Airstones

[lilhurleybunny]

What exactly does an airstone do to your plants?

 

[babyfish]

To answer the airstone question, an airstone oxidises the nutrients out of the water so that the plants starve. In a healthy planted tank an airstone should be turned on at night when the lights are turned off

 

[Magnus]

To answer the airstone question, an airstone oxidises the nutrients out of the water so that the plants starve. In a healthy planted tank an airstone should be turned on at night when the lights are turned off

I haven't heard of this before. So in a healthy planted tank, you would want to get rid of the nutrients at night, but not during the day?
The reason people don't use airstone in a planted tank is because it creates surface agitation. Too much surface movement, and you'll lose most of CO2 that you have injected. If you don't inject CO2, by all mean, add an airstone (it may even increase CO2 level). Some people turn on airstone at night because they're afraid their fish don't get enough oxygen. But if you have a healthy planted tank, then there should always be excess oxygen in the water, even if you can't see it. It's true that plants also use up oxygen at night, but there is always enough oxygen availabe in a planted tank.

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Oh Okay!! I was going to ask this in one of the other sections but i figured i should just ask here ^.^. How do you tell if there is enough oxygen in the water?

Also, when you get live plants, do you NEED a CO2 injector is or is just something optional?

THANKS!!

 

[Magnus]

How do you tell if there is enough oxygen in the water?

I don't exactly know how to answer this. Maybe someone else can help you out. What I can tell you, is that when your tank is over-saturated with oxygen, you will see your plants pearl. You may even see bubbles on our decoration/equipment after a water change (oxygen replenished). When there's too little oxygen, your fish will gasp at the surface, it's best to add an airstone.
If you have high light and you want your plants to flourish instead of algae, then you NEED to add CO2. If you have a low light tank, then you don't need to add CO2. But, it's been proven that adding CO2, even to a low light tank would still help the growth of your plants.

 

[Olive]

How do you tell if there is enough oxygen in the water?

I don't exactly know how to answer this. Maybe someone else can help you out. What I can tell you, is that when your tank is over-saturated with oxygen, you will see your plants pearl. You may even see bubbles on our decoration/equipment after a water change (oxygen replenished). When there's too little oxygen, your fish will gasp at the surface, it's best to add an airstone.
If you have high light and you want your plants to flourish instead of algae, then you NEED to add CO2. If you have a low light tank, then you don't need to add CO2. But, it's been proven that adding CO2, even to a low light tank would still help the growth of your plants.

I have never had a CO2 injector, and I am not really sure I need it, since I have regular old light and low light plants..... But, I am curious. How much roughly does one cost, and do the little tablets you can buy do the same thing? My plants are doing really well, but I would like to venture into the world of more exotic plants...........


also, I am still a little confused about the whole air pump/not to air pump thing. I have a 55 gallon tank with roughly 14 large plants in it.........so do you think I should have my two airstones going at all? Just at night? I don't want to make my babies suffer without enough O2..........arg.........so many variables........

thanks for everyone's help in advance...........

 

[Lateral Line]

There is no real "one size fits all" answer to this. Airstones increase surface agitation, there is very little Oxygen or CO2 disolving into the water from the stream of bubbles itself. In highly stocked aquaria, surface agitation is good as that is where Oxygen is disolving into the water. In most cases however, the outlet from the filter is agitating the surface, the role of the airstone then becomes simply decorative, some people like them. Personally, I do not.

Surface agitation allows CO2 to come out of solution, so if you have a CO2 injector, the airstones are driving the CO2 out before it is getting used, you are thus pretty much wasting your time injecting it.

With low to medium light plants, CO2 injection is not necessary, their metabolic rate is slow enough to use the available CO2 from your fish etc. High light demanding, fast growing plants will benefit from CO2 injection as there will not normally be enough - without supplement, lack of CO2 will be the limiting factor for your plant growth.

You can buy all kinds of CO2 systems, there are pills and potions which you can buy, which are clean and easy but don't work very well. Simple CO2 reactors using yeast and sugar can be bought, or very simply made, these work fine, but require regular maintenance, (I use home made reactors). There are also very fancy systems that use high pressure CO2 gas bottles - these work fine, but are very expensive.

I hope that covers the questions! If not, ask away!

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Well i decided to unplug the airstone just to see if anything happens today and to see if my fish wil be gasping. So far so good, they seem to be acting normal .

Thanks Olive for asking those questions because I was wondering the same things. Lateral, you mentioned making your own C02 injector, how do you go about doing that? I think that my aquarium has high lighting so if a CO2 injector will help my new plant flourish ill give it a shot . Also, what exactly is a CO2 injector? I'm always hearing about it but i dont quite know what it is and how it helps the plants.

Thanks!!

 

[Lateral Line]

Plants use light as an energy source to convert CO2 into sugars and carbohydrates, into "plant" basically, (they use a few other things as well but CO2 is the next most limiting component after light).

High light is usually 3 - 4 Watts per gallon. If you have high light demanding plants, and enough light, them you will notice an improvement with a CO2 injector. A CO2 injector is simply some contraption which introduces CO2 into your water.

The simplest CO2 injector is made from a 2 litre platic soda bottle with a hole in the top and a length of airline leading from the bottle to an airstone in the tank. Put about 1.5 litres of water in the bottle, 2-3 cups of sugar, and a teaspoon of dried yeast. The yeast starts to "eat" the sugar and the by products are alchohol in the water, and CO2 gas given of, which will bubble into your tank. That set up will bubble for up to 2 weeks depending on the quality of the yeast. The recipe can be adjusted as you get more experience, a little citric acid added tends to help. Many beginners find it stops bubbling after 7 - 8 days, you'll need to adjust your recipe and find good yeast to run for 15 - 16 days, but it is quite possible.

I tend to have more then 1 bottle going at a time and refreshed alternately so there is a pretty constant supply rate, and I feed the CO2 into the inlet pipe of my canister filters so the CO2 has plenty of opportunity to dissolve.

You should be aware that injecting CO2 may drop your pH a little, but in well buffered water, (with kH of 6-7 or more), this will not be a problem.

Note also that CO2 comes out of solution very easily, so you should aim for as little surface agitation as you can get away with without depleting the Oxygen levels for your fish.

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Okie so your saying this little yeast contraption will have enough power to power the airsone? Nifty o.o.

I have a 10 gallon tank and 2 25 watt tube bulbs. Do you think i may need to make this little contraption or am I okie? I'm still a bit confused by the whole CO2 injector idea but i think i have the jist of it.

I'm new to the whole live plant thing lol so im just learning! If i need a CO2 injector then i can make one because it doesnt seem that hard to make.

THANKS!!

Oh! Lateral, if you deleated those other posts that got merged into my topic thanks!!!

 

[Olive]

Plants use light as an energy source to convert CO2 into sugars and carbohydrates, into "plant" basically, (they use a few other things as well but CO2 is the next most limiting component after light).

High light is usually 3 - 4 Watts per gallon. If you have high light demanding plants, and enough light, them you will notice an improvement with a CO2 injector. A CO2 injector is simply some contraption which introduces CO2 into your water.

The simplest CO2 injector is made from a 2 litre platic soda bottle with a hole in the top and a length of airline leading from the bottle to an airstone in the tank. Put about 1.5 litres of water in the bottle, 2-3 cups of sugar, and a teaspoon of dried yeast. The yeast starts to "eat" the sugar and the by products are alchohol in the water, and CO2 gas given of, which will bubble into your tank. That set up will bubble for up to 2 weeks depending on the quality of the yeast. The recipe can be adjusted as you get more experience, a little citric acid added tends to help. Many beginners find it stops bubbling after 7 - 8 days, you'll need to adjust your recipe and find good yeast to run for 15 - 16 days, but it is quite possible.

I tend to have more then 1 bottle going at a time and refreshed alternately so there is a pretty constant supply rate, and I feed the CO2 into the inlet pipe of my canister filters so the CO2 has plenty of opportunity to dissolve.

You should be aware that injecting CO2 may drop your pH a little, but in well buffered water, (with kH of 6-7 or more), this will not be a problem.

Note also that CO2 comes out of solution very easily, so you should aim for as little surface agitation as you can get away with without depleting the Oxygen levels for your fish.

so the tube doesn't actually sit in the "gunk", just in the bottle above it so the co2 escapes?

 

[Olive]

There is no real "one size fits all" answer to this. Airstones increase surface agitation, there is very little Oxygen or CO2 disolving into the water from the stream of bubbles itself. In highly stocked aquaria, surface agitation is good as that is where Oxygen is disolving into the water. In most cases however, the outlet from the filter is agitating the surface, the role of the airstone then becomes simply decorative, some people like them. Personally, I do not.

Surface agitation allows CO2 to come out of solution, so if you have a CO2 injector, the airstones are driving the CO2 out before it is getting used, you are thus pretty much wasting your time injecting it.

With low to medium light plants, CO2 injection is not necessary, their metabolic rate is slow enough to use the available CO2 from your fish etc. High light demanding, fast growing plants will benefit from CO2 injection as there will not normally be enough - without supplement, lack of CO2 will be the limiting factor for your plant growth.

You can buy all kinds of CO2 systems, there are pills and potions which you can buy, which are clean and easy but don't work very well. Simple CO2 reactors using yeast and sugar can be bought, or very simply made, these work fine, but require regular maintenance, (I use home made reactors). There are also very fancy systems that use high pressure CO2 gas bottles - these work fine, but are very expensive.

I hope that covers the questions! If not, ask away!

oh and lateral line, wow this is GREAT info........thanks a million. You are soooooo helpful.

My plants thank you

 

[Lateral Line]

LilHurleyBunny: Yes, I would think with that set up you may well benefit from CO2. It does to a certain extent make a difference what kind of plants, you can put low light demanding plants under bright light but they still metabolise slowly. With that lighting level though, I would try it and see, hardly costs anything.

Olive: Yes, the tube is simply to lead the gas to the aquarium, you don't want the gunk in the bottle going over, (although pretty harmless, it is messy to clean up). Just make an "airline" sized hole in the cap, stick the line through about 1cm and smear some aquarium sealant around it to make it air/gas tight.

The reaction rate and duration is temperature dependent, I think it would probably be a good idea if you've never fermented anything before to start with half the ingredients and see how wild it goes.

 

[Olive]

LilHurleyBunny: Yes, I would think with that set up you may well benefit from CO2. It does to a certain extent make a difference what kind of plants, you can put low light demanding plants under bright light but they still metabolise slowly. With that lighting level though, I would try it and see, hardly costs anything.

Olive: Yes, the tube is simply to lead the gas to the aquarium, you don't want the gunk in the bottle going over, (although pretty harmless, it is messy to clean up). Just make an "airline" sized hole in the cap, stick the line through about 1cm and smear some aquarium sealant around it to make it air/gas tight.

The reaction rate and duration is temperature dependent, I think it would probably be a good idea if you've never fermented anything before to start with half the ingredients and see how wild it goes.

very good info to know........thanks a million!

 

[lilhurleybunny]

Ooohh..I see now! Atfirst i thought that the line would go into the lid of the bottle but you just poke a hole in the side and make sure its sealed when you put the line in. Wow this sounds really simple!!

Is this what it looks like?..Well the basic idea:

Sorry if the letters are a words are a little messed up

Thanks for all of your help Lateral!!!