What size air pump?

What size air pump is recommended for a DWC/Bubbleponic set up? I have done countless searches on google, and on here for hours but can't get a basic range that I would need. Say for each gallon of water how many gph is recommended? That way I can figure out how big of an air pump to connect to the air stone in the bottom.

Also, what nutes would you use to start off with in the res? Do you add root stimulator, or is that just for cloning? I would start from seed in rockwool, then placed in net pots filled with hydroton. What is super thrive used for?

I know this is alot of questions but I can't find these answers all in one place and I'm getting tired lol. So, is root stimulator needed when starting from seed? What all nutes do you add in the water? And what size of an air pump do you connect to an air stone, (gph per gallon of water)?

Thanks for the help.

I personally go w/ 1 watt of driven air per gallon to be aerated. I've used as low as 0.5 watts per gallon though without issue. I know it's not very exact, but I was unable to find any other guidelines/rules as far as that goes... It just doesn't seem to require a lot to keep the water simply oxygenated but there appears to be a lot of other benefits to providing more airflow than that (like keeping your nutrient solution moving and well mixed while being able to penetrate into deep root mass).

I like Botanicare nutrients in DWC and Liquid Karma is great for starting off both clones and seedlings. You can purchase products designed to promote root growth (both clones/seedlings) that contain beneficial microbes which form symbiotic relationships with the plant that increase and assist root development. You can also purchase products to initiate rooting in cuttings. But don't confuse the two products - they are different and not interchangeable in use. Have not personally used Super Thrive so no comment...

No worries about the questions... I'd recommend either learning how to make an active earthworm compost tea or purchase a product like ZHO and/or AquaShield to use from seed both for increased pathogen resistance (same concept as probiotics in human medicine) and healthier root growth (symbiotic relationship w/ fungi). Both of those products are relatively inexpensive and even cheaper alternatives can be found w/ a little research.

Thanks for the info Tao. So from what you're saying, if I were have 15 gallons of water, I would want to use a 15 watt pump? Also, you mention Botanicare and Liquid Karma; do I use the both of them at the same time to mix in the water?

I have a 40l tote which is noramlly say 25-30L full, i use a single tetra aps150 with some old clogged up airstones. works just fine.

I use a 35w pump pushing air thru 6 - 4" round airstones for my little 6 gal res and it works great. I thought it would way too much but it's perfect. I have this one:
SUNLEAVES SDA540 950GPH
About $50 retail



I suspend it on a bungy cord to prevent vibration. It's very quiet EXCEPT for the air intake hole but I fixed that quickly. I put a 10" plastic hose on it (63c/ft at your hardware store) and ran it out a window and I cant here anything ...

noxiously said:

Thanks for the info Tao. So from what you're saying, if I were have 15 gallons of water, I would want to use a 15 watt pump? Also, you mention Botanicare and Liquid Karma; do I use the both of them at the same time to mix in the water?

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Exactly, or I would say that 15w for 15 gallons would be optimal (1:1) in DWC. But even if you just had a ballpark 5 to 10 watts of air pump going for 15 gallons, you shouldn't really have any issues (0.5:1) with just keeping the solution aerated. Of course going by pump wattage instead of a measurable amount of airflow per gallon also means a lot of inaccurate variation between brands/efficiency/marketing claims/etc... definitely a subjective thing that will very by situation/size/environment/etc, so take from the rule of thumb what you will. But for under $50 you can easily find a commercial air pump around 18watts (or more) which would run a 15 gallon DWC nicely and you won't have to deal with diaphragms wearing out...

Botanicare makes several different main nutrient lines but Liquid Karma (LK) is an additive usually paired up with their Pure Blend Pro (for hydrogardens) 2-part line to be used throughout a grow. LK is just a straight-forward seaweed extract (.1-.1-.5) with humic acid (leonardite derived). You can use it as a stand-alone product just for seedling/cutting propagation though.

HomeGrownHairy said:

It's very quiet EXCEPT for the air intake hole but I fixed that quickly. I put a 10" plastic hose on it (63c/ft at your hardware store) and ran it out a window and I cant here anything ...

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Yeah I really like the snorkel air intakes - makes it easy to place the air pump inside the grow area close to the reservoirs while still being able to feed it cool air from outside the grow area... great solution for both heat and noise control.

That's about what I use as well. My pump is 35w/950gpm and I have a 6 gal tank and 6 airstones.

Wow, I didn't think you would need such a high gph pump. 950 seems like alot for 6 gallons. I was thinking about getting a 50 gph pump to use for 15 gallons of water. Would that be suitable?

I use a 4.8W Tetra Whisper 100 from wally world. I don't know what the GPH rate is for it, but it works great in my 6 gallon res with a 12" air stone. I have the two outlets T'd into one outlet and it gets the nutrient solution rolling. They are only about $20 or so and repair kits for them are about $15.

Montag said:

I use a 4.8W Tetra Whisper 100 from wally world. I don't know what the GPH rate is for it, but it works great in my 6 gallon res with a 12" air stone. I have the two outlets T'd into one outlet and it gets the nutrient solution rolling. They are only about $20 or so and repair kits for them are about $15.

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Thanks Montag for the idea. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough air flow going into the res. I was thinking of having a 6 gallon res as well, and getting a 50 gph pump. Maybe I should get another 50 gph pump just to make sure it's enough. I just didn't know if 50, or 100 gph pump would be enough for that amount of water.

noxiously said:

Thanks Montag for the idea. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough air flow going into the res. I was thinking of having a 6 gallon res as well, and getting a 50 gph pump. Maybe I should get another 50 gph pump just to make sure it's enough. I just didn't know if 50, or 100 gph pump would be enough for that amount of water.

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Or just an alternative to getting two diaphragm pumps is a 600+ gph commercial pump for $40.00 : Commercial Air 1 - 18watt Single Outlet Air Pump. Saves money on upkeep (replacing diaphragms) in the long run as well.

TaoWolf said:

Or just an alternative to getting two diaphragm pumps is a 600+ gph commercial pump for $40.00 : Commercial Air 1 - 18watt Single Outlet Air Pump. Saves money on upkeep (replacing diaphragms) in the long run as well.

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Who do you go through for one of those pumps? That does sound like a better deal.

Click this link: http://www.aghydroponics.com/Commercial-Air-1-18watt-Single-Outlet-Air-Pump-p/airpump-728450.htm

I'm gonna have to remember that page for the future if I decide to go this route. Thanks for all the help guys.