air pump question from noob

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redog

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I am determined to try this DWC.Alot of things are still very confusing to me.One is,does the airpump stay on all the time?
 
H

hererisssh

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Yes it does redog. Read through my DWC thread in the DIY section. There are lots of answers there.
 
P

pikes peak 69

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Hardest part about DWC in my opinion is keeping water cool enough. Try for 68-72*F.
 
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redog

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Thanks for the tips Ripz.
I read the post your talking about,just had a hard time finding it again.
Another question is water level.Seems I read the water level is at the bottom only,then I read later that the water/nuts are just below the net pot.
Why is water temp so important?
Have you found any methods that reduce temps that don't require using air conditioning?
 
J

johnnyballbag

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Water temps aren't important. They're CRUCIAL. It has to do with dissolved oxygen, or more accurately the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. At 68 degrees F, water is at it's best ability to absorb dissolved oxygen. Submerged roots in warm, oxygen starved water equal an environment perfect for root born disease and anaerobic bacteria. If you have warmer than ideal water temps, i'd say have your water level lower as opposed to higher, as this will at least give part of the root system access to oxygen.
 
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redog

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How about the check valve

So I have two buckets now (bought at the local hydro store).Is the check valve going from the air pump to the bucket necessary?
 
greenthumbdanny

greenthumbdanny

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Your nutrient temps should be between 68-73. At 78 you will get pythium. When it gets hotter it will get worse. A temporary solution is to attach a small computer fan to the lid of ressy so it blows air across the surface of the solution. This will drop solution temps about 5 degrees on average. That will help you there for the short term. The only disadvantage is that the solution level will drop faster, due to an increase in evaporation, therefore topping off more frequently will be required.

If PH swings are a huge problem.
Heres what you need to do.
Fill your ressy with r.o. water. Adjust the PH of the plain water. Wait 12 hours letting the solution bubble/mix. Then add your nutrients. (You can start feeding this to the plants at this point, if you cant wait). 12 hours after adding the nutrients check PH and adjust one more time if needed. Adjust in small steps. My 40 gallon ressy's only take about 25ml of ph adjuster each to stabilize it. The key is to allow the ph buffers to do their job before you add in more.

GTD
 
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Redux

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huge bubbles = huge growth it creates almost a aeroponics style system were the roots are nearly always suspended in air with the volume and size of the bubbles.
Also large bubbles are better than small bubbles for increasing DO levels. Another thing that happens when you remove the airstone is you remove a restriction and the pump operates more efficiently.
 
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redog

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another air pump ?

I now have another air pump and a spare.All three are dual outlets.I have one air pump hooked up to one bucket and the other airline is not hooked up.
Should this line be blocked off until another bucket is hooked to it?
Put thumb over the end and feel the air coming out of the nipple.
I'm thinking that if it was blocked off,I would get more bubbles to the bucket that is hooked up.
Thanks for the tips Danny and Johnny.
I'm waitin' on the link Hubcap :dance
 
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redog

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Done

Yeah,that helped a bit.
Going to Pick up some stuff today to pimp out these buckets,then wait for the latest bean to pop.
You know,four DWC buckets are can be some work maintaining.
Thanks Ripz.
 
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