Airstone in Ebb n Grow reservoir?

[green356man]

Any benefit to adding an airstone to the ebb n grow reservoir?

 

[budshoteyes]

Yes there is!
More Oxygwn in your water and if pump fails when the table or buckets are filled the plants will live longer

 

[Agent-Smith]

Having a recirculating pump in the reservoir constantly stirring the nutes would be better than just an airstone and if you add the pump fitting that has an air-line outlet you can install a hose onto it and get circulation and aeration all at the same time!
It's the fitting to the far right.

 

[Saran]

Complete and utter waste,, as far as how the plants grow, but it sure seems to make the growers happy .

The instant the system drains you have 100% aeration at the root level . The flood is not the feed, the magic takes place once it drains and the air hits it .

 

[ak-51]

Having a recirculating pump in the reservoir constantly stirring the nutes would be better than just an airstone

That would be best.

I had a couple of ~8" airstones and one bare hose in my setup when it was running. They served a dual purpose: aeration and circulation. To be honest this was kind of a half-step imo. Nutrient sediments still seemed to settle on the bottom in crevices since the air pumps don't really add that much turbulence under the water, and aeration isn't a huge issue if the pump is already moving stuff around so much. And it's ebb/flow anyway; my thoughts are right now that it gets enough air when the pumps turn off. Like stated before, a pump is probably best for keeping things mixed up. Now in my 5gal DWC buckets, which had flat bottoms, I think the air lines I had in there were sufficient to keep things mixed up. It's just the kind of tub I had for my rez was not flat on the bottom and was much larger than a bucket.

 

[budshoteyes]

I still stand by adding air!

Your away for the weekend and the pump fails while the tray or buckets are full your crop will be saved.... For the dollar a month it takes to run air it's cheap insurance

And I would most definitely run air to each bucket if that is your system of ebb and grow.

Pumps do fail.... if in the middle of the run you had to order a new pump and had to wait 4 days to get a new one....air will save your crop!

 

[Saran]

I still stand by adding air!
And I would most definitely run air to each bucket if that is your system of ebb and grow.

Once the drain cycle finishes the bucket will be empty if your running air to each bucket 24/7 as a safeguard in case of PUMP failure then 99.999999999% of the time your blowing air in to an empty bucket accelerating evaporation reducing the amount of nutrient available to the plant over a time period between floods .

Theoretically that is !

 

[stoney917]

i think the op is talkin bout the res not each bucket.. i would see no harm in addin an airstone in the res it should keep if from gettin stagnent. but i dont grow e&f im dwc so i always got air pumps goin dont know if it will help but it cant hurt.

 

[DigDuggreen]

some nute companies actually recommend it on there labels, look at Humbolt Gynormous, Food for thought, who the hell really knows but I do have plenty of air being pumped into my res.

 

[DHF]

Ran "thru-hull" bait aerators for "millions of microscopic bubbles" on timers ta kick on 30 minutes before feed pumps in my ebb and flow bucket rez`s for over 5 yrs with excellent results , but I also ran a powerhead 24/7 inside the rez`s ta keep nutrient solution stirred.....

There was still 1" or so left in the bottoms of my 5 gal buckets if power outages or pump failures occured for plant survival .....but..overall....dissolved oxygen to ANY rootzone`s not a bad thing.....

Peace....DHF........

 

[budshoteyes]

If he decides that it's not worth adding air constantly I can understand;noise lines,etc

What a wonderful option it is to have air in the case of pump failure and replacement waiting! Crop saved! (air system doesn't have to be running till needed)

I'd really like to know exactly what his ebb and grow system is.

 

[FreezerBoy]

While E&F does not require aerated water in the sense of a DWC, stagnant water is begging for trouble. While a tiny recirculating pump is better than nothing, unless it's set up to break through the water line, airstones are better.

 

[PetFlora]

Yeah, what FreezerBoy said.

I run an Elite 802, with 2 Sunleaves 4" Oxystones in my 4G rez. Tons more bubbles than my Walmart pump and 12" stones. Plus the 4" Oxys weigh enough to stay on the bottom

IMHO, doing so keeps nutes fresher, longer

hth

 

[green356man]

Thanks so much for all the info folks. I run a hydrofarm 36 bucket system. I didn't think the aeration action would migrate to each bucket. It does make sense to me to add some stones and possibly a constant on pump to keep the nutes in constant mix. Thanks again for all your help!!!!!

 

[Den0ts]

If anything, it helps keep current in the res to keep nutes stirring.

 

[Vhghost]

Green i used to run a 4x4 table a few years back Ebb/flow .. i wouldn't recommend running a pump in the res 24/7 .. the pump will heat the water and essentially lowering your dissolved oxygen levels. what worked for me was i would set the pump in the res and have it turn on 2-5 mins before the flood started. then as soon as the flood starts, circulating pump turns off. air pump in a flood and drain system is useless in my opinion unless your nutes specify that you need to add air to the res. hope this helps

 

[Vhghost]

oh another little tip.. when you have to top up the res. pour the top up water through the table instead of adding it to the res. helps to rinse out any built up salts that might not drain every time when flood cycles stop. i used to flood every 4hours. and only for as long as it took to fill the table. i had the timing perfect. would sit there with a stop watch and set my timer exactly so it never flooded longer than it needed.. every time the table empties Oxygen(lots and lots) of oxygen replaces the Nutrient rich water, giving you the perfect mix of water/nutrients/oxygen...

 

[Saran]

If anything, it helps keep current in the res to keep nutes stirring.

The cycle of filling and draining the buckets does more, I still think its a waste that makes more noise and eats more electricity than its worth in benefits it wont hurt but it's not going to help anything.

Much of what gardeners do is more about their own wants and needs rather than the plants actual biological requirements .

 

[DHF]

Are we talking about the blue 55 gal rez for retail ebb and grow units ?......if so ......then....

The preferred method for many yrs has been to use a small powerhead pump in the bottom 24/7 to keep shit stirred up to prevent nutrient precipitation/separating , and falling outta suspension....

No airstones required , but .....Rootzone dissolved oxygen in any fast hydro process is paramount for explosive growth IME , so .....

If the airpump came on before the feedpump to up the DO , it would definitely be beneficial , since I used it for over 5 yrs.......

I ran thru-hull bait aerators on timers that pumped "millions" of microscopic bubbles that stayed in suspension during the feed process 3 times a day , but they came on 30 minutes before feed pumps did , and cut off 30 minutes after feed process ended....

Peace....DHF........

 

[Haps]

I've run both ways, here's the skinny - it is not needed, but can supply critical redundancy in case of system failures, and it never hurts to add air. I disagree with the powerhead thought, too much damn heat added, I go to too much trouble to eliminate points of heat to add them when it is not critical. But I run air to all bucket units continually, and with the waterfall cycles, I see no decline having shut the res air pump off for a few crops.
H