#hydroton

[amitybeans]

😎💦Hydroponic Green Beans! 🌱Corona Boredom done right haha 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾

[tser]

Hello hello! You're an incredible resource in bioactive enclosures and I'm very thankful! I had a question about drainage layers! Do you know of an alternative to hydroballs? Preferably cheaper and readily available? I have one bag of hydroballs, but not enough to fill my enclosure. Can I buy another similar material and substitute that instead of buying another? Or should I just buy another bag? Sorry if this is a silly question, thank you!!

No problem! I’d suggest shopping around and finding what the cheapest options are for you, as it may depend on what you can find locally or what you can get free shipping on, as well as the price of these products.

Drainage layer options:

Zoo Med Hydroballs

Exo Terra BioDrain

Hydroton Hydroponic Grow Rock

Growstone GS-1 Hydro Stones

LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate)

NEHerp LDL (lightweight drainage layer)

Josh’s Frogs False Bottom

TheBioDude Drainage Layer

Egg Crate

Gravel

Some of the hydroponics materials may be cheaper since they are not aimed at animal keepers.

If you absolutely can’t afford another drainage layer material, gravel is possible. You can use aquarium gravel. However, gravel is extremely heavy, and also doesn’t have capillary action which the other, porous drainage layers do.

Here is how to create a simple egg crate false bottom: (Page One, Two)

Here is a more complex build incorporating PVC pipe supports.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[tser]

Joshs frogs false bottom, NEHERP LDL, and other similar products are all growstone, aka recycled glass, and the manufacturer's website says it is not safe for animals. These products are also very dusty and require both respiratory and skin protection to handle. This dust contains powdered glass that cover the vivarium in microscopic glass particles. Why is a product clearly stated to not be safe for animals even being sold for this purpose? Rinsed hydroton or aquarium gravel are much safer.

The reason they have that warning is because of the silica content. 

The same silica content that play sand has -- that is why play sand often has warnings on it that are the same! Yet we use play sand as a component in bioactive substrate and as substrate for hermit crabs, fish, and other animals. And people let their children play in it. That’s even what it’s sold for. (The warnings in California are even more dire!) All natural beach sand also contains silica and has the same risks.

Silicosis is very serious. It is a risk of any dusty material containing silica. Hydroton is an expanded clay product which also contains silica, and there is a risk in breathing the dust on it. 

Glass and clay are essentially variations on the same minerals. 

I work with ceramic material for a living, and we take many cautions in working with it. We never sweep, we only mop. We wear ventilators when handling dry clay. We never mix clay or glaze materials without using a huge filtering vent. We do not sand pieces except under the vent, wearing a mask. 

You should be very careful breathing things like dusty excavator clay, decomposed granite, pumice, diatomaceous earth, and similar products also. It is also in almost all dirt (this is what caused all the respiratory issues during the Dust Bowl).

Silicosis is accumulative and once you breathe in silica the damage is done. You can have acute silicosis from breathing a lot at once, but there is also chronic, which is breathing smaller amounts over time.

You should rinse both expanded glass drainage and LECA or Hydroton, but one is not safer than the other. It is best to wear a mask when doing so to avoid breathing the dust.

Once the product is thoroughly washed, they are both safe. They are also used in a way that keeps them wet, and below a substrate layer, meaning breathing dust is not a risk to the pet.

Aquarium gravel is also safe, but very heavy. A silica free choice that’s lighter is a false bottom using egg crate and fiberglass mesh. 

I hope this clears up any worries about the safety of expanded glass and expanded clay drainage layers!

[the-growers-depot]

Nothing like strapping up a Terracotta tray and some Hydroton and hittin' the open r🏍 We love meeting our customers. Rain, shine, Car, Bike or Truck, It gets pretty fun to see how our creative they can be to get thier stuff home. 😃 #BeautifulBikes #Hydroponics #morticycles #caliweather #Hydroton #followusformore (at The Growers Depot) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdHRPp4vn-F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[phelanhydro]

Hydroton Clay pebbles are awesome and a great style of #InertGrowingMedia 🍀🌿 When you use #HydrotonClayPebbles, the large air pocketed formated in the clay helps create oxygen rich environments. #HYDROTON Clay Pebbles prvents blockages in the soill, makes transplanting easy, and welcomes and easy #Harvest🍎🫐🍊🌱⚘️ (at Phelan Hydro & Garden Supply) https://www.instagram.com/phelanhydro/p/CX_i1wLllTU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[an-error-of-epic-proportions]

When I thinned the tomatoes from the Aerogarden I kept them in the hopes I could get another hydroponic system up and running and this is the result so far🍅 They've not grown as well as the plants in the Aerogarden but I think that's because I traumatized them when I plucked them out.

[the-growers-depot]

Mother Earth's Hydroton Clay Pebbles are one of the most versatile growing mediums in the gardening world. Because of the unique method and design, so many people continue to produce high quality yields using this product. Stop by and we can show you how to use it and get it to you @ the best prices out there! #Hydroton #clay #pebbles #claypebbles #pricematch #hydroponics #hydro #gardening #garden #smoke #follow #greenthumbs #onlythebest #bestdeals #bestprices #storefront #TheGrowersDepot (at The Growers Depot) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_0438BQ88/?igshid=12mzs17icd0mh

[the-growers-depot]

Hydroton clay pebbles (or ''rocks'') are made from pH neutral clay. The main function of these little guys is to keep you roots breating. They can be used to fill plastic net cups in systems, as a medium for drip irrigation systems, or as a medium for growing in pots. Heck they're reusable and and keep air flowing to your roots you can't even beat that With a stbreaking. #Hydroton #hydroponics #growmedium #growshop #growsupply #science #educational #growanything #farmer #nursery #plants #clones #roots #trust #quality #product #help #knowledge #fun (at The Growers Depot) https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3p-xTH2an/?igshid=ssavcyqv6mak