Nightime Airstone. Whats everyones opinions?

[Trickerie]

So, now that I have a cerges reactor set up, Ive noticed my co2 levels stay pretty high all throughout the night. Whats everyones thoughts on running an airstone or something similar to gas it off? Or would the more stable PH be more beneficial.

[pandamonium]

i voted no but i also am running a non-CO2 injected low tech tank. my thought is that the plants can use all the Co2 they can get so i leave it off during the night so that CO2 can build up again. i dont use the airstone until about 2pm in the afternoon or so to break up surface film. since its naturally produced, i dont think the pH swing in my tank will be as wide. should still fluctuate though. my fish havent shown any signs of stress and no gasping at the surface. my plants look a little better ever since i shut off the air at night, but that could be just be my eye observing wrong haha

[fusiongt]

I'm for the clean ADA look so a vote for no for me. I just have low tech tanks though - when I did have a high tech direct co2 tank, I made sure to have plenty of surface movement with my spray bar aiming a bit upwards. I think a nighttime airstone is fine though.

[Aquaticfan]

I just use the output of a powerhead to create a surface ripple 24/7. It will do more then any air stone is going to ever do for gas exchange.

[HD Blazingwolf]

Originally Posted by Aquaticfan

I just use the output of a powerhead to create a surface ripple 24/7. It will do more then any air stone is going to ever do for gas exchange.

Actually airstones creat a vast amount of surface area. Especially if its a fine pore stone. The smaller the bubble, the better.

Airstones are great for low tech or high tech tanks and unless u have dirt as a subsrate actually the surface agitation they add keeps c02 levels consistent. A dirt tank is the only tank that will lose gathered c02 by an airstone

[CrazyCatPeekin]

Originally Posted by HD Blazingwolf

A dirt tank is the only tank that will lose gathered c02 by an airstone

OK...so now I have to know...why would only a dirt tank lose cO2 via an airstone?

[josolanes]

I run one on my high tech 20H with co2 injection. I figured extra surface agitation (splashing actually by the bubbles) would work well for off-gassing the co2 at night when the plants aren't using it

[Secretninja]

Air stones oxygenate tanks by moving new water to the surface, not by the bubbles for the most part. Powerheads move a lot more water and therefore make more oxygen.

[Rainer]

Originally Posted by HD Blazingwolf

Airstones are great for low tech or high tech tanks and unless u have dirt as a subsrate actually the surface agitation they add keeps c02 levels consistent. A dirt tank is the only tank that will lose gathered c02 by an airstone

My DC would still be green fourteen hours after CO2 shutoff if I didn't run an airstone, so I don't understand what you're saying.

[150EH]

It's more oxygen for the fish and it may even keep the tank cleaner but it will damage anything above the water line from the bubbles popping, so glass covers are needed if you decide to use a stone at night.

[radioman]

Never used an air stone since I have a HOB and that seems to work fine.

[HD Blazingwolf]

Originally Posted by Rainer

My DC would still be green fourteen hours after CO2 shutoff if I didn't run an airstone, so I don't understand what you're saying.

In a non c02 injected tank, the best way to keep c02 levels consistent is through surface agitation. Fish and small amounts of decaying matter will not provide enough. So much the same way we get oxygen into the water through surface area, so too does c02 dissolve into water. So in a non injected tank adding an airstones will create surface agitation to keep c02 constant without plants being able to use it all. It's not a high amount. Depending on water temperature it's between .5 and 3 ppm





Dirt tanks have c02 because of the decaying matter encased within the dirt. It's one of the fundamentals to the walstad method.

[Rainer]

Ah, okay. It sounded as if your were including high tech tanks in your first post for those reasons.