1st time poster has ? about new tank

[oliverosuna]

Hi all. I just finished setting up a 20 gallon aquarium kit I bought at Walmart, and I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that I have not put any fish in, nor do I plan to until I've "cycled" my tank.

The set up I have has one of those hang on the back filters that drops the stream of water back into the tank. My question is will this stream pouring back into the tank be sufficient enough to agitate the water and create more oxygen for my tank? If not, what can you recommend to take care of this task?

 

[rich311k]

Most HOB provide enough aeration, an airstone is up to you if you like the look. Welcome to AA!!!

 

[SerLunchbox]

i have to disagree with the airstone. It really only does one part of the surface.

I personally find that HOB filters are the best and more then sufficient for surface aggitation. What you could do is get a powerhead and have it pointing either across the surface or down. This will produce the most surface agitation.

Though do be cautious about the agitation in your tank as there are some fish that can and will become very stressed out if there is a lot of movement in the water.

 

[TomK2]

The filter outflow will be sufficient. Airstones for decoration, since they usually arent needed for gas exchange.

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! While airstones don't create a lot of surface agitation, many fish like to swim in the bubbles. I have several fish that swim back and forth throughout the bubbles. They apparantly think it is a lot of fun. With a HOB if you want more surface aeration, lower the water in your tank a bit so there is more splash.

 

[TomK2]

Hmmm. I realize that airstones only bubble at one part of the surface, but in fact they really do increase gas exchange a lot. All those little bubbles hitting the surface really do greatly increase the surface area of the water, promoting gas exchange. which then is distributed to the rest of the tank. It is the same principle that surface agitation works on, since the water surface area is increased by agitation. That being said, I still don't think you need bubbles, since just the surface agitation by the filter will suffice.

 

[DepotFish]

Maybe you should hold off on the airstone until you've decide what type of fish to get.

 

[Bhunsucker]

I only use the airstone if I have to rasie the temp of my tank, in the case of treating my tank for ich. Other than that its not in the tank.