I use airstones with my sponge filtered tanks and when I am treating goldfish with heat + salt as they need lots of oxygen.
Other than that, no, I don't use them.
Roan
Other than that, no, I don't use them.
Roan
does everyone still use airstones?
- Thread starter vaderbanger
- Start date
Call me old school :duh: but i still use an air stone! I just like the way it looks! :dance: :thm: :cool2: I LIKE DA PURTY BUBBLES :clap:
I have an oversized one in a brick cave for an underwater volcano effect. My fish (especially GTB & Kuhli) swim back and forth through the bubbles, it creates another current in my tank for my little freaks to play in...
I have one in my 55 just to create current near the heater. Its not necissary, and I turn it off sometimes, but I do like the way it looks.
I have still have one in my 10G tank but never use it anymore because I put lots of plants in there and they produce enough oxygen during the day. Sometimes I'll turn it on at night for fear there will not be enough oxygen (as the plants take in O2 at night), but on the nights I have left it off the fish seemed fine. So in short, I don't think its necessary, but old habits die hard, and its tough erasing what is synonymous with fish tanks, the hum of the pump and those bubbles.
LOL! If I had to have the hum of the pump and the clatter of the bubbles to keep tanks, I would have been out of the hobby years ago. IMHO, tanks should be seen and not heard.
i like the look of the bubbles PLUS i like the updraft of current a good system can create. however i gave up on stones a while ago and use a gravel level venturi system i got from Dr Foster and Smith. it's fun to watch the fish swim thru the fine mist of bubbles too.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12216&N=2004+113800
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12216&N=2004+113800
ok after listening to your advice and tossing my airstone i was quite happy with the quieter tank and the more calm appearance of the tank. well it has been off for about 10 days or so and up until a few days ago everything was fine, but then my fish started to breath very heavy, not at the suface just going about their routine they would be "out of breath"
keep in mind my tank is very stable amonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20ppm, i do 30-40 percent weekly water changes. my tank is not grossly overstocked. i have juvi cichlids with a total inch of 29 inches. my tank is 55 gallons
last night i couldnt bare to watch them breath like this and i put in the airstone once again, within an hour everyone was breathing normal again.
i dont think the advice here sometimes is accurate. ive been using airstones for 25 years and i never had any problems until this one time in my life i removed it. so inspite of what some of you think i really do think an airstone is needed unless a tank is planted which mine is not.
my filter is a canister filstar xp3 quite capable of filtering a 55 gallon tank, and although it moves the water with a spray bar it just doesnt move the water enough. on the opposite end of the spray bar the water was not moving and this is where i had the airstone, when i removed the airstone that side of the tank was pretty much "dead" it had no surface movement. i found this quote which is pretty much the definition of an airstone and its need
" The air bubbles created by the stone will cause agitation at the surface water, where it will help the exchange of gasses between the air and water, as well as create water movement in the aquarium. This will increase the bio-load capacity of the tank."
so sorry to say that in my case i got the wrong advice here
keep in mind my tank is very stable amonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20ppm, i do 30-40 percent weekly water changes. my tank is not grossly overstocked. i have juvi cichlids with a total inch of 29 inches. my tank is 55 gallons
last night i couldnt bare to watch them breath like this and i put in the airstone once again, within an hour everyone was breathing normal again.
i dont think the advice here sometimes is accurate. ive been using airstones for 25 years and i never had any problems until this one time in my life i removed it. so inspite of what some of you think i really do think an airstone is needed unless a tank is planted which mine is not.
my filter is a canister filstar xp3 quite capable of filtering a 55 gallon tank, and although it moves the water with a spray bar it just doesnt move the water enough. on the opposite end of the spray bar the water was not moving and this is where i had the airstone, when i removed the airstone that side of the tank was pretty much "dead" it had no surface movement. i found this quote which is pretty much the definition of an airstone and its need
" The air bubbles created by the stone will cause agitation at the surface water, where it will help the exchange of gasses between the air and water, as well as create water movement in the aquarium. This will increase the bio-load capacity of the tank."
so sorry to say that in my case i got the wrong advice here
