Micro-Pore air diffusers

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undertow911

Member
Hi all,

so i'm looking to have this thread be ONLY about micro-pore air diffusers.

i've wanted to do the upgrade for a while but with the cost of the micro-pore air diffusers, i've held off.

if any one has much experience please post it here.

here are the questions i'd like answered so i can make a decision.

1) do they clog from nutes?
2) how often do they clog?
3) can you really clean them when clogged?
4) if you can what methods are people using (peroxide soak n scrub, acid soak n scrub, etc)?
5) do you really notice much difference over conventional stones?
6) what is a good liter/minute air output balance for the micro-pore diffuser your using?
7) anything else... :)

currently i use a ActiveAqua 20watt commercial air pump that produces about 45 liters/minute. the pump comes with a 6 valve manifold and i replace that with a 12 valve manifold (i only use 9 of the 12 outputs). i use one of these pumps per 9 buckets in my dwc setup.

the stones i'm currently using are small 1 inch blue stones. i get them in bulk on ebay and they are WAY better than what i can get at meijer or walmart (i hate walmart). i replace them every 2 months, but i've pushed them before as a test and they last about 3.5 months

here are a few links to micro-pore diffusers i'm considering if anyone has experience with any of these, please comment. :)

http://www.boatcycle.com/shop/Tank-Accessories/Micro-Bubble_Oxygen_Diffusers

http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/air-diffuser.asp

http://www.alita.com/diffuser/siliconehose.php - i read on another sites posting that this is a good product, however i'm not sure if it is a MICRO-PORE product or not.

thanks in advance
 
T

TheStainster

Member
For my first grow I used 2 single micro pores per 5 gal bucket to a 35w superluft pump. I bought more for this round but will only be using one per bucket, too much $$$$. They are kinda delicate and heavy. One that was packaged well came cracked in half perfect like a banana split. They seem to make the pump work harder (hotter) because of more resistance than cheap stones. They put out a ton of bubbles in a bucket with just water. Tubing with no air stone makes the surface of the water go way more crazy but I guess what I'm really seeing is the more "mixing". The thousands of tiny bubbles probably have way more surface area. I got through a full grow without cleaning them but soaked them in very hot water and bleach then h202. The store I got them from sent a special fluid to clean them with but I'm going to wait until they are really dirty. If they last at least a year I feel they will be worth it. First grow was 4 singles with the 65lpm pump, this time will be 8, maybe 6 off the 65lpm and 2 off a rena 400 I need to do some testing. I only run micros pores off the pump... I feel that the other less resistant stones would get more air. The cheap looking stone that came with my rena 400 is the shit, as good if not better then a micro but I only have one and I use to mix my new batches of nutes. The straight up cheapos suck, crumbling, clogging, plastic tube falling out of stone.
 
Mindmelted

Mindmelted

Well-Known Member
I have used the same double micro pore air diffuser for 4 grows in a row,no cleaning and no clogging.And it did not make my pump work any harder than any other air stone.And you can get a double for $34 shipped which is not that bad for a stone that will last for years and give you no trouble.
 
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kushnotbush

Well-Known Member
Personally I am not a fan of those micro-pore diffusers as I have used them and my results were the same as using the 6 inch blue air stones like these HTG. What I did was run them side by side one grow and I didn't really see a difference. Now I run two of those 6 in blue stones in each 5 gal sport cooler as I am in DWC. I actually saw a thread on here recently where someone ran an actual side by side and documented it, I believe his conclusions were the same as mine. I can tell you this too, with running two of those 6 inch stones on one line even your pump will not be as loud because there is less resistance. Those micro pore diffusers put a bit of a strain on the smaller pumps, but I don't think you have to worry about that. If I were you I would order only one or two and check them out first because those damn things will strain the pocket book on a larger grow. Also if your going to run those on the same pump as any other stones if your trying them out you will need an adjustable gang valve instead of the straight manifold.

Since I run those el cheapo air stones I never worry about cleaning air stones or them getting clogged up, I just simply throw the problem stone in the trash and pop a new one in. I usually replace my stones every other grow whether it is needed or not. Good luck and happy growing.
KnB
 
Mindmelted

Mindmelted

Well-Known Member
stop being cheap and using a shitty little pump.The stones last longer than any other one out there and they do not clog like cheap air stones do....
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Micro Pores work great you can see the smaller bubbles once you turn on your air pump but in my opinion they cost a lot and they really didnt do shit but made a lot of tiny bubbles. I now use them as back up air stones. I just buy the round cylinder air stones from grow shops for about 3 bucks a piece and throw them away when my harvest is done. I wouldnt spend my money on them they dont do anything for the plant that a regular air stone cant do.
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Mindmelted said:
stop being cheap and using a shitty little pump.The stones last longer than any other one out there and they do not clog like cheap air stones do....
Click to expand...
Dude my micro pores clogged after 1 grow they didn't fully clog but you can tell they were clogging up because the amount of tiny bubbles decreased, you can clean them and they work and last a long time. I just dont think they are worth the price they sell for.
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
kushnotbush said:
Personally I am not a fan of those micro-pore diffusers as I have used them and my results were the same as using the 6 inch blue air stones like these HTG. What I did was run them side by side one grow and I didn't really see a difference. Now I run two of those 6 in blue stones in each 5 gal sport cooler as I am in DWC. I actually saw a thread on here recently where someone ran an actual side by side and documented it, I believe his conclusions were the same as mine. I can tell you this too, with running two of those 6 inch stones on one line even your pump will not be as loud because there is less resistance. Those micro pore diffusers put a bit of a strain on the smaller pumps, but I don't think you have to worry about that. If I were you I would order only one or two and check them out first because those damn things will strain the pocket book on a larger grow. Also if your going to run those on the same pump as any other stones if your trying them out you will need an adjustable gang valve instead of the straight manifold.

Since I run those el cheapo air stones I never worry about cleaning air stones or them getting clogged up, I just simply throw the problem stone in the trash and pop a new one in. I usually replace my stones every other grow whether it is needed or not. Good luck and happy growing.
KnB
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Same thing I do.. Trash my stones after a grow the last thing I want to do after a harvest and trim is clean anything by that time I'm dead tired and want nothing to do with my grow room for a few days.
 
Vumar

Vumar

Well-Known Member
Search RIU.... Someone broke down the DO Rates of each air stone type. The six inch blue stone out performed micro diffusers~
 
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kushnotbush

Well-Known Member
That's the one! BeaverHuntr hit it on the head in my book. Yeah you can clean them but replacing them is so much easier and they work great. For me having enough oxygen in the root zone is more about your pump than the stones, I have also tried those 4 inch discs and they work IMO just as good as the micro-pores. You just can't clean them really so to me they are kind of a waste.
If I sounded cheap when I posted the above earlier it's because I got tired of throwing wads of cash at my grow without seeing improvement. I just keep it simple and have fantastic results. Good luck and happy growing.
KnB
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
kushnotbush said:
That's the one! BeaverHuntr hit it on the head in my book. Yeah you can clean them but replacing them is so much easier and they work great. For me having enough oxygen in the root zone is more about your pump than the stones, I have also tried those 4 inch discs and they work IMO just as good as the micro-pores. You just can't clean them really so to me they are kind of a waste.
If I sounded cheap when I posted the above earlier it's because I got tired of throwing wads of cash at my grow without seeing improvement. I just keep it simple and have fantastic results. Good luck and happy growing.
KnB
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True that !! Thats what I did. I was throwing cash at dumb shit like micro pore air stones I dont use the cheap blue aquarium one for DWC anymore because they are so light they fly around in the water ( I use a big commercial air pump ) ..The cylinder air stones stay put .
 
T

tdktremor

Member
Hi

I noticed that there is a product on the market that makes oxygen to keep fish alive, just wondering how this might go compared to a air stone or micro pore stone?

cheers
 
Illegal Smile

Illegal Smile

Well-Known Member
DO isn't the only thing you want an airstone to do (no pun intended). Mine are Boss Hog diffusers - expensive but I'm glad I have them. Last forever, don't clog, easy clean.
 
sqydro

sqydro

Active Member
Yeah and then search my threads and see that you need no airstones at all!! Save money increase yield and efficiency less costs! By far my greatest yield and im 3 weeks from finish! Save ur money imo!
 
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