Do you use an airstone?

[Magnum Man]

like @Uberhoust ... I like to burry my air line under the substrate, and place 2-3 inch stones on top, typically along the back of the tank, but two tanks have them on the sides I like the holes idea, but I use 10 inch air bars, and the 4 tanks I have set up that way, have been running more than 2 years and showing no signs of clogging... probably having a high quality pump, and enough air stone material for the air to find an alternate route out keeps them running longer... I also use 4 and 6 inch big block type stones, that show no signs of giving up, and several tanks that just have sponge filters, with no air stones

back in the dark ages, when all my tanks ran under gravel filters I didn't like the little air line sized "stones" as they plugged up too fast, I started using 4 inch air bars, which blocked some of the flow in the lift tubes, but I found they increased velocity, equaling things out... I still have one of my under gravel filters run by air, with 4 inch air bars in the lift tubes, which I reset up that way 3 years ago, when I restarted in the hobby...

 

[Whitecloudminnowguy09]

I have only one in my 10g, no other tanks. My WCMs like a lot of water movement so that is my main reason. Also good to have when all the filters are off during wcs to have some continued flow in there.

 

[Panda_Monium]

They clog fast here, and IMHO, don't do much except look very unnatural. I do use air driven filters - why waste good air on airstones when you can have an entire filter for the same energy use?

I use a great big one as well as a bendy strip one because my corys love playing in the bubbles. Also, I only have imitation plants, so the keep the water well oxygenated, clean and healthy!

 

[jaylach]

For those that find that air stones clog there are alternatives such as this plastic version. Not likely to clog and, even if they do, you just rinse them out.

 

[lottabubbles]

on those long air stones that get clogged over time, I've used a thin sharp paring knife and lightly skimmed it across what ever edge is up and sometimes it's back to working normal. sadly sometimes not.
that plastic stone looks like what I used to use in my fishing minnow bucket.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Interesting discussion here. Good thoughts, everybody. @Fishmanic this might be worth stickying....

 

[Back in the fold]

I love air stone’s . You can get better ones and cheaper ones and all shapes and sizes . www.jehmco.com has a nice selection .

 

[jaylach]

I should add something about the plastic 'air stone' I posted. The bubbles are not the same as with a true air stone being larger, but still not big. They are great for an under gravel filter risers.

Something I think has been left out is that whether or not an air stone may be good in a tank depends a lot on the fish species. A species that, in nature, lives in a pond or lake will likely not benefit in relation to making as close to a natural environment as possible but also, in moderation, should cause no issue. However a species that, in nature, lives in fast water, especially those that tend to be in or at the end of rapids or in pools under a waterfall, can likely actually do better with air stones as their natural environment would be heavy with bubbles caused by the water turbulence. Most of us try to give the best conditions possible for our aquatic guests. I believe that a major factor for success is research on the species we want to keep and how they live in nature.