Bing hits the nail on the head !! This can be the difficult part of DIY systems without the proper diffuser specs.If you just making bubbles are you lifting .25 with large membranes or .5 or the extreme of perhaps 4 times per 24 hr day. If the math shows a full lift per 24 hr day and it takes 2 air stations to accomplish that and they are not positioned correctly you may "average" one lift per day but actually may have 2-3 lifts in some areas and .25 in another. Or a single large central airstation can give the same results. The downside to lifting too little can be making unwanted nutrients available for plant or algae growth..My experiece is that a lift of only .5 per day seldom meets anyones goals.Be aware of lifting rates that are expressed * per 48 hours.If you only want to run 12 hours per day consider a system that will lift twice whats "needed" per 24 hr day.
Cody says - Ted good answer. It is better to over-aerate than under-aerate. Error on the side of more aeration than less aeration. I think this is also what Bob summarized in his discussion of aeration at the PB IV Conference.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/22/11 02:26 PM.
