air stone,is it necessary ?

[aatif]

hi,

i have a Fluval 4 canister filter tht actually takes water from one end and then filters it (in the sponge) and lets the water out from the top,so wht actually happens is tht filtered water comes in contact with the air,

does tht means it absorbs oxygen from the air and back into the aquarium,i've two airstones but want to remove them,i was wondering will the aquarium water have enough oxygen for the fish to live or i'll have to use airstones ?

plz.keep the filter debate away !

Aquarium stats : 40G,3 large Shubunkins,1 chocolate Oranda,1 Calico,a pair of black moor(small).

 

[echoofformless]

Hmmm....I was actually thinking about this issue myself. In my opinion, there are a good many factors to consider. One thing though - I'm not sure if you mean that your filter is a Fluval 4 Internal Filter, or a Fluval 404 Canister. If it's the 4, then I might assume it will provide good aeration and circulation, thus you can most likely go without the artifical aeration. But this also depends on where/how you have it placed. If you have it on its side, deep in the tank, there will be little to no surface current. So make sure it's upright and providing surface current. Or according to the description of the filter, there's an air flow control device - that would take care of everything.

And if it's the 404 -

One - The canister filter is an airtight compartment. That means that unless your output hose is place to allow a surface current, it will not provide aeration for your tank.

Two - The amount and type of fish make a difference in how much aeration you will need. For example, a shallow tank filled with only labyrinth fish will not require much aeration (if any) at all. But a really deep tank that is overstocked with large non-labyrinth fish will require either good surface agitation or artificial aeration.

Looking at your load, I would suggest making sure the output provides a good amount of agitation. You can supplement it with the artificial air, but you probably would be okay without it. Just keep an eye on things for a few weeks. If the fish seem sluggish or generally less happy than before, put back the aeration. Hope this helps.

 

[TLH]

I'd go along with echoofformless on the agitation thing.You mostly always need surface agitation.If you do find your fish hanging out at the surface gulping for air it's more effective to cool your water down a few degrees.Colder water holds more oxygen.
Airstones imo are more for looks than actually being useful and remember the bigger the bubbles the less effect they have anyway.

 

[Orion]

Are you using the spraybar with the filter, or the nozle return?

To directly answer your question, yes the water will absorb some oxygen from the time it leaves the return line to the time it takes to hit the water in the tank, but the amount is insignificant IMO. What does help though is that when the return water hits the surface of the tank water, it breaks up the surface and allows more water to come into direct contact with the air, which does increase the amount of oxygen in the tank.

Water movement allows the water to absorb oxygen. So yes while your air stones are increasing the amount of oxygen in your tank, it doesn't do it like most people would think it does. The water does not directly absorb o2 from the bubbles from the air stone, but rather the bubbles create lift in the water that aggitates the surface. This is where the o2 exchange takes place. So the more surface movement you have the more oxygen is going to be in the water.

If you have the spraybar on the filter return then I'd say you would be fine removing the air stones, as the spraybar creates a good amount of surface movement on it's own. If your using the jet return, then it will depend on how it is set up. Either way, I would think that you would be fine to take out the air stones. IMO those are more for decoration and asthetics anyway.

-And what's wrong with a good filter debate? We've not had a good one in a while.

 

[aatif]

hi all,

i've a nozle return and the filter has a speed control,i can switch it fast and tht would create super agitation,but you know what its so fast tht the fishes cant swim on their own the filter keeps pulling them.

@ TLH:
also,large bubbles more agitation more oxygen,fine bubbles vice versa then howcome big bubbles can be less useful ?

 

[TLH]

@ TLH:
also,large bubbles more agitation more oxygen,fine bubbles vice versa then howcome big bubbles can be less useful ?

I wasn't really talking about surface agitation when I said that,just bubbles in the water column.For the same amount of air small bubbles work better because they have a greater combined surface area.