air bubbling questions

[HOPPIE]

this is probably a very silly question..but...here goes.

As I get more involed in my new (old) aquarium world....each step creates a new set of questions. Most time I have been trying to do the online question thing...I find the more I research...the more I get confused....for every single question ( and answer that I locate)...the opinions are so varied and absoutely conflicting of each other.....Im getting very overwhelmed.

Right now...I would love to know if there is some way to determine if my water content has enough/or too much oxygen for my fish.

I have 37 gallon freshwater....in it is 2 mid size angelfisn....2 little angelfish...1 powder blue gourami, 2 very small corys, 2 teeny otos...

I have a fluval cannister (207 I thnk) and an adjistable flow outside fluval filter...and one short air stone.

Also....I use only well water.

Thanks for any help you could offer.

 

[ColdKoi]

There are dissolved oxygen test kits available but as long as you have some agitation at the surface you should be fine. I don’t use air stones in any of my tanks, but the filters provide a fair bit of surface agitation which accomplishes pretty much the same thing as using an air stone

 

[Aiken Drum]

If the surface of the water is agitated by the airstone, filter output, or both, your oxygen content is fine.

The amount of O2 in the water will be in equilibrium with the amount of O2 in the atmosphere. Surface agitation helps gas transmission between the water and atmosphere. So as O2 gets used up by the various natural processes in your aquarium, good surface agitation helps to re-establish that equilibrium. Poor surface agitation will slow down gas transfer, so as O2 gets used up O2 will deplete. It works the other way too. If O2 is higher in the water than that equilibrium point, then good surface agitation will help with the gas transfer and allow O2 to offgas into the atmosphere. Poor surface agitation will slow down gas transfer and prevent this offgassing.

Its not the bubbles that get disolved. Its that the bubbles create surface agitation and promote gas exchange.

While too much oxygen is harmful, ive never actually seen anyone with the issue. The only way i can see that happening would be if you deliberately injected O2 into the water in a similar way that people inject CO2 for plant growth.

Too little O2 is quite common when people dont have good filtration or an airstone providing that surface agitation. Signs to look for are fish gasping for air at the surface.

There are O2 tests you can buy, but Ive never come across anyone who tests for this. If you think you might have an issue then the test might be useful. But, if you see ripples on the surface of the water from your filter, or the bubbles from your airstone are breaking the surface you will be fine for O2.

 

[Colin_T]

I had air stones bubbling away in all my tanks so the oxygen levels were always at maximum level. I prefer the fish to have plenty of oxygen compared to none or not enough. In the wild they have plenty so there is no reason to subject them to low oxygen levels.

 

[Joe_D]

Yeah... what Colin said.