What's the purpose?

[dixaisy930]

When I received a free 65 gallon tank, it came with two pumps, a filter for a 30 gallon tank, a power head, and an air stone. I really can't understand the man's thinking in that. How could that filter handle such a large tank? What is the purpose of an air stone? I'm planning on adding an air stone "stick" (about 12 inches long). I'm primarily doing it for effect, but was wondering if there are any major benefits to doing that. I'm slighty concernced that my filter intake isn't far enough down (the tank is about 26 inches tall, and the intake is about 12 inches from the bottom). Will the bubble wand help circulate the lower water levels?

Thanks.

 

[cutecotton]

i think ur going to have to get a proper sized filter for the 60G tank. I dont' think air bubbles acutally do anything, they most likely just give you teh illusion that the tank is aerated, but i think only an air pump woiuld acutally do that.

 

[dixaisy930]

Yeah, I already have a filter for up to a 70 gallon tank.

 

[moneywastedonfish]

gas exchange occurs at the water surface, it is promoted by disturbances to the water, the bubbles from the air stone will aerate the water as the bubbles disturd the surface.
you seem to have answered your question yourself by stating that you also have a suitable filter.

 

[Nethius]

...Will the bubble wand help circulate the lower water levels?

thats what they are meant to do, how good of a job they actually do i'm not sure. they are meant to create a current of water from the bottom and move it to the top (to get oxygen)

do you know the brand/model of the filter?

 

[Teelie]

Aeration tubes can create quite a current, depending on the power of the air pump. Mine is so powerful that I had to buy regulators to control the bubbling. If I had it full blast, I'd have water all over the back of my aquarium and the floor there.

 

[fishdudein]

Depending on the bio-load that was in the tank before you bought it, that could have been adequate filtration, just a kind of off-beat way to achieve it. If the tank was understocked with primarily non-messy type eaters, the combination of airstone and powerhead, located at strategic locations in the tank, could have caused enough current and agitation to keep uneaten food, detritus, etc., in suspension long enough for the filter to catch it. Not saying that this is the best way to filter a tank, but sometimes you just have to work with what you have got!

 

[dixaisy930]

Thanks! I got a bubble wand yesterday (just for looks) but sounds like it might help circulate the water as well.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[kgrehm]

The wand is find for water aggitation, but for the filter i would want to have the intake at around 6 inches from the bottom.