sorry, one more thing…paula, make sure your pump is pumping enough water to keep the plants root system saturated. if your plants roots dry out, they will definitely die. good luck

also, dont forget to sterilize your growing medium. (whether it be hydroton clay pellets or other mediums). soaking in a diluted bleach mixture and then letting them dry should do the trick.

burt, bleach (NaClO) is NOT hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). ive never heard of anyone adding hydrogen peroxide to their water, but i wouldnt personally try it. to dechlorinate your tap water you should let it sit out over night with an air stone agitating it to let the chlorine evaporate. i would NOT use tap water [...]

when moving plants from soil to hydro, i would suggest washing the dirt off the roots with NON-CHLORINATED water (what comes out of your sink is chlorinated). i would also add a little bit of rooting hormone to the plants roots after they’ve been cleaned. and as far as the bacterial problem, i would clean [...]

thanks for your input. i will definitely keep you guys updated and let you know if it makes much of a difference temperature-wise (in a negative way). if it doesn’t, i expect it to do plenty of good for my plants!!