What size air pump is reccomended for a 5 gal bubble bucket?

Discussion in 'Hydroponic Growing' started by peruworm, Sep 28, 2010.

  1. Making my first one. just wondering what is a good/cheap air pump that will do the job right
     
  2. More bubbles= more growth.

    Rumple suggested a whisper 60 at the smallest

    he uses a whisper 100. So.... So do I
     
  3. I use an Aqua Culture 20 - 60 Dual and run a pair of 1" stones off it.
    Works for me...

    More bubbles = more growth is not quite right... all you need is 10% DO .. any more and you are throwing away $$
     
  4. I use a general hydroponics dual diaphram pump and one of those small dual outlet pumps for 2 buckets. So i have 3 lines with 3 stones in each bucket. It makes sense that the more bubbles you have the better. I believe if you have more oxygen in your water you are way less likely to get any root rot.
     
  5. go with the biggest one you can afford and pay attention to how loud it is..
    You can never have to many bubbles, and most of us end up adding additional units so a bigger pump will allow that without having to buy a new one..

    gluck buddy
    Slinger
     
  6. I use a Super Luft Pump SL-38, with 4 adjustable outlets. Overkill for one bucket I know but planning for expansion later:smoke:

    3psi
    18 watts

    can't hear it outside of the closet.
     
  7. get the cheap 20$ one from walmart. It has two outputs. I run one to each bucket with the cheapest bubble stones I can find. So far its doing awsome. Two buckets are run off one output for smaller plants and I have no issues. Larger plants get their own just in case.
     
  8. To answer your question I would like to know how many five gallon buckets you are using.

    I use a Tetra and Top Fin. I don't agree with the "get the cheapest one at wall mart" idea. Get what you need. If your running 1 bucket I would get the Tetra 80 gal. Run two air stones about 3", this is what I ran on my mothers and they do better than perfect. My main grows usually have 1 5" air stone, and the two 3" get better results. If you are trying to run more than 2 buckets then I would run TOP FIN AIR-8000 $25 usd. Pumps a lot of air (on the box the specs say that 10 gallons per outlet, there are four outlets). I still use one outlet per bucket (an aquarium is different than a hydro system) tetra quieter puts out less air "IMO" great for running small 1 or 2 bucket systems, but if your doing more than 4 I would get the multiple TOP FINS. They both work all the time and never give me troubles. I hope that this is helpful.

    Last thought. Air pumps are not to pricey, it is not worth buying one that is cheap and will not work for you. Think about how many outlets there on on them. I cant see a use for an air pump with only one outlet. The price diffrence is not that large to get what you need.
    $20 one outlet tetra (dont get this one cause 20 GAL
    $22 two outlets double power 40 GAL
    $25 TOP FIn Air Pump AIR 8000 four outlets I love these things. 170 GAL


    I have only used the two brands, but I have no reason to want to switch.
    Top Fin&#0174 Air Pump AIR 1000-8000 - Air Pumps & Accessories - Fish - PetSmart

    Top fin does make a $10 one if your on a real budget growing one plant and don't care about sound I might, maybe, but still probably not, get this one.
     
  9. I use a eco air 4 on two buckets with 2 small stones per bucket.
    Make sure the stones are held down at the bottom.
    Turn that bitch up and the water boils.

    More bubbles the better, especially in the summertime with high water temps.
     

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