do I NEED my air stone?

[angyles]

I have a 55g that is planted with low light plants. They don't grow fast, but they're healthy. There's four large swords, java fern and a little bit of some tall grass stuff. I am going to be adding more plants soon too, all low light though. I don't do much for them, no CO2 or even ferts really because every time I have, it's created issues in the tank. They seem happy with just flourish substrate. So I'm wondering, at what point do the plants produce enough oxygen to where I don't have to run the air stone anymore? Now that I have a canister filter, the only thing I hear is that darn pump and I hate it! Is there a rule of thumb for when you should NOT use it anymore? I know it's depleting the CO2 as well. Here's the fish I have:

5 rosy barbs
3 pepper cpries
2 CAE
2 clown loaches
3 khuli loaches
4 diamond tetras
1 golden gourami

 

[Mgamer20o0]

most tanks dont need air stones. the filter should add plenty of o2 into the tank.

 

[angyles]

SWEET! I was hoping that was the case. I had read somewhere that rosy barbs need a high oxygen level in the task though so I wasn't sure if my fish combination required it anyway. That sucker's going bye bye!

 

[nickmcmechan]

it's a balancing act, i bought an o2 measuring kit, found that one of my planted was too low on o2 so added an airstone, however this gasses off co2 so now i add flourish excel

(the reason it was low on o2 was the temp as i run it as an sa biotope)

 

[angyles]

I've never seen a kit to measure o2. I think I'll try and find one tomorrow just so I can put my mind at ease that I'm not suffocating everyone.