Air Stone Question

[Mr.Cola1151]

Hi,

So I've been reading that air stones are beneficial to breaking down wastes,
(----> Air Pumps & Air Stones: Increase Aeration for Healthy Aquariums) but will they be beneficial when placed next to your bio media? I would like to slip an air stone to the back part of my Fluval, where my bio media sits. I do not however know if this will hurt my bio media. I am trying to hide the air stone in the back filtration compartment... I can put it on top of the media and the bubbles won't go through it.

 

[coralbandit]

Bubbles just move water physically. They don't actually add a lot of O2 to tank IMO.For what O2 they do add they also add CO2 as they pass what is in the atmosphere and create balance.
The surface movement and flow from your filter are doing that now...
IMO you will not note any improvement from adding air ?

 

[BBradbury]

Mr. C...

An air stone doesn't add much oxygen to the tank water. The tiny bubbles created by the air stone don't agitate the water's surface enough. If you want the agitation, then run the plastic tubing to the bottom of the tank, without the air stone. The much larger bubbles will increase the surface movement and mix more oxygen into the tank water.

An air stone is another piece of equipment you can stop using, provided you're doing large water changes weekly. Pure, treated tap water holds plenty of oxygen and is replenished every time you change the water. Remember the "balance law". By mixing more oxygen into the water, you're releasing the same amount of carbon dioxide. This is nice for the fish, but not so much for aquatic plants.

B

 

[nirbhao]

Adding atmosphere won't hurt your bio media.