Tiny bubbles

[mikecc]

Hello all... Long time no see...

I'm about to go all bubble nazi on a bunch o' lunk headz.... But, I gotta make sure that I am correct....

Say you got yourself a five gallon bucket of water. Fresh, or salt, doesn't matter....

And you want to "aerate" or "oxygenate" the water using a bubbler and air stone...

A) Is the transfer of gas in the bubbles or does it occur at the surface from the water movement?

-and-

B) The function of the bubbles is to move water for gas exchange at the surface and also for the water movement keeping the bacteria in from settling out and suffocating their selves (can a bacterium be a self? (there'd be an in depth discussion), but to keep the bacteria from settling out on the bottom and suffocate themselves.

C) if the oxygenation comes from the bubbles themselves, then I'm Tha d.a., possibly. Who knows? I stay pretty medicated.

 

[DaveK]

To answer your questions -
The gas exchange occurs at the water surface. The bubbles from the air stone have little to do with this, and are used primarily to circhlate the water. This is why you often see a small powerhead being used for the same thing. No bubbles at all but you still get the gas exchange, with out the mess the bubbles create. The mess bubbles create is one reason you seldom see air stones used in SW systems in this day and age.

Bacteria are usually not found in large amounts in the water itself. Rather the colonize any surface area they can find, like the inside of the bucket.

Hope this helps.

 

[mikecc]

Yes. I have a grasp of the concept. Just needed verification. There is a lot of misinformation and flawed theory in garden soil videos. Good point on the use of power heads. Kudos.


the process I am referencing is a"worm tea"/ vermicompost (?) that you supercharger with a bubbler and a food source in the water column (molasses).