Are Airstones & Bubblers Really Bad for Plants?

pisces70

pisces70

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Feb 18, 2012
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One of our LFS guys told us that too much air in the water is what causes many plants to just fall apart and get mushy and die, they suffocate from too much air. Is this correct?
I've also read on various posts that using an airstone in a planted tank isn't needed at all because the hob or canister filter should provide enough oxygen for the fish, right?

I'm running an Emperor 280 (bio-wheel, cartridge & Bio-Zorb bag) on the 40B right now and it seems to introduce plenty of air back into the water.
So...I don't need to consider adding an air pump/airstone to the tank? I'm fine with that, the fewer things hanging on/in the tank, the better! :)

TIA!
 
That is the most asinine thing I have heard in a long time. If you are injecting CO2 I wouldnt use an airstone as it will outgas the CO2. If you are not injecting CO2 it wont hurt anything.

I am running multiple tanks and dont use an airstone. Never have.
 
Whew! Thank you so much, fshfanatic! Now I know that guy is a complete idiot. He just took over what USED to be a very nice LFS...sadly the original owner died in an accident. Now the shop is going downhill quickly. This new guy seems to be all about the new blingy expensive gadgets in the aquarium hobby. You know, showing off things like super expensive "tricked out" (HIS words...) LED's that most people simply can't afford. Yet, basic things that people do buy, that shop doesn't have anymore.

I'm not running CO2 at this time, trying to go low tech for now.
I'm from the old school of fishkeeping where you always had to have an airstone in the tank, but I'm fine without it if the fish are.

Thanks again, you made my day! lol! :)
 
Too much current/turbulance in the water can certainly damage fragile plants. But it's simply due to the plants being fragile and getting thrown around the tank. I've never heard of their demise coming from too much oxygen from an airstone.

As long as your filtration is providing enough surface agitation, you don't need an airstone. This of course varies by tank/filter size, but an Emperor 280 on a 40g breeder should be just fine.

That being said, I would keep an air pump and airstone on hand, because there are times when you will need it, such as when using medication and raising the tank temp, because the heat/meds will rob the water of oxygen.
 
Thank you, oo7genie. I do have a couple of air pumps and airstones on hand from past tanks I've had and they still work.

Right? I was telling that LFS guy that I was starting up a planted tank as I was admiring the large planted tank in his store. I added that I'm "new" to plants so I'm hoping that I can keep them alive. In the past I've tried to add a few plants to my tank but they fell apart and died pretty quickly. Now that I've done my research and read up on the subject of planted aquariums, I know that they died because I simply wasn't set-up for keeping plants alive (substrate, lighting, plant ferts, etc). HE immediately asked if I had an airstone in the tank, I said of course I did since they were a staple of tropical tanks back then..."well THAT'S why the plants died and fell apart! Too much oxygen!" Um, ok....really? I decided to stop asking him for any advice after that comment. You'd think since he bought the one and only LFS he might have some knowledge about this hobby. He also hosts the local fish club meetings...I won't be joining.
 
It sounds to me like the guy doesn't have any real experience with a planted tank. I dont run an airstone on my 180, and I have no problems. Keeping an airstone going constantly isn't nessisary as long as you have enough surface distension for gas exchange. But I've never heard of plants not being able to live from too much oxygen in the water. It won't do them any good, but it won't hurt them either


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HAHAHAHA That's funny. Guess I better pull out the airstone I have running in my lightly planted 20 high! Wonder how he could possibly come up with that answer?

As sated, turbulence can harm fragile plants. Since plants give off oxygen, I wonder how he would explain that? Some plants cannot have the rhizome buried in the substrate and other are terrestrial and have no business being in a fish tank. Most aquarium plants are actually swamp plants and are accustomed to being fully submerged for long periods of time. Through research and trial and error, we have so many suitable plants to choose from it can boggle the mind!

One of my tanks has a bubble curtain and also has plants that do quite well. Maybe after running like that for the last 7 years I should uproot my plants! (NOT!) Glad you asked and wasn't ready to believe him. Some people are crows and are attracted by shiny things while other don't want the latest toy to be the focus point. Each to his own I guess.
 
Yeah, I honestly don't see his shop being open much longer with him running things. He's going to get himself into major debt by showing off the latest expensive toys such as huge, rimless tanks with high-tech computer programed LED's with partytime mode???? He placed a huge rimless tank with corals by the front door (we do get winter here) of the shop and it's just perfectly at kid level where they want to reach up and hang on the tank, our daughter did just that and we happened to catch her just in time to stop her. That tank will be coming down in pieces, I guarantee it.
 
As everyone else has mentioned airstones and bubblers aren't going to kill your plants. They aren't really helping them either. If anything they are offgasing any CO2 that might be in the water for the plants to absorb. But if your not running a CO2 system in the tank the amount of CO2 present isn't really going to do anything for the plants anyway. So do they hurt plants? No, but do they help plants. No. If you like the appearance keep them, if you are doing it because you think you need it for the fish they are fine, filters and plants provide enough oxygen for them.
 
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