Water pump size

Hi guys,

I am gonna run a single DWC waterfall. The tank capacity is about 48 gal but I assume I Will only use around 40 GAL. Initially there Will be 6 plants but I will select only one and eliminate the rest in order to create a Monster (deal with the wife...only one plant).

I am quite lost as I see for Air pumps more is usually better but in the case of water pumps not so much. The cables that will create the waterfall effect will be around 20-25 inches in upwards direction.

With this info, is anyone capable of making suggestions of the approximate gph I should aim for?

Soil farmer for 10 years, i'm scared of shifting to hydro but I hope it's for the best!

3-500gph range no bigger imo.
48 gal is huge for a single plant though. Kind of a waste of water and nutrient when you need like 1/4 of that max for an indoor plant.

Thanks for your input, it's much appreciated!

I took the idea from this guy, he has two pots of 28 gallon each:


While I want to build up a Monster plant, I also want to make sure I can go with 6 plants someday if I wish to.

Sivian said:

With this info, is anyone capable of making suggestions of the approximate gph I should aim for?

Click to expand...

I dont' think you need to go that big at all. I have an 80gph in my standalone res, some tubing and an elbow and it creates plenty of splash. less pump=less heat

Wow, ok. I'm confused now, there is a big difference between 80 gph and 300-500.

I will probably go with an Air pump with 4 Stones (active aqua), in case it influences.

Anyone else would care to provide additional input to ser if we can narrow the range down?

Thanks a lot for your contributions!

Cheers

Sivian said:

I will probably go with an Air pump

Click to expand...

waterfall creates way more dissolved oxygen than an airpump/airstone

So there is no need for Air pump if I bring the 6 hoses from the water pump to the pots on the top to create the waterfall effect? Is that what is considered waterfall effect? I have been reading a lot but they keep interchanging the names. Is top fed DWC/bubbleponics the same than the so called waterfall? As I said, my idea was to pump up the water to the 6 pots and then let It fall down.

here's what you need if you do 6 plants:
and a pump to thread it into. and some aquarium tubing.
if you do one plant, unscrew the manifold, add some tubing and an elbow at the top of your container to make a waterfall.

the dripping from the top "should" make enough oxygen with the 6 top feed.
the waterfall will definitely make enough if you do one plant

I think I understand. During the first couple weeks I do it with the dripping from the 6 pots and once I select the mother, while I change the mutrient solution I install a straight pvc connected to an ellbow to create the waterfall splash, correct?

Thanks a lot, this was very helpful !

now its only a matter of deciding the firepower of the water pump. I will reflect on it tonight.

Sivian said:

I think I understand. During the first couple weeks I do it with the dripping from the 6 pots and once I select the mother, while I change the mutrient solution I install a straight pvc connected to an ellbow to create the waterfall splash, correct?

Click to expand...

bingo!