To use Airpump or Not?

Im running a single 5 gallon bubble bucket with a 1/2 outlet on the bottom and a 1/2 inlet on the top with hydrofarm active aqua screens and fittings.

Since the outlet for my activa aqua chiller runs off a active aqua 250 pump and dumps back in the top inlet of my bucket do I still need to use my air pump?

Or should I put my pump and chiller both on a timer with a run time of 20 min on 60min off and use a seperate air pump.

Or leave the pump on continuous and put the chiller on a timer?

Im confused as I do want to save on electricity during the night if possible...

My set up uses single unit bubblers & no chiller, that being said....I run my air-pumps 24/7.
IMO - O2 in the water is like light, it's kinda hard to have too much.

I'd agree with Hugo Phurst, If you get enough air into a well insulated res I have got by without using a chiller at all. I personally wouldn't recommend putting your air pump on a timer. I would run it 24/7. If you can keep the outside of your a res a light colored (flat white preferred) it shouldn't absorb heat from your light and stay relatively cool. The more air the better. I've been growing over 15 years and have never seen too much oxygen in a res.

Agreed. Run bubbles all the time. Chilling continuously will be more efficient than running chiller periodically but watch out the roots don't grow down the drain.

I'll play devils advocate and say with a good waterfall, bubbles are unneccesary.
People tend towards air pumps instead of water pumps because they dont raise the res temps as much. Obviously with a chiller this is a non issue.

So my vote is water pump continous, chiller timer or sensor, and no air pump. Maybe try to angle or mod the inlet so it makes as much splash as possible. Think "cow pissing on flat rock"

You might be able to drill a hole in your inlet and run some airline up outside the bucket as a venturi and the water movement will suck air/bubbles in.

If You were running a reservoir with multiple buckets in a hot room I would use a chiller? I likely wouldn’t run air where a water pump is, I would run air under my plants, however only when the lights are on as there is little or no gas exchange when the lights are off. Unless I’m wrong here surely someone will correct me?

What do you mean run air under your plants? You mean air circulation underneath the canopy? Yes you want air movement at all times. Gas exchange actually reverses. The stomata inspire o2 and expire co2 at night.

XipXipXoom said:

What do you mean run air under your plants? You mean air circulation underneath the canopy? Yes you want air movement at all times. Gas exchange actually reverses. The stomata inspire o2 and expire co2 at night.

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No in the solution where the roots are. This is DWC right?

Hey I’m pretty new to indoor so I learn all the time. Criticism is a good thing in my books. Fire away!

oic u meant u wouldnt run air in the rez... only under plants. Yeah, roots need o2 even at night. Airstones help with circulating water around the root zone but if theres some other force circulating water around the rootzone and to the surface then air is unnecessary. But because the roots are submerged, they always have to have oxygen rich water moving over them and taking their co2 away. Like a shark swims while he sleeps.

XipXipXoom said:

oic u meant u wouldnt run air in the rez... only under plants. Yeah, roots need o2 even at night. Airstones help with circulating water around the root zone but if theres some other force circulating water around the rootzone and to the surface then air is unnecessary. But because the roots are submerged, they always have to have oxygen rich water moving over them and taking their co2 away. Like a shark swims while he sleeps.

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Why then does Kratky method not kill plants? I currently have 8 plants sitting in nothing more than mason jars filled with 75 percent three part solution with anti light jackets on them. No air to roots in solution, never seen healthier tomato plants?

Old Thcool said:

Why then does Kratky method not kill plants? I currently have 8 plants sitting in nothing more than mason jars filled with 75 percent three part solution with anti light jackets on them. No air to roots in solution, never seen healthier tomato plants?

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Throw an air stone in half of them.... Then let's see what you think. Your definition of healthy will change.

Old Thcool said:

Why then does Kratky method not kill plants? I currently have 8 plants sitting in nothing more than mason jars filled with 75 percent three part solution with anti light jackets on them. No air to roots in solution, never seen healthier tomato plants?

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Kratky works great too. Proven to be slightly slower growth however. Its great for short to mid term vegetables and especially leafy greens where one soloution in one volume can last a plants entire cycle. With marijuana though we grow to such power hungry levels that Kratky is pointless due to the level of maintenance so people add reservoirs ect... You can Kratky weed.. I am right now.. just expect less return and add bloom phase nutes carefully.

I clone in solo cups of tap water so I know aeration isnt necessary... to a point. There is still gas exchange at the surface. But once the plants get big and the roots start getting deep, it def starts to have a detrimental effect on growth rate. I've never pushed it past 6-8" roots on clones though.

When aquariums get low 02 you see all the fish swimming near the surface. Sure they can survive, maybe even grow, but not ideal environment.

To use an airpump or not? YES.
Buy a cheap piston one off amazon and a couple stones to go with it. Its gonna make a difference in a few ways. It will only put you back 40 bucks or so. Move on to your next issue.

Yeah I decided to just let it all run, this is my first time doing anything hydro, I have a large aquaponic non cannabis setup running for 6 years though

Most comments point toward a submersible pump, I decided on a inline pump to avoid heat and bacteria growing on uneeded submerged equipment

I put my bucket outside in the sun during the day so I made long hoses, please any suggestions to the new guy is welcome, im from the islands so its hot here

Now, just add a bucket outside the tent! It will add volume and give you a place to dump nutes, ph adjust into.
Only half kidding but that looks alright. Between the air pump and chiller you should be good to go.

Keep an eye on those roots too. Once it gets big the root will clog that return, just by following the flow.