Air Stones

[tigger19565]

hi is it necessery to have a air stone in your tank tanks holds 27ltrs with good filteration has 4 mollies in for time being

 

[Colonel Mustard]

If what you meen by an air stone is a bubbler it is probalbly best not to have one, it doesn't do much good for the tankbut if you like the bubbles that would be the only reason for haveing one.
i beleive (i may be wrong) that it is slightly bad for the plants to have bubbles

 

[dc3]

The air stone creates surface turbulence which in turn causes gas exchange... If you are using a hang on the back filter the waterfall effect will do the job just as well. What it comes down to is aesthetic value...

 

[tigger19565]

The air stone creates surface turbulence which in turn causes gas exchange... If you are using a hang on the back filter the waterfall effect will do the job just as well. What it comes down to is aesthetic value...

its connected to air pump is that the same as have 1 in my 3ft tank aswell so should i take them out

 

[dc3]

It's not going to do you any harm - If you have them in, it's fine to leave it - I just meant you don't need one... I use air pumps to drive hydrosponge filters rather than air-stones - which looks unbelievably ugly tho...

 

[DanS]

The air stone creates surface turbulence which in turn causes gas exchange... If you are using a hang on the back filter the waterfall effect will do the job just as well. What it comes down to is aesthetic value...

hmmmm.... interesting.... i've just set up a tank with the hang on filter but have set up a pump as well due to advice given. I have a planted tank, so really didn't know how much aeration is necessary, so i've been putting the pump on at evenings and overnight - generally about 12 hrs on, 12 hrs off...... So there's no point? In my own logic i figured that due to the plant oxygen would be more required at night, hence leaving it on.

Obviously the bubbles look good, but i don't want to leave it on for no other reason.

Being new to fishkeeping the amount of differing views out there is really confusing!

 

[dc3]

Dan - I've always grown up around tanks that had gravel and air-stones - I have neither in mine and it doesn't seem to adversely affect anything. Don't you need Co2 rather than oxygen for plants during the day?

 

[tigger19565]

The air stone creates surface turbulence which in turn causes gas exchange... If you are using a hang on the back filter the waterfall effect will do the job just as well. What it comes down to is aesthetic value...

hmmmm.... interesting.... i've just set up a tank with the hang on filter but have set up a pump as well due to advice given. I have a planted tank, so really didn't know how much aeration is necessary, so i've been putting the pump on at evenings and overnight - generally about 12 hrs on, 12 hrs off...... So there's no point? In my own logic i figured that due to the plant oxygen would be more required at night, hence leaving it on.

Obviously the bubbles look good, but i don't want to leave it on for no other reason.

Being new to fishkeeping the amount of differing views out there is really confusing!

yeah totally now i dont know to in or out aint got a clue

 

[aparker2005]

Wow. I have always thought you HAD to have an air stone. I've always had one on my fish tanks. I also have a filter hanging on the back of the tank, so is the bubbler really not necessary? I think it looks ugly with the long chord. But, if I were to take it out, would my fish still have oxygen? I don't have any live plants in my tank

 

[dc3]

I know I am a rookie, but I almost positive that you don't absolutely need one... If you want to try an experiment - take out the air-stone and keep to you usual maintenance schedule; test your water in a week - everything should be ok...

 

[idlefingers]

You don't have to have an airstone. If your fish aren't gasping at the surface, then your water is well oxygenated. If you take the air stone out and they start gasping, then you do need it.

You can also direct the output from your filter so it breaks the surface which will do the same thing. The reason this is not desirable for a planted tank is because it releases co2 from the water. This does not mean you can't grow plants if you do have the filter breaking the surface, but that if you're using co2, it'll be wasted.

 

[DanS]

Dan - I've always grown up around tanks that had gravel and air-stones - I have neither in mine and it doesn't seem to adversely affect anything. Don't you need Co2 rather than oxygen for plants during the day?

ok, cool. I have my pump on during the night/evening when oxygen levels would be lower (?)

It seems its just down to personal preference as far as i can tell (unless there's fish gasping of course...)

I'll try it without and see how things go....