Airbubbles Cause PH To Rise Rumor or Not?

[reefin]

Upon talking to an individual at an aquarium, he told me that they use an airpump in the sump of their saltwater tanks to cause PH to rise. Does anyone else use this method?

 

[captivereefs]

It can but the air does not actually disper into the aquarium. What happens is the air buubles cause surface ripples which cause a gas exchange at the surface. The same thing happens when you have a powerhead or filter causing surface aggitation. Hope this helps.

 

[Thelionfishman]

I have a brand new 72 bow tank which I been setting up for my six special Lionfishes a month now and my ph is 8.2. A week ago I added Two large pumps to give off a great amount of oxygen into the tank. I tested the water yesterday and the ph is still at 8.2. That a very interesting topic must look into it. I always supply my fishes with enough H2o.

 

[Dewey]

8.2 Sounds good to me.

Good luck Dewey

 

[reefobsessed]

They really do not need a supply of air if you are have a good amount of gas exchange at the top of your tank. In fact, I have been told that air stone or bubbles of any kind can kill a reef as excessive bubbles get caught in your live rock and kill it. Can someone tell me if that is fact or fiction......

 

[packfan2204]

i'm interested to know too, cause i have read that a seperate air supply was important.

 

[steve-s]

i'm interested to know too, cause i have read that a seperate air supply was important.

Adding a supply of bubbles does very little in a SW tank. The gas exchange that occurs is at the waters surface so anything that causes a disruption in the surface tension of the water causes the O2/CO2 exchange. PH's will be the best source for this as they move the entire surface of the water more efficiently and without the mess an airstone will create with potential saltcreep.
The airstones are inefficient because of the small area they impact at the surface area. The actual bubbles going into the water do little to nothing...

Cheers
Steve