Hidey ho everybody I got to wondering today about air pumps. I mean, that's an essential part of the DWC set up, and more oxygen in the water makes for happier plants. So what gph air pump do you use for how many plants? I'm planning up to a 6 plant grow, and I'm sure the pump I have is adequate for a small reservoir, but I'd like to hear from experienced growers. Also, has anyone done a side by side comparison of a plant with X gph of air to a plant with Y gph of air? - Dr. Amazo
It's not really number of plants as it is the reservoir size. I have two 22gal totes that only have about 6-8gal of water in them. I use a 600gph pump to take care of both, but I've used less. I haven't done any side-by-sides, but just know you really can't overdo it in this regard.
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm AAPA70L 60-Watt 70-LPM Active Aqua Commercial Air Pump with: Patio, Lawn & Garden this should handle anything you can throw at it while still providing all the air you want
That's an awful lot of air movement; round 1110gph. I know you can't really add too much air, but is that much necessary? That's a great link tho, JFlow, especially because it's only $50. That being the case, it's not like I'm spending alot of money on something I don't need. But it seems to be a reasonable price for overkill. I have an old 10gph pump from my mycological days, would that be adequate for say a single 5 gallon bucket? I'm really only asking because I've got random bits and pieces of equipment and I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to use up as much of it as possible. Buying more isn't out of the question, but not buying more would make my wallet happier. Also, on a separate note, anyone know of a really good thread on autoflowering plants? I.e. potential breeding, common problems, super awesome suppliers/strains. Figure I'll ask here so I don't have to start a new thread. - Dr. Amazo
they have that pump in a 45lpm - dont know what it translates to in gal but im sure that would be a good choice of pump without having to get multiple aquarium pumps. i find that the money the 70lpm pump is best, expecially for a 6 plant rig (from your recent post im assuming 6 5gal buckets? your 10gal pump will work for a single bucket, i personally use a dual outlet 50gal tank pump (15$) per bucket or per 2 buckets depending on if i grow 2 plants or 4. on your auto question, theres not really just 1 thread bro. Do you have any strains that are appealing to you? Also, what are you looking for as far as breeding? I remember reading a thread on here where someone pollinated their auto using some spray (some c word silver..sorry for the lazy reply im baked and dont really wanna look it all up to spell it right) the bottom of the plant turned male and produced pollen while the top stayed fem and produced bud, guy didnt get a bucket load of seeds but he got seeds none the less. probably didnt end up with bud or good bud but he accomplished breeding his auto lol just search the forums bro, type keywords like auto breeding or auto problem hope all this helps bro
Well, I have a multitude of totes and buckets. Like I said, I've got a random hodge podge of equipment and I would just as soon use as much of it as possible as let it sit around. The idea my grow partner and I have come up with is to use my room as a cloning/veg room and his for flower. Since autoflowers can utilize the same light cycle as vegging plants, we figured it was a no brainer to incorporate some into the grow. This way, we can potentially harvest every 2-4 weeks depending on how we stagger them. Near constant supply. As far as breeding, we also figured that would be a good idea. Our thinking is to buy non-fem seeds, sprout them, then just grow male/female together. This way we always have auto seeds if we need them. About the strains, I was just wondering who has had good experiences with what. I will do some searching, I promise, but yeah there is the whole lazy thing. And that on top of it being Thanksgiving. Now, is that a pump rated for a 50 gallon tank, or a 50 gph pump? And to convert lpm to gph: 1 liter is as close to a quart as makes almost no difference. There are 4 quarts to a gallon. So a 45 lpm pump is approximately 11 gpm. I was a chef for a number of years and I find it almost a compulsion to explain that sort of thing, sorry lol. Cool, well I won't drag this thread out anymore. Suppose I should get on my ass and do some searching. Thanks ya'll - Dr. Amazo
That's what I use and only run a single dwc bucket amongst my soiless plants. Works great! Plenty of air! And if I ever wanted to run more buckets I know I could without any issues!