To Air or Not to Air, that is the Question!

[massive attack]

I was reading a post about bubble wands in tanks and most responses said "Don't" use them because of the increased evapouration ratesand salt building up on your lights.
I was wondering, what do most people do with their powerheads? Do you suck air in them, and shoot out bubbles and water? Or shoot just the water?
If not, is the there enough dissolved O2 getting into the water from a protein skimmer?
Thanks for your thoughts, Mike

 

[justyn]

Even if you have a million power heads circulating your tank, the best thing you can do for your tank is to have one power head break the water surface tension on top. Putting a little bubbles in won't hurt but sometimes the fish have trouble distinguishing food from air if it's too much.

 

[mr . salty]

I don't have the air tubes hooked up on any of my powerheads. The first thing I do when I get a new one is to pull it off, throw the hose away.

 

[von_rahvin]

i have never used the air tube thingy. i just have two aimed at the surface. Think about how much 02 is being dissolved into the water with the skimmer! the water has lots of oxygen in it. (i use a berlin turbo and it just creates loads of little air bubbles)

 

[car guy]

air venturies on the powerheads and bubble wands and stones in tanks look bad, anyway it creates millions of microbubbles which are bad, beacause they can kill some corals, and other dude is right about the protein skimmer putting enough o2 in the water