bubbles bubbles...and yet more bubbles...who's right?

[Just Dave]

I am a rookie saltwater tanker. I have had a fresh water tank for years, and it always did well, but now im in a new realm.

Limited on space, the only thing I could get to fit in my livingroom was a 30 gallon hex. (okay stop wincing) I know, not much surface space kind of limits how many fish I can have. I put about 3 inches of crushed coral on bottom, a Penguin 280 filter, heater, and after it turned I added about 10lbs of live rock. Did well for a few months then fish started dying, seemed to have come down with some kind of parasite, treated the tank with Greenex. I was concerned about air and water movement in the tank after some great advice from this forum stating that might be my issue, and why the fish had this parasite problem and wasn't able to shake it.

Soooo off to the pet store I go, I tried the cheap way out, and bought an air stone like I did with my old fresh water stones, obviously not to add air, but help the water circulate. This seems to work, but still my fish are still well, not dying but hiding now, or hanging out in the bubbles, or at the top of the tank.

So I go back for the power head that was originaly suggested (I know I should have listened) and while I was picking it up, I mention to the clerk I also had a airstone in my saltwater tank. He looked horified, and quickly told me that you can't put an airstone in a saltwater tank, The bubbles hurts the fishes gills and is not good for them, its okay in fresh, but a no no in salt. Hmmm I remember my fish swimming in the bubbles allot so this kind of puzzled me, they kind of liked it there when the parasite issue was going on, figured it was helping them out.

So out comes the airstone, and in goes my submersible powerhead, with two jets that point in two directions (thought that was neat) I put it half way down my tank (he warned me not to put it on the top or bottom but in the middle?) I put the little plastic air hose in place and hung it outside the tank, with the little plastic nubby at the end and plugged it in.

Whoooosh I got water circulation big time. But I notice that the air hose is pulling in air to the Powerhead and kicking out, what else bubbles...hmmm

So is bubbles bad for salt water or isn't it?.... If it is, umm why is my power head blowing out little bubbles? Did I install it wrong, there was no Directions in the box, had to wing it?

Ummm anyone? I know this is a rookie question.




(tank colony)

1 Damzel
1 firefish
1 very active Hermit Crab

(kind of empty)

[reefrunner69]

Remove the hose, all you need is surface agitation for gas exchange. I have no idea why they even put those things on the powerheads, except for use on a cpr overflow, I cannot thing of a legitimate use for one.

[sw8]

Take the plastic hose off off.It will still work but wont blow bubbles anymore.

[Just Dave]

Okay took the hose off, put the little rubber cap back on. No bubbles, I guess the whoops was on my side, thanks

I was reading a bit more, and I keep seeing that I should keep the power head close to the surface on Hex tanks, and have the jet disturb the water surface a bit to help with the exchange of gases, kind of ruff it up a bit with the power head, is that true?

I have noticed (you have to imagine on my power head, it has two tubes in a v shape that expell water) that if I tilt it a bit, I can get one of the inlets to break the surface a bit, causing allot of agitation, is this what I should be going for? this of course makes my other port face toward the bottom of the tank a bit, forcing some of the water up top, down to the bottom, hmmmm seems like a good plan,

what do you think?

[reefrunner69]

I was reading a bit more, and I keep seeing that I should keep the power head close to the surface on Hex tanks, and have the jet disturb the water surface a bit to help with the exchange of gases, kind of ruff it up a bit with the power head, is that true?

Sort of, I would want it in the lower 1/2 of the tank, pointed at the waters surface to circulate the water from the bottom to the surface. Lot's of agitation is not necessary, gas exchange will take place with no movement at all, but only for that top layer of water. You want to circulate all the water in the aquarium to the surface

[Just Dave]

Okay, I did as you advised, I put the Powerhead about 6 inches off the bottom, and pointed the stream to the surface, its still causes a ripply reffect on the surface in the center of the tank, but not the sever ripples I was getting with it agitating the water directly.

I had to take out the v adapter though and swap it for the single one, as the v would have sent the oposing jet into the sand causing issues.

Thanks for the advice, I had no idea how to set it up.