Adding Additional Aeration

[WhoFlungPoo]

Hello all, I have a quick question about adding additional aeration to an already established tank...

I have a 28 gal. which is stocked with 2 ropefish (the centerpiece of the tank), 4 rather large gouramis, a few danios and platys, a large pleco and some rosy reds and ghost shrimp for feeders. For filtration i have the penguin 150 (gph) with a biowheel. I do also have 3 live plants.

My questions is... because i feed a lot of frozen/live foods to the ropes and the poo factory that is my large pleco, do I have enough filtration? and if not, what would be the easiest, cost effective way to increase filtration/aeration? and what is your opinion about adding additional aeration via an air pump and a bubble wall? Does that increase aeration a significant amount, if any? (I could logistically see how the bubble wall could bring water up from the bottom of the tank to the surface where the current filter agitation would increase O2 CO2 exchange).

I do also realize that the gouramis and ropes actually breathe air at the surface so I am not all that worried about them... i'm more worried about the waste buildup that is not being filtered.

many thanks and happy fishkeeping!

-Greg

 

[ICEEGRL]

If your filter has a spray bar... You can get tubing that will fit and put it where the bar usually connects. Then you can run that down in the tank so it will blow across the bottom. That will move the bad stuff on bottom to where ever you want it to go. (if it has enough power)

 

[raptorrex]

surface disruption it the best way to put o2 in your water, as stated by ICEEGRL. though you can add some form of diffuser, like an air ladder. air stones look good but the main way even they add o2 is by the aforementioned surface disruption.

as for fallen food and the dreaded pleco poo. i wave my hand over the gravel, this stirs up the doo doo. though some falls back to the floor, a fair bit is taken in through the filter. the only real problem with this is the plecos poo even more, from the food locked in the doo doo. still it seems to work for me.

 

[WhoFlungPoo]

unfortunately my filter is not equipped with a spray bar.

what I may end up doing is buying an air pump and placing it on the opposite side of the tank from the original filter. I should add either a bubble wall or those bubble circle things (it makes a tube shaped bubble release).

I'll try to stir things about a bit to keep the poo moving around. The ghost shrimp also help in this respect.

-Greg