Do I really need an air stone??

[Elyse]

Do I really need the noisy air stone for aeration, or is the waterfall from the filter enough?:confused:

I have an AquaClear over hanging power filter (for 70 gallons) on my 30 gallon planted aquarium, with two discus and two little diamond tetras.

I like the sound of the water fall as opposed to the BZZZZ of the air stone,

What do you think?:)

[William Palumbo]

Filter should be enough IMO...Bill

[jball1125]

Filter should be enough IMO...Bill

+1

[Melissa]

Filter should be enough IMO...Bill
+1? or do i say +2? lol

[James McGuire]

The answer lies in the fish behavior. Closely observe their behavior with and without. If they appear more alert and active with the air stone, then shop for a new quieter pump. Just my 2 cents.

Pat

[flyman767]

I have my two airstones running through my hydro 5 sponge(s)...you can't hear them at all. If you run them at max air flow you will hear them; however, I run them through a flow control valve at 'low flow'.
Also, keep in mind..if you elect to use your filter as your only means of consider what might happen if it would fail. IMO..I prefer to have backups to all my systems.

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

That is a loaded question. I would without hesitation say yes to an air stone. The splashing from the filter may be enough, or it may not be, depending upon how far the water has to fall, how wide the weir is, etc. Or an air stone may be more effective, depending upon the volume of air going into the tank, and how deep the air stone is being operated. Lots of variables to that question. It also depends upon how heavily stocked your tank is and what that oxygen demand is. If it's relatively lightly stocked, the filter splashing would probably suffice. But if it's heavily stocked, or there is a lot of organic sludge (mulm) build up in the tank, then the oxygen demand would be higher and an air stone (or two) would be highly advised. But IMO, in general, every tank should have aeration.

-Ryan

[Jhhnn]

It's not the airstone buzzing, but rather your air pump. Several members use Fusion brand air pumps, claim they're super quiet and reliable. I used the luft pumps before going to a central air pump for my tanks, believing them to be highly reliable, if audible.

And I'll agree with Ryan- it's better to be safe than sorry wrt aeration.

[puntific]

If you have a planted tank, do you need an airstone?

Thanks,

puntific

[William Palumbo]

True, better to be safe than sorry...but really...TWO Discus and TWO Tetras in a 30?...The filter would be enough...Bill

[underwaterforest]

If you have a planted tank, do you need an airstone?

Thanks,

puntific

Run the air at night with a planted tank. During the day the plants (if heavily planted) should provide enough aeration. Running an air pump during the day on a planted tank will drive your co2 levels down.

[wendy9722]

Welcome to SD Elyse!!!!

[jimg]

+3.... filter will be enough. sheeting water will get more 02 into the water than bubbles.

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

+3.... filter will be enough. sheeting water will get more 02 into the water than bubbles.

That statement is highly variable. In most cases, for our use, using diffused aeration will be more efficient in adding oxygen into the water than sheeting water. Yes there are some instances where the sheeting water may be more efficient, but typically for a standard aquarium, diffused aeration is going to be the most economical and most efficient way to add oxygen into the water. This is especially true for deeper tanks.


It's also dependent upon how the aeration is applied. For most of us here we use an open ended airline attached to a sponge filter. This works great for use in an airlift, but is rather poor for transfering oxygen into the water. Using a diffuser in the lift tube of the sponge filter will increase the oxygen transfer efficiency, but will reduce the pumping rate through the filter.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/pages/full_width/118/Aeration-Energy-Consumption

It's all about the surface area!!

-Ryan

[jimg]

I like to rely on any action at the surface and temperature.
I am no "expert" on this but IMO and what I have gathered over the years is that bubbles are mostly nitrogen, what little oxygen they contribute to the water is at the formation of the bubble,(smaller better), and the disturbance at the surface. they do help by circulating the bottom water to the top which is why the tube helps.
I use trickle filters in larger tanks and hob and sponge in smaller tanks.sponge for bio. hob for mechanical and oxygenating.

[wendy9722]

My air pumps are not noisy at all. The only time I hear them is when it is up against something. I have air stones in all my tanks so the water flows and the heat is evenly distributed and when adding chemicals into the tank.
Wendy

[Darrell Ward]

With a low fish load, you can get by without airstones. Having said that, with higher temps., the greater the demand for oxygen. The more oxygen, the better. Fish will almost always be more active at higher oxygen saturation levels.