So I am browsing some online hydro stores comparing products and prices. So I stumble across this when reading about Home & Garden Hydro A&B nutrients product. I have never heard this. What do you guys think. (Referring to the bolded part)
"DO NOT add Hydro A & B at the same time, as this triggers a chemical reaction in the nutrient resulting in sediment, incomplete nourishment and clogged piping. Contrary to what you might have heard with other nutrients, never use an oxygen pump in the nutrient container or in the growth table. This may have serious consequences for the stability of the nutrients.
Yes it is true two or three part formulas should be added one at a time. Precipitates can easily form when adding both or all three at the same time. However, this just means add one Part and mix and then add the other Part and immediately mix. If you just pump the Part B in without immediately mixing you can very well cause precipitation.
As far as an air pump. That is a widely debated subject that is entirely dependent on the type of system and quality of construction of the system you use. For an example if you are growing DWC then a good air pump, venturi pump systems at a high velocity pumps is pretty much necessary. With EBB and Flow with a well draining media (not rock wool) it is usually of no benefit to add an air pump but also not a disadvantage.
With the typical NTF and small tube aero an air pump or venturi pump combination will help at early stages of growth while the root masses are small but it is not of much benefit once the root mass grows larger. the typical small tube aero is not even adequate for small plant SOG grows yet alone larger mj plants. Root rot is a very, very common problem with those systems and an air pump will not fix their obvious design flaws that cause a thick stacked up layer of roots that can not be oxygenated well enough even when provided with nutrient water saturated with dissolved oxygen when leaving the reservoir.
Some people base the no air pump recommendation on the fact that CO2 is in the air being pumped into the reservoir and that this is bad. That is pretty far fetched though as the pumped in CO2 will nearly always just leave the water in the same form as CO2 gas. CO2 like dissolved oxygen is always proportional to the amount of gas in the room that contains the reservoir not the amount of gas pumped into the reservoir.
The air pump does increase DO if the DO is below saturation level for the water temp and the atmospheric pressure and salinity levels, which can cause problems with organic formulas but very, very seldom does it lead to any bad consequence with chemical nutrients as long as you do not add foolisly organic supplements.
