Active Aqua Root Spa 5 Gal Bucket System | DWC, 8 in Basket

What Comes in the Active Aqua Root Spa Bucket

The bucket holds 5 gal and carries a watertight lid seal. An 8 in wide-lip basket drops into that lid and holds the medium. Net pot capacity is 3.8 L of clay pebbles. An air pump comes with the system, along with a multi-purpose air hose, quarter-inch black tubing, a half-inch grommet and a half-inch elbow fitting. The hose runs from the pump down to the bottom of the bucket. Air goes into the solution straight out of that hose. Nothing porous sits in the bucket to clog or to replace. That is the whole mechanical idea here, and it is why there is so little to go wrong. One bucket grows one plant, and the roots sit in solution rather than in medium. The medium is there to hold the stem upright and keep the crown clear of the water. Assembled the unit stands 13 by 13 by 15 in and ships at 6.4 lb. Media is supplied separately, and the basket takes clay pebbles, number four perlite, rockwool mini cubes or coco chips. Warranty is three years, excluding user error. Part number is RS5GALSYS with UPC 638104010931.

Running a Deep Water Culture Bucket Week to Week

A deep water culture bucket is about as simple as hydroponics gets, and simple is what makes it forgiving. Fill the bucket with nutrient solution, set the medium into the basket, and plug the pump in. Once the water is bubbling the system is running. Leave the pump on around the clock. Roots suspended in still water run out of oxygen quickly, and a few quiet hours undo a week of good growth. Top the bucket up with fresh water or dilute nutrient as the level drops. Changing the whole solution every one to two weeks keeps the chemistry honest. Keep the solution pH somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5. Hold the solution between sixty-five and seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit where the room allows it. Warm water carries less dissolved oxygen, and dissolved oxygen is the one thing this system runs on. Keep light off the solution as well, because light plus nutrient in a warm bucket grows algae. The lid does most of that work and the basket collar does the rest. Check the hose outlet first when growth stalls for no clear reason. A kinked or blocked hose stops the bubbling without stopping the pump, and from the outside the bucket looks fine.

Key Features

• 5 gal watertight bucket: A sealed lid carrying an 8 in wide-lip basket.
• Air straight from the hose: Nothing porous in the bucket to clog or to replace.
• Air pump included: With the hose, quarter-inch tubing, grommet and elbow.
• 3.8 L net pot: Takes clay pebbles, perlite, mini cubes or coco chips.
• One plant per bucket: Roots in solution, with the medium only holding the stem.
• Few parts to fail: A pump, a hose and a bucket is the whole system.
• 6.4 lb shipping weight: Standing 13 by 13 by 15 in once assembled.
• Three-year warranty: Excluding user error.

Technical Specifications