Re: Air Stone - how long should I run it for?
#4
You especially dont turn them off at night because thats when plants shift to consuming o2 instead of co2. People with co2 systems have actually killed fish by turning oxygenators off at night and leaving co2 on. They wake up to find carbon mist in the tanks, a bacterial hell soup, their filter crashing and the fish suffocating.
Normal usage of an airstone is to have it running at 24/7 at normal amount, or full blast depending on how much disturbace the fish can take in terms of current. For guppies and bettas who are fairly good at extracting oxygen from water and appreciate low flow because they are crap swimmers you have them on low, if you have most coldwater fish, good swimmers like tetras, rainbows, big cichlids, just have the thing on full tilt, especially if you also have burrowing species and lots of bottom feeding catfish. The upward flow created by an airstone can be essential in taking harmful gas accumulations away from the substrate surface, and ensures health for all.
Generally you dont want more than 5% of your water volume disturbed by an aerator, thats why you run them along the back, where they get attracted to the back panel as they go up, leaving fish to swim free of getting bubbled up, or in a corner out of the way, but aside from that ,the whole paranoia and fear of using oxygenators is getting completely out of hand. Mot people unless they bought HUGE airstone, or stuff like hydor arios will be using them at full tilt. Its just a sensible precaution you take, like making sure your fish dont have to work too hard fighting against filter flow. For little tanks you have to consider the potential to annoy your fish with an aerator, but much over 30 gal, just stop worrying people!
Bubble fear is getting way out of hand these days. I think co2 users are spreading panic about aeration when half of them are closer to suffocating their fish than the rest of us! Culture gone mad is what it is. Half the people who use co2 dont even need it when you see how many fish theyve got. People will need ferts and nitrate control, and decent lights , but co2 is often overkill, and a risk to the rish. People getting stuck in tiny worlds and forgetting the physics again. Seriously Ive often looked at peoples rather disappointing planting and im thinking, youve been espousing the qualities of co2 for what? That tank? Those plants? Meh.
Ive kept individual plants and their offshoots alive for 20 years or more without co2, some of my plants are that old. I can imagine if I wanted to do a proper dutch garden tank wanting to use co2, but you be amazed how many people buy it and dont remotely need it. Fish will always need oxygen though.
