DWC question

bakenast

bakenast

Well-Known Member
hi my dwc container is about 2'x1' with one bubbler in it its about five gallons my question is does the bubbles have to hit all the roots or do they just mix in the water,, cause with the with the shape of my resovoir since its not vertically shaped the the bubbles dont spread out accross the container as much is is this ok?
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
bakenast said:
hi my dwc container is about 2'x1' with one bubbler in it its about five gallons my question is does the bubbles have to hit all the roots or do they just mix in the water,, cause with the with the shape of my resovoir since its not vertically shaped the the bubbles dont spread out accross the container as much is is this ok?
Click to expand...
They mix in.
 
Uncle Pirate

Uncle Pirate

Active Member
Most of the oxygen doesn't get infused in the water from the airstone, but from surface agitation. You can take an airstone and bust the end off so it will sink and blow big bubbles, giving you more oxygen in the water. More surface agitation = more oxygenated water. Small bubbles are nice in an aquarium where visual effect is important and you don't want your tank booming from the big bubbles. But in a DWC setup, the plants benefit more from having the bigger bubbles pushing more volume and ultimately breaking the surface better.
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry uncle pirate, but you are incorrect. yes, air is entrained in the water by surface mixing but that is not what you are going for in a DWC set up. I'm not going to get long winded but I tested different airstones with a VERY expensive DO meter and I have also been running DWC for almost 3 years now. So what happens when the plant roots fill the bucket and prevents this "agitation" of the surface water?

Anyways, to answer your question, you are fine. The plant roots will start to fill the container and the bubbles will be interacting with the roots. The bubbles passing over the roots do have an effect of exposing the plant to higher levels of oxygen..higher than the maximum dissolved oxygen content of the water itself.

If I were you, but another stone and T the airline so it is going to both stones. Better bubble coverage and a small safeguard when the stones become clogged... and they will.

Cheers.
 
Uncle Pirate

Uncle Pirate

Active Member
If what you say is true, the rdwc systems would not work, correct? I'm not going to argue with you. I might have 2 posts, but I know what I'm talking about. Op, do some research on water aeration and agitation. Surface agitation creates way more oxygen in the water than tiny bubbles.
legallyflying said:
I'm sorry uncle pirate, but you are incorrect. yes, air is entrained in the water by surface mixing but that is not what you are going for in a DWC set up. I'm not going to get long winded but I tested different airstones with a VERY expensive DO meter and I have also been running DWC for almost 3 years now. So what happens when the plant roots fill the bucket and prevents this "agitation" of the surface water?

Anyways, to answer your question, you are fine. The plant roots will start to fill the container and the bubbles will be interacting with the roots. The bubbles passing over the roots do have an effect of exposing the plant to higher levels of oxygen..higher than the maximum dissolved oxygen content of the water itself.

If I were you, but another stone and T the airline so it is going to both stones. Better bubble coverage and a small safeguard when the stones become clogged... and they will.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
 
E

elgatonegro420

Well-Known Member
crazy question. if big bubbs are better why tie down the small hose in the bucket then. ive been playing with a couple airstones as off late and settled on some. now considering no stones as ive noticed the hose itself creates big bubbles. ive read the small bubbs are better. gotta do som om more reading huh
 
Rob0769

Rob0769

Active Member
I sit a 4" cube in a 5 gal bucket full of water.. the net holds the cube 1" in the water. I have a $1 8" air stone on the bottom. I have never had a plant die because of no air in the bucket.
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
Your right pirate, I just rembered that nobody uses airstones in DWC. There are plenty of incorrect references (many in aquarium forums) that say a bubble doesn't aerate till it breaks the surface. The physics of it however are quite different. Gas transfers across the surface area of the bubble to the water due to their different oxygen concentration gradients. It's about surface area and given the same volume of air, many smaller bubbles have way more surface area.

If your theory was correct; industries that count on oxygenation (like sewage treatment facilities, and many laboratories) would never use bubblers, when in fact they do.
 
Uncle Pirate

Uncle Pirate

Active Member
Yea I said no one uses airstones in dwc (good job making shit up, that helps your credibility). Whatever man. You just want to argue because you're hurt someone disagrees with you. Typical.

OP, good luck with your grow, and don't ever take 1 persons word for anything. Research is key.
 
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