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Hi all. I'm new to this forum and looking forward to sharing the knowledge…

I've just rigged up 2 floating raft systems. Have planted some Ruby Chard into one and some Foordhook into the other. I live in Sydney Australia so have plentiful sunshine. The air pump is powered by 2 deep cycle batteries in parallel through an inverter and this is kept topped up by a 120w solar panel which I plug in whenever the battery gets low.

My question is this: Do I have to aerate the water constantly? or can I run the bubbler say 15 minutes on 15 minutes off on a timer thereby saving 50% power? or do the plants need the bubble all the time? Surely the water stays oxygenated for a while?

any advise warmly received - many thanks

The ability for oxygen to dissolve in water is greatly affected by the temperature of the water. I’d say if the water stays cool, it shouldn’t be a problem. When I ran my floating raft, I did run the air 24/7. But the power went out at my house and the bubbler was off for a good couple of hours, and the plants made it through with no ill effects. It was in the basement and relatively cool.