What's new
  • Please note members who been with us for more than 10 years have been upgraded to "Veteran" status and will receive exclusive benefits. If you wish to find out more about this or support IcMag and get same benefits, check this thread here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

How to Properly Aerate a Small (or large) Rez

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I've been working on the best way to eliminate air stones after having read a thread about the subject. I am now on version 4.0 and likely da bomb. That said I still use air stones for seedlings and clones

Here's a couple pictures of my rez with 2 pumps. One is to flood the totes, the other to circulate/aerate the nutes (Ecoplus Convertible bottom draw pump (265 gph)

The new pump has the inlet on the bottom, outlet on either the top (conventional) OR, alternately on the lower side. The idea is to cap the outlet not being used. With conventional top outlet pumps a venturi (aerates the solution) can be incorporated into the outlet tubing by inserting a smaller diameter tube into the outlet tube, the opposite side of the venturi tube must be above the water line. When the pump is on, air gets sucked into the outlet water, effectively aerating it. I did a couple effective DIYs, but...

This new pump simplifies aeration in that it provides a built in venturi when using the lower outlet and not capping the top outlet. This requires installing a riser on the top outlet that must be tall enough to be above the water line

When the pump is on the riser acts like a venturi pulling in air that mixes with the lower nute outflow, creating bubbles that aerate the nutes. This pump moves the water briskly. It is on a deep cycle timer @ ~ 4 minutes on, 15 minutes off in my 2 gallons of nutes. I keep on times short otherwise the motor heat quickly over heats the nutes

Expecting big things for current and future grows

View attachment 417025 View attachment 417026
 

Andyo

Active member
Veteran
rez to small

rez to small

I've been working on the best way to eliminate air stones after having read a thread about the subject. I am now on version 4.0 and likely da bomb. That said I still use air stones for seedlings and clones

Here's a couple pictures of my rez with 2 pumps. One is to flood the totes, the other to circulate/aerate the nutes (Ecoplus Convertible bottom draw pump (265 gph)

The new pump has the inlet on the bottom, outlet on either the top (conventional) OR, alternately on the lower side. The idea is to cap the outlet not being used. With conventional top outlet pumps a venturi (aerates the solution) can be incorporated into the outlet tubing by inserting a smaller diameter tube into the outlet tube, the opposite side of the venturi tube must be above the water line. When the pump is on, air gets sucked into the outlet water, effectively aerating it. I did a couple effective DIYs, but...

This new pump simplifies aeration in that it provides a built in venturi when using the lower outlet and not capping the top outlet. This requires installing a riser on the top outlet that must be tall enough to be above the water line

When the pump is on the riser acts like a venturi pulling in air that mixes with the lower nute outflow, creating bubbles that aerate the nutes. This pump moves the water briskly. It is on a deep cycle timer @ ~ 4 minutes on, 15 minutes off in my 2 gallons of nutes. I keep on times short otherwise the motor heat quickly over heats the nutes

Expecting big things for current and future grows

View attachment 417025 View attachment 417026

well you rez is small,i used 500 ltrs per 2 x 1000 lights total of 24 x 1000.s
the venturi airation is ok but i found breaking surface with spray better the rez tanks i used 5 ft long only had openings each end so i put a fountain pump in center coming on 1 hour before flood, it keeps nutes mixed too, and a fan moving air through one end opening.
That was for ebb/flow in hydroton which also pulls air in on 10 min drain cycle
I noticed better roots .
better yield .
 
Last edited:

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thanks for chiming in.

As I stated its for small rezes, but can be expanded. Even though I grow just a couple plants at a time indoors, mosquitoes get in and populate the rez, so I have to have lid. Now I could go with a taller rez and lid then use the fountain sprayer, but this works fine too

I was using a hydro halo drip ring, but the new pump made nasty noises under the back pressure.

another thing about the bottom draw inlet, it keeps precip to a minimum

Here's a pic of
2 plants under an Amare Tech SE 250 + 2 small BML blooming bars as side lighting in a 3 x 3 (totes are a mere 3 gallons each, and another under my BML SPYDR 600. It yielded ~ 390 dry grams, more than a year's supply for me
View attachment 417082 View attachment 417083

 

Andyo

Active member
Veteran
Right

Right

All good then
water oxygen holding capacity is effected by temperature , lower temp = more oxygen capacity.A
 

Speed of green

Active member
i have a 5000 gal res that i dont have an air pump strong enough to get bubbles to the bottom. what do you think would be a good option to aerate this?
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
i have a 5000 gal res that i dont have an air pump strong enough to get bubbles to the bottom. what do you think would be a good option to aerate this?


The lp pump rests on the bottom- bubbles rise to the top

Maybe Andyo will chime in for you
 

Andyo

Active member
Veteran
pond fountain pump

pond fountain pump

i have a 5000 gal res that i dont have an air pump strong enough to get bubbles to the bottom. what do you think would be a good option to aerate this?

Breaking the water surface is efficient
adjustable spay pattern nozzles on pond pumps.
depth pressure helps in this case and you circulating bottom to top
can get extension pipes .A
 

Phaeton

Speed of Dark
Veteran
I only very recently even noticed nutrients other than labels on jugs. Using a mix of GH3 and Fulvic acid.
Aeration is a hose looped through a hook in the ceiling spraying a solid column of water straight down six feet to the surface of the 25 gallon reservoir.
Five minutes of aeration before each watering (four hour intervals) is not how I am seeing others do this.

Is it important to keep the solution aerated all the time or does aerating immediately before use accomplish the same goal?
Other than saying aeration is vital the instructions give no details.

This is why I avoid nutrients, too many variables. Lights are easy in comparison.
Just kidding, that's like saying Trumpet is easier than SCUBA.
 

Nico Farmer

Well-known member
I only very recently even noticed nutrients other than labels on jugs. Using a mix of GH3 and Fulvic acid.
Aeration is a hose looped through a hook in the ceiling spraying a solid column of water straight down six feet to the surface of the 25 gallon reservoir.
Five minutes of aeration before each watering (four hour intervals) is not how I am seeing others do this.

Is it important to keep the solution aerated all the time or does aerating immediately before use accomplish the same goal?
Other than saying aeration is vital the instructions give no details.

Hi

For sure, aeration is vital, but I don t think than the solution must be aerated all the time, cause your PH not be stable...
Just before use is better in my opinion.

Big up
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hi

For sure, aeration is vital, but I don t think than the solution must be aerated all the time, cause your PH not be stable...
Just before use is better in my opinion.

Big up

Your answer depends on how often you flood. I'm sure there's a calculation somewhere about how long DO stays in water at various temps. I try to keep mine ~ 65-72*s and I flood every hour in veg, 2-3 in flower, 4 hours in late flower. I aerate for ~ 3 minutes/20 minutes off
 

Nico Farmer

Well-known member
Your answer depends on how often you flood. I'm sure there's a calculation somewhere about how long DO stays in water at various temps.


Effectively, there must be a calculation, but despite my research I don t found anything :dunno:
Waiting for infos too...

Greetings:tiphat:
 
B

bigganjabud

OK lads I think this is called "fluming"
Tbh it's dissolved oxygen we need in the solution and this can be affected by an auful lot of factors

Ie. Temp, medium, stress, ec, flow of feed, pests, root rot to name a few

Brilliant article BTW

I've been messing with stones and drop back to the res from system for years to get it perfect but tbh there is only a certain amount of dissolved oxygen that can be used by a plant

So tbh oxygen isn't just for your nutes solution it's for your roots aswell so basically at this time if the year when res temps rise its advisable to introduce a way of introducing the needed oxygen as water can't hold as much at higher temps so ends up depleting a lot of it to maintain the hydrogen atoms
 

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
A simple web search produced lots of links

A simple web search produced lots of links

https://water.usgs.gov/edu/dissolvedoxygen.html


Measuring dissolved oxygen

dometer.jpg
Field and lab meters to measure dissolved oxygen have been around for a long time. As this picture shows, modern meters are small and highly electronic. They still use a probe, which is located at the end of the cable. Dissolved oxygen is dependent on temperature (an inverse relation), so the meter must be calibrated properly before each use.
bookstack.jpg
Sources and more information



 
I've installed a wet/dry filter (trickle filter) on my Hydro system. Gets lots of oxygen dissolved and is a great place for friendly bacteria to live.

Peace
BL
 

GSPfan

Member
Veteran
There is a thread by BigToke about bio buckets that touches on o2 levels in the water. He uses a dissolved oxygen meter and has tested multiple ways of dissolving oxygen. He claims that a waterfall (nutes returning to the rez) of 8-12 inches is the most effective method. Its so effective that he doesnt even mess with ph or even change out the rez. Look the thread up if you want a good read. Also hit up cravinmorehead if you have questions regarding the biobucket system as BigToke is no longer around. The only problem with the waterfall is the noise.
 

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top