Printable View
Look up "flooming" on Google... By removing them useless air stones, you create "turbulance" in your buckets/rez,..which in turn adds a huge amount of DO than what a typical air stone can put out... Its not an opinion, ... Its a straight up fact... Peace :)
Attachment 283342
The overlapping/agitation of the water on the surface is what gives your nutrients the added oxygen level... Air stones wont give you this kind of turbulence, or oxygen..
Air stones are helpful for fish in an aquarium, but not for extreme root growth...
When it comes to aeration:
Nothing comes close to "flooming" - This requires nothing more than a water-pump which can lay flat on the pond or tank bottom and force water upward to the surface of the vat.
It is not important, or even desirable for the water being "floomed" to break the surface - we DO NOT want a geyser.
All we want is a gentle swell at the surface where the water looks like it's "bulging" over the pump location. You see, oxygen exchange occurs only in contact with atmospheric "air" which is 21% oxygen. Venturis and other bubblers simply create agitation of the water and the bubbles lift the water to the surface for gas exchange. Even better, a water pump forces large amounts of water to the surface for gas exchange, and it does so "simply" and very quietly. Flooming is ideal in retailers tanks because, unlike air bubbles, flooming causes less surface distortion.
A water pump lifts more water than an airstone could EVER lift to the surface for gas exchange.
Almost any brand of pump can work. You will find some pumps "stand up" better than others. It can be disastrous if the pump lays over and stops "flooming" the surface.
So, a gentle flooming in any tank or vat is superior aeration. And it's as simple as dropping in a submersible pump and aiming it at the heavens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by killfrenzi
Thats absolutely correct!.. In my case,.. I use a 280 watt air pump to "floom" w/out stones,.. Because of my massive root mass in my isolated 5 gallon dwc buckets (8).. Thanks for adding that great info. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by BUCKETKING
Did you use an individual pump for each bucket or did you get a pump strong enough to cause a current in all the buckets. If 1 pump where did you place the pump to get such a current? Also, have you MR. Busketking, heard of "Undercurrent"? It basically uses your flooming technique by causing an undercurrent within the buckets. My buddy uses a 1300 GPH pump that recirculates his nutes from his main res thru is DWC buckets via his 1" diameter tubing, which connects all buckets together.
Any thoughts on this process?