How much surface agitation

TheZoo

Curiouser and curiouser!
Apr 12, 2006
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melting in Houston, TX
...is a good amount? Are bubblers absolutely necesarry? Will the ripples from the water coming out of the filter be enough?
 
Depending on the Filter, bio-load, size of tank ect...
if you post your setup i will be able to have a rough idea.

But im pretty sure that it should be fine, if you can see bubbles in the water, then it should be ok.
 
Bubblers are more for aesthetic reasons than anything else. As long as the water on the top of your tank is moving (current from a filter for example) oxygen will diffuse into the water.
 
What kind of filter for what size tank? How many fish are in the tank? Most of the time if the filter is the right size for the tank than there is plenty of oxygen for the fish. However, if you are carrying a heavy bio-load than the filer will not be able to handle the amount of oxygen needed for all of your fish. In that case you can do one of two things or both. You can add another smaller filter and/or add a bubble wand to aggitate the surface of the water to break oxygen at the surface for the fish. Believe me, you can never have too much oxygen for them. I'm a big believer in giving more filteration than what is rated for the size tank and I also believe that understocking a tank is way better for the fish in the long run, not to mention that it is also better for the pocketbook. In case of a power failure there will be no filteration for the fish because the filters will be off. That means less oxygen for the fish. If the tank is understocked than there will not be as much oxygen being consumed by the fish and they have a better chance of not suffocating during a power outage. Well, I have gone on long enough. I hope this helps. I'm sure there are others that will chime in too.

Be happy!

Marinemom
 
Also depends how much current/agitation your fish prefer
 
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