Surface agitation for D.O vs nano bubbles

strawberrydreams · Mar 5, 2025

I might be mistaken but , If surface agitation is where most of the gas exchange happens and DO becomes introduced into the water , then why are nano bubble generators such a large industry for commercial sized greenhouses, and the results are supported by many research papers citing the increased DO levels ?

Wouldn’t having a blower fan aimed at the water level inside a huge nutrient holding tank provide the same , or better oxygen to the water then a nano bubble
generator?

Grownsince95 · Mar 5, 2025

strawberrydreams said:
I might be mistaken but , If surface agitation is where most of the gas exchange happens and DO becomes introduced into the water , then why are nano bubble generators such a large industry for commercial sized greenhouses, and the results are supported by many research papers citing the increased DO levels ?

Wouldn’t having a blower fan aimed at the water level inside a huge nutrient holding tank provide the same , or better oxygen to the water then a nano bubble
generator?

Forcing oxygen to "dissolve" into water isn't as easy as it sounds. The bursting of larger bubbles at the surface using conventional air rings looses most of the oxygen back into the atmosphere. It's better than nothing, but it's not efficient.

I use fountain style aeration in my reservoirs, which plunges the bubbles under the surface from above as opposed to sending them from the bottom up. Does this make a difference in DO availability? Probably not. I have my own bro science opinions on why it's better though.

Is fountain style aeration 99% quieter and more energy efficient than running an air pump 24/7? Definitely yes! I only run mine for 12 hrs a day, 15 min on/15 min off. I've never had a problem with DO as far as I know.

On a commercial scale it's all about yield and finding that edge over your competitors to make the most money the fastest.

strawberrydreams · Mar 5, 2025

So are you saying nano bubbles do add more oxygen then basic surface agitation ? Is it because the nano bubbles float very slowly and have more contact time in the water before they finally pop at the surface ?

Grownsince95 · Mar 5, 2025

Yes. Oxygenation of water happens by diffusion. The longer the bubbles stay in contact with the water the more dissolved oxygen you will get.

Also, the extremely small size of the nano bubbles makes the pressure inside them much greater due to the air compression thus forcing the oxygen into the water more as opposed to just "floating" out with the bigger bubbles.

I hope that makes sense lol

strawberrydreams · Mar 5, 2025

Grownsince95 said:
Yes. Oxygenation of water happens by diffusion. The longer the bubbles stay in contact with the water the more DO you will get.

Also, the extremely small size of the nano bubbles makes the pressure inside them much greater due to the air compression thus forcing the oxygen into the water more as opposed to just "floating" out with the bigger bubbles.

I hope that makes sense lol

Cool. Thanks. I see many YouTube video of what appears to be a basic Venturi with possibly a different throat or outlet which makes smaller bubbles . Are you aware of any that produce true nano bubbles without the added gas tank apparatus, or do the Venturi’s alone with just a high output pump only create micro and not nano bubbles ?

Grownsince95 · Mar 5, 2025

strawberrydreams said:
Cool. Thanks. I see many YouTube video of what appears to be a basic Venturi with possibly a different throat or outlet which makes smaller bubbles . Are you aware of any that produce true nano bubbles without the added gas tank apparatus, or do the Venturi’s alone with just a high output pump only create micro and not nano bubbles ?

You cannot see nano bubbles with the naked eye.

They're not even microscopic... they're nanoscopic! You can only see them with laser light or some shit idk. Bottom line is: if you can see them on you tube they're just bubbles

Grownsince95 · Mar 5, 2025

Also one last thing...nano bubbles were discovered in the 80's. They only occur naturally in crashing waves and waterfalls. And that's why fountain aeration is better!! Haha!!

strawberrydreams · Mar 5, 2025

Grownsince95 said:
Also one last thing...nano bubbles were discovered in the 80's. They only occur naturally in crashing waves and waterfalls. And that's why fountain aeration is better!! Haha!!

Just one of many companies creating nano bubble generators.

Grownsince95 · Mar 5, 2025

strawberrydreams said:
Just one of many companies creating nano bubble generators.

Yes I'm aware that's why I said "naturally"

strawberrydreams · Mar 5, 2025

Still looking for the best Venturi setup that can produce nano like bubbles with just a pump and the specialized Venturi attachment. No additional gas infusion …

Maybe protein skimmer pumps with their pinwheels could work …

amneziaHaze · Mar 6, 2025

strawberrydreams said:
I might be mistaken but , If surface agitation is where most of the gas exchange happens and DO becomes introduced into the water , then why are nano bubble generators such a large industry for commercial sized greenhouses, and the results are supported by many research papers citing the increased DO levels ?

Wouldn’t having a blower fan aimed at the water level inside a huge nutrient holding tank provide the same , or better oxygen to the water then a nano bubble
generator?

If you make a bubble under the root and that bubble gets stuck there thats all plant air

strawberrydreams · Mar 6, 2025

amneziaHaze said:
If you make a bubble under the root and that bubble gets stuck there thats all plant air

That would be a good thing wouldn’t it ?

amneziaHaze · Mar 6, 2025

Any water pump with a plastic hose that has a y conector one side goes out ot the water will make bubbles

Yes it would be a good thing you have airponics inside a dwc for an example roots that are in that airpocket would inhale it there is a lot more air.water has a limit how much it can get saturated

Bobcat.Branch · Mar 6, 2025

Grownsince95 said:
Yes. Oxygenation of water happens by diffusion. The longer the bubbles stay in contact with the water the more dissolved oxygen you will get.

Two good quality stones at the bottom of my 45 gallon reservoir that are driven by a strong pump is satisfying to watch, but knowing that the air has far to travel to the surface means more diffusion.

Surface agitation for D.O vs nano bubbles

Surface agitation for D.O vs nano bubbles

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Surface agitation for D.O vs nano bubbles

Surface agitation for D.O vs nano bubbles

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