Add more perlite to soil? Took over a gallon before water started coming out the bottom.

You've provided no pictures so we have no reference point to go by. But generally in Coco or Peat, you're going to want a mix ratio of 70/30. The 30% being Perlite. Weed likes soil on the dry side and it needs a light and fluffy, and oxygen rich soil to thrive. It's funny because its called a weed, and we tend to think of weeds as tough and robust plants that can take a beating and somehow survive. But if you don't have your shit wired tight, like watering, soil prep, temperature, humidity, nutrient balance, air circulation, you can really run into trouble. Over watering is really the #1 thing i see when people post their plant problems. That, and lockout situations. People don't seems to realize that VPD is a big deal in plant health. It regulates plant transpiration rates. That includes nutrients. If you have low humidity and high temps, you can have your plants burn from excess nutrients because the plant is up taking water and nutrients faster than it can use up the food. Same with a low VPD your plants will transpire much more slowly and then they can run out of food and then they show as deficient. Also realize that above 84F your plants stomata's will close. Really low humidity and high temps will cause that. Then the plants up take will slow down to almost noghting. Then your plants will eat whats available within the plant. Then it will start to show deficiencies as it begins to pull mobile nutrients from the lower growth. Or it could show on the upper portion of the plant as the immobile nutrients get used up and not getting replenished because your VPD is fucked up. So people tend to feed more nutrients which compounds the problem and causes even more issues and your garden goes further off the rails.

About 30 percent course perlite is a standard typical amount.

Well how big is ur pot, and how fast did u water? If your using soil right out of the bag chances are u need to add perlite or something, cannabis like light airy substrate, and you don't want it to hold onto to much water. You don't want 50% if ur using soil, I use ProMix. I don't remember what I used my one soil run, but I did wish I used more. Prob at least 20%