Good point, when I go to clean out the buckets after a grow it would be easier without the hose holders. IF the suction cups will hold the tension of the hose under water I would go with that, but most suction cups I have used in the past have eventually given way (and when I say eventually I mean days or weeks, not months).
For me, aquarium suction cups never stayed stuck in an aquarium - gonna imagine it would be worse in acidic nutrient solution. Maybe you could get some cylinder air stones like mine so the hose just naturally stays tight to the walls?
Yeah, my experience with suction cups has been pretty much like yours---not great. I could try the cylinder air stones but I have read great things about these air diffusers and was going to try them: Air Injection Technology the Spider
Cool - I'll be very interested to see how those perform! I like the low profile and the inlet being to one side.
This is a picture of Garden Friendly Fungicide, it looks like mud but is less viscous (has the consistency of thin motor oil). Given that almost 99% of its make-up is the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain whereas Hydroguard contains less than .04 percent of Bacillus, I do feel its likely that is what's causing the light brown coloring of my roots (versus root rot or some other issue). I will continue to watch the roots closely however.
Crimea Blue seedlings ready to go! Hopefully we get roots in a few days. Lower wattage power supply should arrive / be installed just in time for transplant to the res...
Also - based on testing so far - the chiller seems able to hold water at about 67-69 degrees but can't go much colder except over night. Expect I might be able to get 65ish with the slightly dimmer light, but even 68 is great - won't need to deal with ice bottle bullshit anymore!
Is there a reason you would want/need to get the temp below 68 degrees, given that is the optimum level?
Have you guys heard of this product? Its costly (around $550 to cover four buckets) but it is apparently so efficient at oxygenating the water that you only need to run it for 2-3 hours a day! Watching the video, the type & quality of the bubbles does seem world's better than an air stone: O2 Grow Oxygen Emitter Diffuser 2020 - 20 Gal for Sale - Reviews, Prices, & More - GrowersHouse Edit: Looks like for 5 gallon buckets you would only need to run it around 1.5 hours a day, and NO air pump noise! The reviews on Amazon look awfully good, the only negative I can find about these is the price. Also the emitters die after around 1,600 hours so that is only 18 months of use and they need to be replaced (power unit is still good, would need 4 new emitters):
The benefit for me will be the slightly slowed growth. Colder roots can slow the plants down a bit which would be useful in the short tent while I'm just getting plants going / trying not to fill the entire space. It ceetainly doesn't do any harm, and the cooler water will further inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. I know I mentioned that in my first cab grow I kept the water at 60 the whole run. Roots always looked great, plants grew well, and that was the heavier of my two successful harvests thus far.
I have seen those - I think the idea is cool and they oxygenate the water really well. They seem like they'd be a pain in the ass in deepwater culture though. -Surface won't boil as much so less splashing of net cups - might need a top feed at first. The fine mist will oxygenate the water VERY efficiently but won't agitate it as much. -Since its basically causing an electrical reaction in the water molecules to make O2 from H2O, I gotta imagine they build up with deposits over time and might be a pain to clean -Wayyy more likely to tangle roots in that mesh than on an airstone. Still - the technology is very cool. I can definitely appreciate the fact that it doesn't generate heat! I just think at least for bubble buckets they may pose issues.
Very interesting. In my online research I did not find anything about advantages to keeping the water temp under 67 degrees, but its hard to argue with your success!
Apparently they clean up well with Muriatic Acid, so are no more of a problem to clean than an air stone. At the end of a grow you would cut out the roots and then scrub clean with the acid, might take a bit of effort but I cannot imagine you would be unable to get the roots out. You definitely would need to top feed until you got a decent amount of roots into the water, but every single person who has used and reviewed these has raved about their performance. I'm impressed, and do not see any significant down side other than the price. But, because of the price not very many people have used them and so I have not been able to find a lot of what I consider "independent" reviews (though the ones I've seen have been very positive as stated above). I don't love the idea of being a $550 guinea pig, but I do LOVE the idea of not having the noise from the commercial air pump I would need for my four 5 gallon buckets!
IMO, no real benefit for putting in this expensive tech, when tried & true works just fine. Especially when you still have to master the basics, and bubbles aren’t a gating item. But having worked in SV, i know new tech is an itch that few can fail to scratch.
Good point as usual, but for me its more about having the very best possible equipment if one is lucky enough to be able to afford it. Bubbles may not be a gating item, but one of the cornerstones of hydroponics is oxygenating the roots. The very best air stone/diffuser does not get 100% oxygen saturation like this product does, so the real question is not "Is it better for your plants?" but "Is it enough better to make a noticeable difference in quality & yield?". Based on my research that has not been answered conclusively, so while it's almost certainly beneficial it's just not possible to quantify that benefit at present. I will add that the $550 cost was based on buying two 10 gallon sets, each of which includes 2 emitters and one controller/power supply. I would not need two controller/power suppliers, so I could most likely contact the company and make a deal to buy 4 emitters and one controller at a lower price (maybe around $400 - $450?). Still not certain it would make a noticeable difference, but I bookmarked the website and will investigate it further when it comes time to set-up my grow tent. I also found a bunch of articles & videos about DIY versions, but none of them looked safe or durable and I would rather drop $450 and notice little benefit than spend $80 and ruin my crop & possibly burn down my new grow tent!
Like i said...In another way...no sense reinventing the wheel. And, there is more to bubbles than just the O2 part. I bet this tech is for growing petro-algae. But i digress.