silver6

Hi All,
After two weeks cycling my first tank, using the below fish, which I added after the first week of cycling, I read some articles how oxygen can affect the PH and/or nitrite levels (I also operate my tank temperature at 27~28'C to help cycling).
When should I operate my airstone night and/or day & at high or low air flow?

I also initially added Stress Coat with Stress Zyme and followed their instructions. Currently I'm running my air stone at low flow full time.

How am I doing? Has anyone got any helpful ideas?

Kind regards
Jason

Richard

For a tank that size, you should have air going in all the time and at a fairly high flow.. and might I suggest you consider adding a few more Mollies and Swordtails?.. they're so much happier with others of their species.. just remember to always have more females than males .

Butterfly

First Welcome to FishLore!!! Second heres some really interesting article about starting up a tank http://www.fishlore.com/Forum/freshw...ginners.0.html
I'm afraid your tank isn't cycled, please read the above.
Now as to your question- there are different ideas on when to run an airstone. I always run one in my fry tanks along with a sponge filter, I run one in the Queen Arabesque tank because they come from running water, I run the whole back of my 5G in bubbles because I like it , If a tank is overstocked it definately needs some aereation plus the filter. If you have a good filter with plenty of water movement then I don't think you would have to have one BUT one will never hurt . If your running CO2 I think theres some issue with too much surface agitation releasing the CO2 from the water.
Carol

silver6

Thanks for replying so promptly,
Firstly Richard, Carol was right, I am still cyclying and so I have just two fish in there to help with cyclying & I can't add any more fish until that's done unfortunately and my tank is only new.

Carol the filter does flow well and I suppose I don't need the aeration, but like you said it looks authentic. My two fish seem active and happy enough with low flow full time, but again will it upset my cycling. I was unsure what you mean't by "If your running CO2 I think theres some issue with too much surface agitation releasing the CO2 from the water". I am running just a normal large air stone under my shipwreak using outside air.

Butterfly

Some people run a more high tech planted tank and add CO2 for the plants and water aggitation makes the CO2 out gas faster.
I love how the bubble wands look in the 55G They are strung end to end all across the back. Makes it look like a bubble curtain. All the loaches play in them.
Carol