no need for an airstone?

[wright4lfe]

on my 48gl bowfront that i use as a growth tank for oscars i run 2 emp 400's and have 2 air stone running on the tank as well. i would like to take the airstones out as i think the emperors provide enough surface agitation...

somebody let me know if i'm wrong and going to potentially "drown" my o's.

[madasafish]

Emperors do provide a good deal of oxygenation because of the spray bar, and more depending on how much space there is between the outflow and the water's surface.

However, for oscars I'd still run those airstones. If you want to get rid of the *appearance* of airstones, simply place them in the media baskets of the emperor filters instead. The water will be just as agitated, and the bubbles won't show in the tank.

[wright4lfe]

good idea, but i wanted to get rid of the airstones because i have yet to find an airpump that doesn't make a ton of noise...

[Fishalicious]

Rena makes reallllly quiet ones.

I even thought about making some sort of special pillow to put them in to muffle the sound.

Sounds like it could work :P

Dan

[wright4lfe]

thanks fish, it was really starting to grate on my nerves, as the two emperors make hardly any noise...

[hashbaz]

Madasafish, have you actually tried that before? I do think it is a great idea, (especially since it will reduce bubbles splashing water onto the top glass), but I worry about one thing. When my airstone is too close to my filter intake, the filter will break the bubbles into tiny, tiny bubbles and makes the water look cloudy.

[jratuszn]

There's really no point to putting the airstones in the emperor baskets. The water will be plenty agitated as is from the movement from the emperor's pump. All the airstones would do is add noise. As long as the surface is rippled from the return to the tank, you'll have plenty of O2, even for oscars.

-J

[Menagerie]

I would just take them out. The only time I use airstones is with QT tanks and a bubble wall. I have found that if you can hang your airpump or place it on a towel, the noise is reduced.