Question about air stone size

G

gandalf34

New member

• Apr 4, 2012

• #1

I was interested in making a few stand alone 5 gallon DWC buckets and was wondering what size air stone to used in each bucket. From what I have read it seems like either a 4 or 5 inch one will do just fine but I just want to be certain. Thanks

 

B

bicyclebenny

Active member

• Apr 5, 2012

• #2

I have better results just using the stone as a weight to keep the hose submerged. I drilled holes in all my stones and just let the air blast through unimpeded. No more clogged stones that way! My 35w pump runs 6 5g dwc buckets with so much air, the water looks like it's boiling!

 

G

gandalf34

New member

• Apr 6, 2012

• #3

ok sounds good.is there a difference between having larger or smaller bubbles in the buckets?

 

El Toker

Member

• Apr 6, 2012

• #4

gandalf34 said:

ok sounds good.is there a difference between having larger or smaller bubbles in the buckets?

Click to expand...

Not really, the key is how much the water at the top is displaced by the bubbles, because it's there, not around the bubbles, that the water is oxygenated. I find water pumps are much better at oxygenating the water than air pumps.

 

JohnnyToke

Member

• Apr 13, 2012

• #5

weigh the hose down on the bottom with a 1.5 - 2oz fishing weight, heavy nut, rock etc. something that won't rust. no airstones needed. I ran airstones my first couple years in my rdwc system. got tired of buying them. did a test run with hose only, weighed down to the bottom. plants never missed a beat. been growing without airstones now for 3 years.

I run a "T" on the end of the hose so there are dual outlets in each bucket. You can buy the plastic T's at your local petstore , Walmart etc.