jprime84

I have an air pump and air stone in my tank. Lately I havent turned the pump on in a while and my water seems clearer because I dont have all of the tiny air bubbles floating around in it that can look like particles.

I like that look better, but are there any benefits I am giving up to not running the pump? Any other risks I am avoiding?

CHoffman

I like running air into the tank..I have air curtains though not just stones..You might like that look better...Basically when you add air to the tank your uping the oxygen levels (which is a good thing) adding movement to the water (which IMO is a good thing) and giving the fish something to play in..lol..My fish love to play in them...I think it's a plus and all of my tanks have them. they are not necessary if your filter breaks the surface of the water enough to allow a good amount of oxygen in but they are pretty and do serve a purpose.

pepetj

jprime84: If you want to use the airpump for aiding in keeping healthy levels of dissolved oxygen but dislike the way it looks you could use a timer to turn it on as your lights go off and off as your lights go on. However I don't think you need to do that since your tank stocking is quite safe in terms of bio-load.

It is not necessary for overstocked tanks if you have decent water surface agitation 24/7. And with two HOBs you seem covered.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

fish_newbie

Pros: Aerate water, add beauty to the tank, act as a fish toy

Cons: The only one IMO is the noise

Nate McFin

If you use Co2 (DIY or pressurized) for plants an airstone will off gas Co2 out of the tank.
Other than that go for it!

aquarist48

Hello Jprime. By looking at your aquarium information, I think your tank and fish will be fine either way you decide.
Ken

Alasse

All tanks but my fully planted tanks have bubblers of some discription. And i have spares for them that i sometimes use in summer when the water temp can rise to over 30C, i run the airstones to help oxygenate the water, being that water that warm does not have a good oxygen content. Tho i only turn it on if the fish start gasping at the surface, rarely happens thankfully.