Tiny Annoying Bubbles from Airstone

euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
Greetings :)
I kept noticing those annoying tiny bubbles in my tank. I completely turned off my the pump that generates those big bubbles through the airstone, and noticed that the tiny bubbles went away. Looked so much better this way, but then I can't have my airstone there oxygenating the water w/ the big bubbles.
What do you recommend I do? And is it natural for the airstone to also create those tiny annoying bubbles?
 
bheron

bheron

Member
you mean just a plain airstone supplied by an air pump? or is it used to like a skimmer or something?
if not, there are other ways to get oxygen exchanged with your water.
- surface agiation
- sump
- even an airhead
- macroalgaes i think too?
I dont think many people use simple air pumps (like in a he gold fish tank)
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
I do have surface agitation. My return hose from the wet/dry is pointed at the surface of the water, so it creates some good waves. So does my return flow from the fluval.
I decided to use the plain airstone w/ the airpump to add a bit more oxygen to the water, plus I like how those big bubbles rise up in the background, it looked cool.
I know the best way to tell if there's enough oxygen in the water is by looking at the breathing of the fish, the gill movement. But then how do you decide whether it's fast or slow? Relative to what?
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
Gotcha. Why though? I do like those nice big bubbles in the back of the tank plus they carry O2. What's the most negative thing about them?
 
bheron

bheron

Member
you know, thats a great question. i LOVE the look of bubbles. why doesnt anyone use them in SW tanks?? always had them in FW. and, in saltwater, they look a little bit finer and cooler.
why why??
 
skirrby

skirrby

Active Member
hey we arent saying you absolutly cannot use them.. they just arent needed.. and make tons of salt creep... and cleaning salt creep isnt fun.. personally i think it looks cool in fw.. but in sw it looks way to unnatrual to have a wall of bubbles
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
I see. The oxygen produced by these bubbles, is it lower or higher compared to surface agitation? I still like how it looks, plus my clowns love it. They go swim through it .
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The don't cause a problem that I know of internally. But it makes a really big mess, salt sticks to your bulbs and shortens their lifespan as well as interfering with the light.
Salty water drips down the back of your tank so be very careful with power cords.
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
I have made special acrylic covers that are placed on top of the tank to cover the openings, so I don't have any water splashing on my bulbs or getting out of the tank. I just have little salt creep here and there (inside of the tank) but that's it.
I have spent about $30 on that air pump/air stone unit so I don't want to just turn it off and throw it away.
I lowered the airpump force and don't see much microbubbles.
My only other source of problem is the occasional (once every 10 minutes) outburst of microbubbles from the Fluval 404. Can't get rid of those :nope:
 
bigsteve

bigsteve

Member

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Bury it six feet under ground.

Actually, it means "six fathoms", which was considered the minimum for deep water waaaaay back in the day. (Like wooden ships kind of way back)
It's also the minimum acceptable depth for a burial at sea....
(Just saw it on the history channel.... And now, back to the topic)
 
salty rob

salty rob

Member
I have been fighting with my powerheads that occasionally stop generating bubbles. Can I just ignore the lack of bubbles if I have surface agitation?
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
My LFS told me that the airstone w/ airpump setup generates more oxygen in the water than a powerhead. Is this true?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The difference is negligible IMO. And if you run a skimmer there is no difference.
Your LFS is thinking Fresh Water where circulation is low. If you're running 10X - 20X turnover like you should then there will be no lack of oxygen.
 
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