I hate hydro

[whycombinator]

I don't usually respond to trolls, but I need more posts to use the private message system, what the hell is that about? When you implement a retarded system like that, you get retarded posts like this.

Of course you need functioning airstones in DWC, if the roots can't get any oxygen they will die, which is exactly what happens when a plant in soil is overwatered. I don't do DWC but it sounds like you should get some ceramic airstones like someone suggested. I've got the cheap blue ones from wal-mart and I've already broken two, and the two that are working are crumbling, I assume because they can't handle the acidic solution. Better to buy some decent parts and have the grow fail because you do something stupid like leave the pump off, than have it fail because the airstones at the bottom of your five gallons of water failed while you weren't even paying attention.

 

[whycombinator]

I'm willing to bet one of these beasts would do the trick. I had trouble finding a distributor from their list, most of the sites are closed, but here is one, $10 for a 5" ceramic air stone. I have no idea if that's a good price or not but it sounds like it will work a lot better than what either of us have got.

 

[pumpkin2006]

Uhm, petsmart anybody? Same ones that whycombinator posted for a little less $$.

 

[swampskunk]

like i said, airstones aren't even necessary at all. weigh down the end of the tubing and let it ride, most of the oxygen exchange is accomplished at the surface anyway, which is why powerheads work just as well or better than air pumps.

no stones, no chance of failure.

 

[whycombinator]

I'll have to check petsmart and see what their selection is like, better than Wal-mart I'm sure. All I could find at wal-mart were the cheap $0.88 blue stones, or a cheap blue bar, and I don't think they're going to last much longer. I couldn't even find a 't' there for connecting more than one stone to a line, even though they sell air pumps with two outputs that say they can power four stones.

 

[Guest]

Wal-mart has the "t" you need in the nursery with the irrigation stuff. I've tried all sorts of stuff, but I still like the 1" stones. The alita silicone hose looks cool, but expensive. I do want to try that stuff at least once.

 

[Haps]

I am quite stoned, so my buckets and tubs do not need to be, I got it covered. Bare tube babay, ride the wave!
H

 

[pumpkin2006]

I am quite stoned, so my buckets and tubs do not need to be, I got it covered. Bare tube babay, ride the wave!
H

thats one way to do it. I've weighted down lines before and found it to work just fine... so... meh.

 

[whycombinator]

Is there an easy way to measure dissolved oxygen? It would be nice to know how much airstones help.

 

[Farmer P4t]

The verdict is in.... next round I'm going to at least try no stones at all. It's weird because my friend has the exact same setup as me (because I plagiarized his method).... same buckets, same stones, same tap water.... and his stones last for up to a year he says.

Here is the rest of her..... the dirty hash suitable only parts, to be specific.

 

[swampskunk]

i've done extensive reading (both here, and CW and OG prior) about how much airstones actually affect dissolved oxygen.... even though small bubbles have a larger surface area by volume compared to large bubbles, it's the agitation of the water's surface in contact with open air that is by far and away where most of your diffusion is coming from.

i went from using two fairly high volume dual output aquarium airpumps with 10" stones to using one of the pumps with no stones at all. i'm fairly confident judging by my results that i'm achieving maximum d.o., or so close to it that it makes no difference.

another thing to consider is that airstones tend to actually choke your pump down, so you're not getting as much flow as you do with a bare line.

i've never seen a cheap d.o. meter either, they all seem to be up in the several hundreds of dollars. maybe a used one on ebay or something. but, it's not an issue i would spend any money on.

 

[Smokeone1]

sorry to bump this thread, but it just helped me a ton!

 

[Japanfreakier]

If you want to give hydro another run you should look into growing in Hempy Buckets. I only have to water mine about once a week, I spent less than 10 hours a cycle on my small grows and that includes all the set up time. In my opinion Hempy is the easiest hydro to grow in and an easy transition for soil growers.

 

[mcattak]

...

 

[10k]

Folks, this thread is over three years old.
Looks like the thread starter had a very weak air pump.
Failed air stones clogging up that fast I suspect he had started out with a cheap five buck goldfish bowl pump instead of a decent deep water aquarium pump.

 

[Numboard]

You are the noob for not replacing your airstones!!!

 

[High Country]

EBB/FLOW, EASY

 

[RustyFord]

I was stuck on soil for many years, til a garden supply owner convinced me to try hydro, so i started out with 2 bubble buckets. My first go came out with a 1/4 lb under a 400 watt hps. Got 2 more buckets, man what a pain in the butt water changes were until.... I smartened up and went to a pet store to purchase a siphon hose for a fish tank. Water changing problems almost solved..... Still had to move my 4 buckets in and out of a 3 x 3 foot space thats completely walled in. So, back to the garden supply store for a solution. Walked out with a 40(2 x 20 gallon tubs) gallon Texas Resevoir, now all I have to change is the water in the tub.

The one suggestion I can make, P.H. is extremely important, get a chem test set for cheap, or a digital meter if you can afford.

The other suggestion I can make is, that bucket you showed in the picture, they all need air, do yourself a favor, purchase a couple of air-pumps from your local fish store, get air stones with them to reduce bubbling noise, your roots are yellowed because they are sitting in stagnant solution and aren't getting oxygen. Cut your nutes back to half of what is recommended on the 3 solutions. If the plants need more nutes, they will tell you, they will start looking weak, if you add too much, they will quickly start showing signs by remaining over green with burn spots all over, but don't mistake this for light burn), not a problem, immediately flush, (Thats what I love about expanded clay rocks extremely easy to flush and correct problems.) and use solution at half strength.

Other suggestion is to purchase a couple of books, anything by Jorge Cervantes, Ed Rosenthal or even here on the internet.
Start off small with 1 plant while you do the rest with soil until you perfect your technique.
You will be able to see the difference yourself this way.

 

[GuerrillaRed]

I just wanna say to hydro haters...

 

[ArdabusRubber]

so after reading this whole thread (albeit 3 years old) it seems retardedly obvious what the problem is.

did anyone notice he uses tap water? i can almost guarantee that his hard water is messing with the air stone. anyone who has ever had an airstone in an aquarium knows that the dirtier your water, the dirtier the stone gets. same would go for an airstone in hard water.