Hey everyone, I have a single 5 gallon pale and 2 air pumps and wondering if I should T them together and run them to a single large air stone ... or ... should I run 2 separate air lines and 2 air stones? What would be the most effective way? Thanx
One stone should be fine. It does not have to look like a pot of boiling water, the point is to oxygenate it.
There is no reason to use two pumps for one 5 gallon bucket. Save the second pump for a second bucket. Edit: I use 1 dual output pump that runs four 4" air disks separated between two 10 gallon reservoirs. My air pump isn't anything special and my plants are dandy.
It wont hurt anything at all if you run 2 airstones. Kinda confused why everyone said not too? It might not be needed but it is only gonna help if you do
It wouldn't hurt anything but it would be overkill. Air pumps burn out on a regular basis so why use WAY more than what you need? If you are only gonna use 1 bucket, save the second pump for when the first one burns out. If you run them both at the same time, you will just be wasting the life expectancy of your 2nd pump without any addition benefits to your grow.
I was under the impression that running 2 pumps was good in case one fails while I'm at work and it goes 14 + hours with no oxygen to the roots? I laugh when I read about "it don't have to be like a pot of boiling water lol"
use one and keep one in reserve is good advise. Also use a check valve if your pump is below the water level, power goes out the water will back flow into you pump and ruin it. Herb
Skinart, If you are looking for redundancy in your system (won't hurt anything) use two separate stones (if one fails, the other will still work). Cheaper and more reliable than a check valve, just be sure to mount your air pump higher than the top level of the water in your reservoir. If one of those pumps were to die out, it could (probably WILL) start a siphon, and empty your bucket. Air pumps are pretty reliable, if you buy a decent one. I've had some that I replace which were like 10 years old. They still worked just fine (Whisper brand by Tetra) I replaced them for my own peace of mind. Cheers, Past
i run 2 air pumps at all times, you never know when one will go out. i'd rather be safe then sorry. i have seem whole plants lost to clogged air stones. i also check the stones a lot to make sure they are working.
I've had 2 10+ hour power outages with my DWC system and it never phased the plants (aside from some light confusion). When your pumps cut off, the oxygen in the water doesn't just magically disappear. When you have a glass of white aerated water it takes a pretty long time just to start looking like normal water again but will continue to hold high oxygen content for days. I wouldn't worry about "drowning" in already oxygenated water until the pumps have been off for 2+ days.
i have one pump that has 2 ports for 1/4 inch air lines and i put a T in them and ran 1 medium size stone to my 10 gallon tote that i store my water in. soon i will have 1 going to one water tank and the other one goimg to my back up water tank once i get 2 rsevioirs. my only question is if i should run them 24/7? or on a timer?