New Aqua Pore Defusers

[bobby34]

How are folks getting on with the new aqua pore diffusers instead of airstones??. Ive literally just started a new grow with these and was a little worried as it seemed that the roots were just dangling in the water. The aqua pore itself fits neatly around the bottom edge and does supply a nice amount of air around the edge of the module but the middle seems too still!. May be I'm too used to seeing the middle being bubbled with a stone.

Any one finished a complete grow with these yet??.

 

[bobby34]

Ive changed back to airstones for now as I'm not impressed, The Growth has been far too slow for my liking!. Ive been on the CC website and there still using the same air pumps but all new systems come with the new aqua pore??.

 

[macdiesel]

From my understanding, air injected into water doesn't directly provide O2. It's the disturbance of the water surface that allows O2 in. Think of a creek where water is disturbed most=white water=O2 rich! When your plant is in the pod, air is ineffective in the middle. Air bubbles reach the surface with the diffuser hose all around the water surface by the plant. Air stones suck imo.

 

[bobby34]

From my understanding, air injected into water doesn't directly provide O2. It's the disturbance of the water surface that allows O2 in. Think of a creek where water is disturbed most=white water=O2 rich! When your plant is in the pod, air is ineffective in the middle. Air bubbles reach the surface with the diffuser hose all around the water surface by the plant. Air stones suck imo.

Yeah i no what your saying and i agree, But I'm just going off how the plants are growing and they seem very slow, Are you using the new aqua pores ?

 

[DapperDon]

From my understanding, air injected into water doesn't directly provide O2. It's the disturbance of the water surface that allows O2 in. Think of a creek where water is disturbed most=white water=O2 rich! When your plant is in the pod, air is ineffective in the middle. Air bubbles reach the surface with the diffuser hose all around the water surface by the plant. Air stones suck imo.

That is actually incorrect. The injection of air bubbles allow for the O2 to be exchanged by the surface area of the bubble. The purpose of micro pore diffusers is to create more surface area for the exchange by creating even smaller bubbles. You are not going to be pushing out good air through an aqua pore or any other kind of micro diffuser without a pump that has a good SP rating. It all comes back to having good equipment, and that is never cheap.

 

[bobby34]

So you reckon a bigger air pump is needed for the aqua pores then?. there 80L/min as standard. Any idea as to what you size would need ??

 

[macdiesel]

Yes. I hav

Yeah i no what your saying and i agree, But I'm just going off how the plants are growing and they seem very slow, Are you using the new aqua pores ?

Yes. I have a new 32xldb with aqua pore diffusers and alita air pumps

 

[DapperDon]

So you reckon a bigger air pump is needed for the aqua pores then?. there 80L/min as standard. Any idea as to what you size would need ??

All air pumps are not created the same. The performance curves are what you need to pay more attention to than just the label.
This is the performance curve of the Alita line of air pumps. You want to look at the PSI portion of that chart because when dealing with micro-pore diffusers there has to be a certain PSI needed to force the air through the membrane to meet the performance desired. With the Alita 80 you see that you are only getting 2.XX in PSI. Sp depending on the diffusers specs, that may not be enough.

 

[macdiesel]

No offense Don, but I'd like to see what cch20 would say to you as those are the products that come with their new systems. Have you done more research than them?

 

[DapperDon]

I am sure they would tell me that my facts are straight. The good people at cch20 make an outstanding product that continues to evolve with outstanding results. I feel that you seem to misinterpret what I am communicating as some sort of slight. The research that cch20 have devoted to their product is based off of their growing methods and their equipment specs and formula's. If the Alita 80 is a part of that formula then I am sure that is what they intended. I prefer for more agitation in my water as 'i introduce 02 from various sources and methods so for me and my methods, I prefer something with the power to not only meet the SP ratings but to run at the intended performance curves once those barriers are overcome. You can always turn it down, you just can't make more.

 

[Legallyflying]

That is an old myth that it's just the disturbance on the surface that distributes oxygen.

Air bubbles passing through the water column have a much greater concentration of air than the surrounding water. Thus, due to the concentration gradient difference, oxygen is entrained into the water up until it's carrying capacity.

I once borrowed a VERY expensive DO meter and tested dissolved O2 levels with various air stones and temperatures.

From the cheap 6" blue stones to the ridiculously stupid "micro pore diffuser, they were all able to achieve Max DO.

Find me a stone that doesn't clog up and I will buy it. Bottom line, cheap air stones and big air phmps is more than adequate and I have tried them ALL.

 

[DapperDon]

And just how is the air more concentrated? I actually own and know how to use a D/O meter Linked below and have never seen just a stone and a pump create this phenomenon. Do you remember the results and parameters of the tests you conducted? Were there any other controls involved? (temp, ec, tds, method of aeration)? You are not getting max d/o with that alone. Period. Learn the science before professing my misguided friend. T
http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments-HI9142-Calibration-Dissolved/dp/B0085WOOXE

 

[Dizzy Weasel]

I agree I've been fighting these aqua pore things every other system that has stones is massively ahead of system with diffusers and all systems are in the same room! I will move the really poor plants to system with stones and in 48hrs they stack on 5-6" and roots go crazy.. Everything elce is exactly the same.. Called and emailed CC and they act like I'm the first report they have ever heard of this, saying I have build up or something is off nope! It seems the splash under the baskets creates way more explosive root growth and root health increase from others, I put stones in two days ago on diffuser system and I wish I would've weeks ago plants look massively better and bigger

 

[Legallyflying]

I spent good coin on diffusers, hard pipes them into the buckets...was a huge pain in the ass but I was super excited. Turned on the pondmaster 100 and was like wTF? Where are all the bubbles?

 

[bobby34]

Yeah Dizzy I've done exactly the same, Ive binned the aqua pores completely now. Back on the air stones and with in a couple of days you could see the difference. Surely CC had tested them considerably??

 

[We Solidarity]

airstones, there's no other option...cleaning them is as easy as scrubbing them with bleach soaking in hot water and letting them air dry...on the same stones for a year now they look brand new and work great. And if i need to replace them it's a few bucks.

 

[DapperDon]

airstones, there's no other option...cleaning them is as easy as scrubbing them with bleach soaking in hot water and letting them air dry...on the same stones for a year now they look brand new and work great. And if i need to replace them it's a few bucks.

I use the Alita 12" Sintered stones and they are built like tanks. 2 years now and they look brand new after a cleaning after each run.

 

[ZombieSlave]

Im thinking about tossing two in a bucket

 

[macdiesel]

My aqua pores are ALREADY clogged and not working after a month out of the box. I gotta say, CCH2o products are ridiculously overpriced garbage.

 

[DapperDon]

I will say that adding those was probably not the smartest idea they could have come up with for their new systems. It appears that they might have chosen to use products that are already available instead of any real advancement in r&d with regards to that.