DWC air pumps on a timer?
- Thread starter FrozenChozen
- Start date
getsoutalive
Well-Known Member
I have used DWC systems before and thought the airstone to be indispensable. Then last night I came across the "Kratky Method". Which is simply DWC stagnant. Have seen videos of peppers and tomatoes grown to maturity in buckets of stagnant water. Side by side, the bubbler grew bigger plants, but the stones are NOT necessary for growth. I would bet that you will be just fine shutting them off during sleeping hours. I would probably suggest turning them on for 10-15 minutes a couple of times over the course of 8 hours, but other than a slightly smaller crop, I do not think it will cause major issues.
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fuckcancer87
Well-Known Member
What's ur res size? Ur run any preventive measures? @FrozenChozen
FrozenChozen
Well-Known Member
about 10 gallons, half full... so 5 gallons.... no preventive measures. what should I be running in there?
waterdawg
Well-Known Member
Lol where's spell check when you need it. I was in a viscous circle last weekend, it got wierd with the girlfriend lol.
waterdawg
Well-Known Member
I believe they want things to die and settle in a wastewater pond. But to OP you are probably not going to get an answer to the timing thing as I doubt many have tried. Your doing the right thing by testing the outcome. "When in doubt, try it out" is my moto with everything pot related. My thoughts are if you can get away from air pumps, that much better. Im a newb but when using the pumps (air) I did find PH was a bit less stable.
Doer
Well-Known Member
Pythium is a genus of parasitic oomycotes.
We have to remember what we are fighting. Pythium Root Rot. It is literally everywhere, so sterilization does not help. It reinfects that day. H202 makes it worse, by killing the competition.
Cool, O2 saturated water is the enemy of Pythium My experience is if one plant gets it they all do if they share the water. This is why I went to 4 x 10 gal reservoirs, with only 2 plants per.
The 3rd thing is to add Beneficial Microbes. They create Auxins to aid root growth, and they fill the bio-niches to exclude the toe hold of Pythium.
This is just day one.
After one week.
After one week.
We have to remember what we are fighting. Pythium Root Rot. It is literally everywhere, so sterilization does not help. It reinfects that day. H202 makes it worse, by killing the competition.
Cool, O2 saturated water is the enemy of Pythium My experience is if one plant gets it they all do if they share the water. This is why I went to 4 x 10 gal reservoirs, with only 2 plants per.
The 3rd thing is to add Beneficial Microbes. They create Auxins to aid root growth, and they fill the bio-niches to exclude the toe hold of Pythium.
This is just day one.
After one week.
After one week.
GrowerGoneWild
Well-Known Member
Interesting...
The theory is that once you reach max DO (dissolved oxygen), all you would have to do is just maintain it.
We know for a fact that less DO is in water at higher temps. (Charles Law).
So with the lights off when the temps are lower it would seem easier to maintain DO vs lights on DO if water temps are higher when the lights are on.
In theory, it would make sense to run the pumps for a short time when the water is coolest to get max DO.
so it would only have to run for a short time to saturate the solution with DO.
Now that the theory is outta the way..
Possible solutions.
1) Noise control, alternate aeration. I've found other types of aquarium pumps to be very quiet, they have a top air bleed and they push the water around, they are used to pull water through the gravel and top circulate.. anyways you'll know when you see it.. very quiet when the air is dialed down. Ive seen various bubble silencers or possible relocation of the pump itself.
2) Alternate aeration, I use a waterfall effect to aerate my solution.. (Dutch pot recirculating system) very effective, no problems with root rot. I dont have the means to verify DO.. but no problems to report.
3) if there is enough volume, you could cycle it either way, the whole point is to maintain DO so no problems will present itself. So cool temps, and plenty of volume will keep the DO at a safe level, with the occasional burst of air it should be ok.
The "wetter" versions of hydro always get me worried.. I prefer 24/7 aeration.
fuckcancer87
Well-Known Member
It would depend on which way ya wanted to go. But doer pretty much nailed what I was gonna say. But that still doesn't get ur question answered. Dude just ask the wifey for a lil extra allowance and go on the search for a quiet pump. Buy em all from everywhere and keep the receipt. Test em all out today to find the quietest one and return the rest tomorrow. I wouldn't turn ur pumps off at night. It'll just be an opening for somethin bad to happen. Trust me I've done it before when I first started. My dumbass had the pump linked to the surge protector which was plugged into the timer for the light. Let's just say I didn't make it far that round. It did grow for a lil but then the bad shit just overcame little by little every night.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I only read about the first half dozen responses, which convinced me not to waste my time reading further.
I replaced my airpump and stones with waterfalls. No more airpump and the same circulation pump that pushed water to your head bucket, aka 'epicenter', can instead push water to fittings in the lids of every tubsite. Those fittings drizzle water into the reservoir the roots are in and BAM! Oxygenation, agitation and splash, all from a unit you were already using.
Airpump and related shit can go on Craigslist.
It's been working for me for years now.
Doer
Well-Known Member
It is a fun hobby, huh?
I recently added a side light which I forgot to plug into the timer.I go by the door the first night and light is shining from a crack. WTF>>>>>!!!?!?!?~?