Is A Bubbler Important?

I'm a beginner with two tanks.
Tank #1 has a bubbler, but I ran out of money so tank #2 doesn't.
Both tanks only have fake plants/decor.

Tank #2 is a 29 gallon tall with an AquaClear 70 filter with the following stock:
1 Angelfish
8 Black Skirt Tetra
6 KuhlI Loach

Is it important that I get a bubbler for tank #2?

 

I'm a beginner with two tanks.
Tank #1 has a bubbler, but I ran out of money so tank #2 doesn't.
Both tanks only have fake plants/decor.

Tank #2 is a 29 gallon tall with an AquaClear 70 filter with the following stock:
1 Angelfish
8 Black Skirt Tetra
6 KuhlI Loach

Is it important that I get a bubbler for tank #2?

Yes. Especially if your tank is deep (tall). Most fish need oxygenated water, more so when water levels are deeper. Usually airpumps aren't too expensive (<$20) but you might need a slightly more powerful one depending on the depth of water. Air tubes are cheap as chips & airstones, too.

Others may have other ideas but I'd suggest it's quite important. Then again, I don't have live plants yet

 

Nope, not at all. As long as your filtration provides movement they are purely aesthetic

 

no bubblers aren't necessary most use them for visual appeal or for something the fish to play in. as long as you have a filter that is the right size or bigger then you will be fine

 

Do you have a lot of water movement on the surface of your tank from your filter? If there is a lot of water movement (like ripples) you "might not need an air stone" . I do agree with what the first person said though as in regards to fish needing oxygen and that your tank is deep. I think you picked up the right size filter for that size tank. A/C filters are great too. If your filter isn't in the middle of the tank now you can move it toward the middle. This way will help with oxygenating.

Keep an eye on your fish and see if their behavior seems odd. Like if they are gasping, breathing heavy, being sluggish, staying at the bottom of the tank a lot or hanging out on the surface of the water/tank. If any of these occur it could be because they need an air stone to help with oxygen. And if these occur too (with or without an air stone) you always want to check their water parameters to make sure everything is okay with PH, no ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate low.

Welcome to fish keeping. I'd thought I'd let you know too that having an API aquarium freshwater test kit to test your water parameters is important to have if you don't have one already and Prime for your water conditioner is the best.

 

Do you have a lot of water movement on the surface of your tank from your filter? If there is a lot of water movement (like ripples) you "might not need an air stone" . I do agree with what the first person said though as in regards to fish needing oxygen and that your tank is deep. I think you picked up the right size filter for that size tank. A/C filters are great too. If your filter isn't in the middle of the tank now you can move it toward the middle. This way will help with oxygenating.

Keep an eye on your fish and see if their behavior seems odd. Like if they are gasping, breathing heavy, being sluggish, staying at the bottom of the tank a lot or hanging out on the surface of the water/tank. If any of these occur it could be because they need an air stone to help with oxygen. And if these occur too (with or without an air stone) you always want to check their water parameters to make sure everything is okay with PH, no ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate low.

Welcome to fish keeping. I'd thought I'd let you know too that having an API aquarium freshwater test kit to test your water parameters is important to have if you don't have one already and Prime for your water conditioner is the best.

Thank you!
I'll move the filter into the middle.
I have the filter setting at "low flow" (that's the only way I can think to describe it) as I thought maybe too much flow would not be good?? Now that I've heard people's advice, should I adjust the filter to "high flow" (as I'm thinking that maybe this would allow more oxygen into the tank)?

 

No, the ac 70 on low should be fine

 

If you do want to have bubbles in your tank you can run a sponge filter. Most people don’t like how they look but they are great with bio treatment. I am running two AC30s on my goldfish tank, added a sponge filter and my water always look crystal clear, other than when they eat .

 

Thank you!
I'll move the filter into the middle.
I have the filter setting at "low flow" (that's the only way I can think to describe it) as I thought maybe too much flow would not be good?? Now that I've heard people's advice, should I adjust the filter to "high flow" (as I'm thinking that maybe this would allow more oxygen into the tank)?

You're welcome. I think you described that fine with the a/c filter having a low flow and a faster flow. If you feel there still isn't much flow across the water surface go ahead and play with it on the higher/faster side. See how your fish are? Can they swim against the current when you push that knob over? You don't want them to struggle. I'd think they'd be okay either way but I'm not looking at them. I have a/c filters too and I can't even tell the difference of water flow when I push that knob/handle to either the slower side or faster side. I'm always playing with them on my shrimp tanks. Not here on fishlore but on another forum that I was on years ago I remember conversations about the slow and fast adjustable knob and the water flow coming out of the a/c filter. Some of those members couldn't even tell the difference of water flow being on the low or high side just like myself. With all that said, Re: your last sentence.... With more water movement on the surface you will have more oxygen.

 

If you do want to have bubbles in your tank you can run a sponge filter. Most people don’t like how they look but they are great with bio treatment. I am running two AC30s on my goldfish tank, added a sponge filter and my water always look crystal clear, other than when they eat .

Thank you
Is the idea to put the sponge filter onto AC intake tube?

 

I have a separate sponge filter running along with 2 AC filters. You can attach a sponge on the intake tube of just about any kind of HOB filter. This does a few things like not allowing fry or shrimp to be sucked into the filter, pre filters water before going into your filter basket which can allow you to run more BB media in basket and less sponge. This can however slow down water flow especially when it gets dirty.

 

go to amazon thrre are cheaper ones. like cheap cheap

 

I am never really sure if it makes much of a positive difference. I did experiment with a wave maker (although not that common on tropical set ups) and adjusted to flow near the top, creates a nice flow and the ripples in the water create extra oxygen.

My preference is to not have anything running apart from the filter but unsure how beneficial a bubbler (reverting back to the old days when I first started) or keeping the wave maker going would be?

250L aquarium with a Fluval 306. Fully stocked, established aquarium. I’d like to think I’m very good with the water changes.

Thoughts?

 

I wouldn't say its required, but all living organisms in your tank do benefit from oxygenated waters. Fish take in oxygen from the water column, as do the bacteria that lives in your tank, and that can become depleted over time. Your filter will give some degree of oxygenation, but I believe an air stone with an air pump is the most efficient way for gas exchange. Otherwise, if you're on top of maintenance then I say it isn't absolutely necessary.

 

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply. It makes perfect sense and thanks again. I suppose my follow-up question would be: if I went back to having an air stone / air pump set up, I’d assume it’s not logical to have it on all day and night. So, what’s the sweet spot in terms of how long it’s on for? Are we saying a few hours in the morning? Maybe a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening? There may not be an exact science to this but I don’t want to be ineffective. Mike.

 

If you have a planted tank or tons of algae then lights off would be a little more important to have more dissolved oxygen levels. When plants are not performing photosynthesis (lights off) then instead of producing oxygen, they will intake oxygen, so levels will be greatly depleted throughout the night. However, there's no harm in running an air pump and stone 24/7. As I've said, all living organisms will benefit from heightened levels of dissolved oxygen in the tank.

 

If your filter provides enough surface agitiation, you do not need a bubbler. All a bubbler is doing is just that..breaking the surface of the water to allow for off gassing of CO2 and oxygenation of the water.

 

Nope, definitely not on the must-haves, it's more of a personal preference whether it is needed or not, or if you feel like your fish are taking frequent breaths at the surface and could benefit from aeration.

I do not have a bubbler in my tank, but I have in the past and it just wasn't necessary, although I do recommend it with bettas, it really helped mine not have to take such frequent swims to the top for a gulp of air.

 

Agitation is why I like spray bars on my tanks. I can control the surface agitation and no need for bubbles.

 

I would add one. Like Fanatic said, it sometime depends on the species. I originally purchased mine because my crayfish was having difficulty breathing (he kept climbing out of the water).

 

I don't have any in my tanks. All my tanks are in my bedroom, and the sound of the pump annoys me. The filter outflow is at least an inch above the water so I get decent surface agitation.

 

 

Check out liveaquaria's clearance section.

Pick your self up the Coralife Luft Pump on clearance for $14, then 1 or 2 Azoo sponge filters, and a couple of the "Sweetwater" brand airstones. All of that is on clearance.

Throw a small sponge filter in one or both back corners of the tank driven by an airstone.

You will have extra gas exchange from the surface agitation, will increase biological filtration with the sponge filters, and you can pull the sponge filters out and throw them in a 5-gallon bucket of water for instantly cycled quarantine and hospital tanks!!

The Sweetwater airstones blow away generic airstones. I bought a couple of them and found the bubble output from a little Top Fin 3000 air pump w/ the Sweetwater airstone was either the same or more than a generic airstone hooked up to a Fluval air pump with 2x the air output!! Those things rock. They will definitely increase the flow through a sponge filter.

 

I use only a filter. I have a lot of plants in my tank delivering oxygen and my surface agitation from my filter helps too. I'd say as long as you have a source of delivering oxygen to the water it'll be okay. Bubblers help a lot with surface agitation. Try it without, watch your fish closely. If abnormal behavior starts like skimming the top looking like they are gulping for air. If they do use the bubbler until you get a better oxygen delivery source. I hear oxygen emitters work well too.

 

I am never really sure if it makes much of a positive difference. I did experiment with a wave maker (although not that common on tropical set ups) and adjusted to flow near the top, creates a nice flow and the ripples in the water create extra oxygen.

My preference is to not have anything running apart from the filter but unsure how beneficial a bubbler (reverting back to the old days when I first started) or keeping the wave maker going would be?

250L aquarium with a Fluval 306. Fully stocked, established aquarium. I’d like to think I’m very good with the water changes.

Thoughts?

Mike, I've been considering getting a wave maker for my 40 gallon breeder, can you tell me a bit about yours and are you able to adjust it? After repositioning my HOB's my water flow has improved almost 100%.

 

Nope, you don't "need" one. Some like the looks it creates but nope, not really needed. I've never had them and I have planted tanks forever. Never liked them and will not use them myself, not that they are bad or anything, just not my cup of tea. Again you don't need one unless you like the look it creates in your tank

 

From the book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium - by Diana L Walstad"


Plants do not need an air stone nor do they use any of your fish's oxygen that might come from the water column. I don't ever use an air stone in my 20 long and my fish are doing just fine. I do use an air stone in my 55gal at night when the lights are off (in the day it's co2).

 

I always like to run an airstone if fish are being treated or one is raising temperature as part of treatment, because higher heat depletes the O2.

 

Ive never, in my life, used a bubbler. Some of my tanks run sponge filters which bubble, some of my tanks run canisters and/or HOBS which dont. You definitely don't "need" a bubbler.

 

I don't use airstones but I do have a pair of sponge filters (one in each back corner) with a low air rate - I never see the fishes paying attention to the bubbles per sey but they love to suck the sponges.

 

I would say it's necessary if you add dried dirt, and a ton of dried grass clippings as a new bedding, then initially it would need an airstone at the bottom to keep the dirt from going sour. Also, if somebody has a lot of gravel on the bottom, it would keep the gravel from going sour by pumping air right to the bottom.

I don't use a stone, but hot glue (melt with a lighter some hot glue), and plug up the hole at the end of the hose where the air stone usually is. Then I poke holes with a safety pin about every inch, for about a foot, to a foot and a half. Then I tie two golf balls, one at the end, and another where the holes are furthest from the glue plug, to weight the air hose down. It's during the heat of the summer that aquariums seem to go bad.

 

If you have good surface agitation you don’t need one.

I would say it's necessary if you add dried dirt, and a ton of dried grass clippings as a new bedding, then initially it would need an airstone at the bottom to keep the dirt from going sour. Also, if somebody has a lot of gravel on the bottom, it would keep the gravel from going sour by pumping air right to the bottom.

I don't use a stone, but hot glue (melt with a lighter some hot glue), and plug up the hole at the end of the hose where the air stone usually is. Then I poke holes with a safety pin about every inch, for about a foot, to a foot and a half. Then I tie two golf balls, one at the end, and another where the holes are furthest from the glue plug, to weight the air hose down. It's during the heat of the summer that aquariums seem to go bad.

Dried grass clippings in an aquarium?

 

Yes, you could have a heavy dirt bottom, if you initially dry the dirt and mix a ton of dried grass clippings. I'm still experimenting, but a full tank may need a lot of air to keep the soil from souring. The grass clippings burrow into the dirt, and it makes the water more alive.

 

It’s not necessary, but I use the air tube now for a sponge filter (secondary filter) so I have kept it.

 

Yes, you could have a heavy dirt bottom, if you initially dry the dirt and mix a ton of dried grass clippings. I'm still experimenting, but a full tank may need a lot of air to keep the soil from souring. The grass clippings burrow into the dirt, and it makes the water more alive.

Okeee dokeeee...

 

Okeee dokeeee...

The grass clippings seem to be adding a lot of life to the water, and I'm not weighing it down with anything, trying to just get the grass to burrow in like a pond naturally does. You may have to add long strands of something to burrow in like a real pond does, from the bubbles, raised a few inches above the dirt.