Air Stones....

[TwoTankAmin]

Now you see what I took it to mean is that airstones are not all that useful in depths under 3-4 feet. Moreover, I keep fish, not bubbles. It would seem you are suggesting folks run a ton of airstones. But the other thing that the above article pointed out is that airstones are the most costly way to oxygenate shallower bodies of water like we have in our tanks.

From a purely anecdotal point of view. In 2006 I began spawning zebra plecos. These fish live in very warm water and also need excellent oxygenation. In fact they are territorially limited because their habitat, which is rich in O due to the rapids, is bounded on either end by slower flowing water which is lower in O and which thus acts as a barrier to their being able to expand their habitat to other portions of the only river in which they live.

My primary breeding tank is 36x18x13 inches (30 gal breeder). It has only one source of oxygenation, a 150 gph power filter. It also runs a modified H.O.T. Magnum which uses a submerged spraybar as well as a powerhead driven sponge with no venturi. This tank has produced some 500 fry since it was set up. This would not have been possible if that lone power filter did not supply sufficient O.

 

[snazy]

Are you running CO2 at night? Check your nitrite in the morning. If something is off nitrite can cause them to gasp too

Not running CO2 at all. The first thing I did when I saw them gasping at the surface in the morning, was to test the water, no nitrites at all, no ammonia whatsoever. Next thing I realised was, that I turned down my air pump to the bare minimum during the day to supposedly save as much CO2 as possible for the plants, as I am not adding anything at all. I left it be though, fish were fine later during the day. Then I turned on the lights the next morning, and fish were again at the surface, so I increased the air pump flow again and problem was solved.So I presumed there was not enough oxygen at night when the plants start breathing oxygen too.
Although it may have been something else too that slips my mind I guess

Just wondering, air pumps do create a lot of surface movement(at least my one does as it is quite strong), so regardless of whether the bubbles themselves oxygenate the water, you can't deny that the air pump should be helping in oxygenating the water by creating water surface movement? Otherwise the opposite for air pumps won't be true either. Now, if you do decrease the air pump to a bubble every few seconds, then it may not be doing too much.Well, at least the fish love playing in it, so it's good even for that reason only

 

[shi24137]

Ok, WOW, I didn't expect to get this much information! I have a 60 gallon aquarium, I have my filter on one side and my air stone on the other, is that enough aeration for my fish? If I turn on the other air stone it seems that my tank gets really cloudy? Is it possible to create too much oxygen for my fish? When I had both on the fish didn't want to swim around the middle and top of the tank, they almost looked weighted down to the bottom. Now that I have one stone on the right and the filter on the left they seem much happier, also I have 3 plants, I have one melon sword, one ozelot, and one anubias, the first 2 have been doing just fine and but I'm not sure about the anubias as I just got it yesterday, I have no co2 and am using no ferts, which I've been looking into getting, will ferts harm my fish? And could too much oxygen have killed my dwarf baby tears? I'd like to get another but I don't want to kill it again. I suspect if I would have used a fert it would have done better. I was also thinking about getting some kind of grass, what would be best? Also I would like to get something like a java fern, I've also seen that they have bamboo? I didn't know that could go under water...

 

[fishguy2727]

I don't think you need a ton of air stones, just one or two with strong flow. I think the article is saying that it is more economical to use surface agitation on small/shallow lakes used for aquaculture. Since that article is specifically addressing commercial fish farming I don't think we can take it too far in aquariums since our options for aeration are different than commercial fisheries.

I am not saying that power filters don't provide aeration. I never said or meant that. What I am saying is that although the filters should provide more than enough aeration, if anything ever happens that causes the filter to not run anymore then if you have been using an air stone that will likely be more than enough to keep the tank aerated until the filter is fixed. I am saying it is a good backup for filters, fish like it, and even with filters it still helps improve flow and aeration.

 

[Inchworm]

It's good to keep an airstone and pump handy for other reasons as well. Some medications, especially MelaFix, work better with less stress on the fish, if the oxygen level is increased for the duration, by use of an airstone.

Another use is to create a flow of water over fish eggs that have been removed from the tank so they are not eaten or for other reasons. This prevents, or at least reduces, the chances of fungus taking hold on them.

 

[Lufbramatt]

They do break, else I wouldn't have had to buy a bunch of rebuild kits over the years to replace split diaphragms.

 

[shi24137]

so no answers to my questions?

 

[ian]

I can and have answered your question...

Is an airstone needed...the answer is no. Your filter outlet should produce more than enough surface agitation for even the most O2 hungry fish. They are there to look nice and a little bit retro

 

[coldcazzie]

I can and have answered your question...

Is an airstone needed...the answer is no. Your filter outlet should produce more than enough surface agitation for even the most O2 hungry fish. They are there to look nice and a little bit retro

^^^ this

 

[lljdma06]

Question 1: qualified "good". I don't use them in my tanks, but I use them to hatch baby brine shrimp. I haven't done this in a while though.

Question 2: qualified "yes". I have a load of them. I just don't use them!

 

[Tolak]

Nearly all of my tanks have air driven filtration; it's safer & cheaper to run dozens of air lines rather than dozens of electrical cords.

As far as airstones themselves, no. If I need to run air to a bucket of acclimating fish, or the bbs hatchery it's either a stainless steel nut screwed to the air line, or a rock rubber banded to it. I've had air pump failures before, and unless the tank is incredibly overstocked the few to several hours without any filtration caused no harm. The overstocked ones had some gasping fish, no die off, get some surface motion going & install a new diaphragm.

 

[shi24137]

I can and have answered your question...

Is an airstone needed...the answer is no. Your filter outlet should produce more than enough surface agitation for even the most O2 hungry fish. They are there to look nice and a little bit retro

Actually you did not answer the questions I just asked, if you scroll up you will see my NEW questions

 

[TwoTankAmin]

will ferts harm my fish? Not unless grossly overdosed.

And could too much oxygen have killed my dwarf baby tears? I'd like to get another but I don't want to kill it again. No. More likely
insufficient light, co2 and ferts did them in. It might also be that your water params are not hospitable for the baby tears.

I suspect if I would have used a fert it would have done better. See above.

I was also thinking about getting some kind of grass, what would be best? Dwarf Hairgrass aka Eleocharis acicularis.

Also I would like to get something like a java fer. No reason not to do so.


Snazy- you do realize that some fish sleep at the top of the tank so in the morning that is where they should be until you turn the lights on. Fish don't instantly pop fully away. They will take a minute or two to become wide awake and normally active. Is it possible you are merely waking them up and that your reaction to turn up the air simply conicides with their normal time to "wake up"?

 

[shi24137]

Thank you so much for answering my questions, I guess I should research baby tears a little more. I really appreciate all your help and everyone's replies!!!

 

[snazy]

Snazy- you do realize that some fish sleep at the top of the tank so in the morning that is where they should be until you turn the lights on. Fish don't instantly pop fully away. They will take a minute or two to become wide awake and normally active. Is it possible you are merely waking them up and that your reaction to turn up the air simply conicides with their normal time to "wake up"?

Thanks. No, I don't turn up the air in the morning. It stays constant. And they don't sleep at the top. They sleep in the plants. It only started happening the two days I turned the air pump down to minimum altogether. The next morning, when I turned the lights on, they did start waking up and swimming straight to the top, breathing at the surface. They had never done it before or after I turned the air pump up. I really should have enough water movement with 2 filters with total airflow 1800Litres/hr on a 30 gallon tank, which is about cycles the water 15 times an hour. One of the pumps creates big waves at one side of the surface and the ventury of the other one is blowing the surface at the opposite direction. I have actually been checking on them every morning and it hasn't happened since. Maybe it was a coincidence? It would be good not to use the air pump to be honest, but I am not sure yet....Nevermind, I just worry too much with all the staff I read in the emergency section here