Air Stone and the Planted Tank

[jobymoby]

I have a planted 28gallon hex,and the plants are doing well with a weekly dose of carbon and fertizler every other week with the 30% water change.Does a air stone force CO2 out of my tank or is this a myth,running the air stone helps keep my tank cooler in hot weather with a fan helping also.i have a 20in light with 96watts via 4 quad lamp,MY first planted tank and everything is growing good with new growth all over but does the air stone hinder plant growth? thx jobymoby

 

[Purrbox]

Surface aggitation caused by airstones and other equipment is only a problem when injecting CO2. The aggitation will gas off the excess CO2 returning the water to atmospheric levels. With DIY CO2 this makes it extremely hard to maintain sufficient CO2 levels, and is wasteful with a pressurized system. However, the surface aggitation is actually a good thing in a tank that isn't being injected with CO2. It helps the water regain the CO2 that the plants are using faster, and therefore helps keep the levels up to atmospheric levels.

It doesn't sound like you are injecting CO2 with your setup, so by all means continue using the airstone as it is beneficial to both your plants and fish.