found this. It may be worth the drive for the lights and maybe more. http://athensga.craigslist.org/grd/971080362.html

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Oh yea, that stuff looks perfect! I was just suggesting that "turbo garden" because you has said something about buying something with an instruction manual. I think the 4x4 is a bit too big for a 400w HPS. So I would go for the 3x3 flood table. Also don't skimp on the lights, ballasts to break, bulbs do explode causing fires. Having your light behind glass is an important fire safety issue. So you should get your flood tables and reservoir from this dude. Or a DIY project out of plastic containers works and is super low cost. My system is a 40gallon reserviour and a 2x3 flood table, those 2 cost me 220 + 60 shipping. and a pump and a timeer $50. Check out http://www.horticulturesource.com/
they have great deals. My older system was made out of plasitc containers and it worked fine, but professional grade stuff is nicer, and has less problems. Also make sure you super clean all used stuff, it should be spotless. If you have the cash new stuff comes clean already.

I am using turbogarden pots on a 3x3 table in 4 in rockwool with mini cubes making up the diference. I am in week 3 of flower and looks nice.

It is my first REAL grow lol as my first grow was crap so I cant speak from too much experience here but I have had little probs. Nute buren of course and a little over water but the buds are getting big.

400 watt hps with the light 3 ichs away thanls to winter cold. Nice light bleaching lol. Gotta fix that.

Another option might be hydroton for a fast dry media you can feed several times a day.

I thought the 3x3 tagel would fit the footprint better than a turbgarden shape. I read that a guy got 18 ounces from his turbgarden.

I bought turbgarden pots at better grow hydro and might go bigger to see difference nxt time.

good luck.

Hey bro if u do dwc right u can cram 12 plants in a lil 2.82 sq.ft. while using al b fucts ideas and techniques..
To me its more practical and i built this tub for 39 bux hahaha.
One res...very easy to maintain almost like watching some type of insane grow happening on tv or something. Im almost to bored with it.

I just started a new thread for this (didnt know if I should have done that or placed it here). https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/146631-best-400-w-lighting-cool.html

I am looking to get a 400 w hps light to go with a botanicare ebb and flow turbo garden. Any recommendations as far as the light, ballast or combo of the both with fire precautions taken into consideration? I want to sure to make a good choice for quality and fire precaution.

Also, what is a good dvd for learning for a beginner?

Any help is highyly appreciated as always.

chiefer said:

I just started a new thread for this (didnt know if I should have done that or placed it here). https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/146631-best-400-w-lighting-cool.html

I am looking to get a 400 w hps light to go with a botanicare ebb and flow turbo garden. Any recommendations as far as the light, ballast or combo of the both with fire precautions taken into consideration? I want to sure to make a good choice for quality and fire precaution.

Also, what is a good dvd for learning for a beginner?

Any help is highyly appreciated as always.

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For selecting a ballast you need to ask yourself
- Is a buzzing noise while it is on a problem for you?

The thing is old school magnetic ballasts can be more reliable, but digital ballasts are quiet. So if a buzz sound is no biggie for you, go magnetic.

one more thing, the light fire safety is more about how you set it up than the brand. Any light that is behind glass should do, cool tube or enclosed reflector. The ducting immediately connected to the hood should not be plastic.
If you would like the exact brand of my ballast I can check, when I purchased it I went in to the grow shop and asked for there more reliable ballast.