Airstones!

FtwayneFish

FtwayneFish

Pump Paintball!
Dec 7, 2007
1,718
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Fort Wayne, IN
Whats your opinion for airstones?

Are they just for looks?

Do they really add gas exchange? i know when i do WC's my 55g without a airstone stays cloudy longer?

Is there a list of pro's and con's?

Do the pros (you) use them? or just for orange plants and scuba steve's?

i have one on my 5g-do to a pump for brineshrimp colony and gang valve. and i have one on my 10g bc i got it for free, so what the heck.

Just your general input on airstones please.
this site is sooooo helpfull- made possible by you.

I greatly thankYOU in advance.
 
I have one that I use in a bubble disk, mostly because my loaches like to play in it.
 
need just a lil more help, thanks
 
using an airstone does add more gas exchange, but only to a point. if you're using anysort of HOB filter, you're getting plenty of exchange to begin with.

the only reason i can see cloudiness from PWC getting cleared up quicker, is from a) excess microbubbles being forced to the top quicker, or b) excess proteins in the tap water being dissipated.

i personally don't run any sort of airstones in any of my tanks, at all.

if you like clearing up the water faster, try using it for a couple hours after the wc, and that's it. but all in all, IMO, an airstone doesnt provide enough benefits IN ADDITION to proper filtration to warrant its use.
 
The bubbles that come from air stones don't really dissolve in the water. They disrupt the surface of the water, allowing gas to dissolve across the surface, but as was stated, a filter return that creates ripples does the same thing. Also as stated, lots of fish like to play in the bubbles though, so they're not useless.
 
J double R said:
using an airstone does add more gas exchange, but only to a point. if you're using anysort of HOB filter, you're getting plenty of exchange to begin with.

the only reason i can see cloudiness from PWC getting cleared up quicker, is from a) excess microbubbles being forced to the top quicker, or b) excess proteins in the tap water being dissipated.

i personally don't run any sort of airstones in any of my tanks, at all.

if you like clearing up the water faster, try using it for a couple hours after the wc, and that's it. but all in all, IMO, an airstone doesnt provide enough benefits IN ADDITION to proper filtration to warrant its use.
Click to expand...
:iagree:

I really think they are pointless. Unless you have a low O2 concentration and your fish are starving for oxygen there is no reason to add more surface agitation as it wouldn't add anything anyways. I see it as more of a decoration, JMO.
 
I don't like airstones, but some of my fish do, so even though I find them unsightly, I got em in the tanks for the fish to play with
 
anyone else have a thought on airstones?
 
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