[SpaceLord]

Please let me know if this is correct?

Its bad to turn off you air pump in a planted aquarium unless you have a C02 system.

The reason is because when C02 is present the plants will produce oxygen in overdrive and the water will allow for both C02 and Oxygen at the same time.

If you turn off your air pump without C02, the fish will produce C02 however not enough for the plants to produce the levels of Oxygen required to keep the fish alive and the system will die?

The air pump should be on at night for both system because plants stop using C02 at night and require oxygen.

Please let me know if this is correct?

Thanks.

 

[Goomie]

I do not have an air stone or CO2 but my fish do not seem bothered by it. Probably helps that my filter provides enough surface breakage to allow oxygen to seep in.

However someone more knowledgeable could probably break it down scientifically

 

[AbbeysDad]

It used to be held that air stones in a planted tank was bad because it would reduce CO2 in the water. Science has dispelled the belief - increased O2 in the water does not reduce CO2. Although a bubbling air stone does perform a gas exchange as bubbles break the surface, there is a state of equilibrium that is reached whereby the exchange no longer occurs - you can only get so much O2 in H2O. I'd say leave the air on 24/7.

Note that if you already have significant surface agitation from filtration, powerheads, skimmers or whatever, you may not need supplemental air....but it does not harm and does better ensure sufficient O2 for the fish.

 

[Doogy262]

Please let me know if this is correct?

Its bad to turn off you air pump in a planted aquarium unless you have a C02 system.

The reason is because when C02 is present the plants will produce oxygen in overdrive and the water will allow for both C02 and Oxygen at the same time.

If you turn off your air pump without C02, the fish will produce C02 however not enough for the plants to produce the levels of C02 required to keep the fish alive and the system will die?

The air pump should be on at night for both system because plants stop using C02 at night and require oxygen.

Please let me know if this is correct?

Thanks.

If this statement were true I would have killed more fish than you could count.40 years of both fish only and planted and I have never used a pump and air stone.The thing to remember is that after lights out and again when they are turned on is way to short of a time period to cause a problem unless you have some other problem in your tank.

 

[SwissCheeseHead]

An air pump is not needed unless you do not have a little bit (just a ripple) of surface agitation to facilitate gas exchange. An HOB will obviously do this. If you have a spray bar, angling it slightly upwards towards the surface will create this same effect for you. (My set up is to spray bars across the back of the tank from 2 filters). I don't like the sound of an air pump, so I don't use one.

 

[Hoppy]

Air pumps may be good in a fish only tank, with no plants. But, I don't think many people use them in planted tanks. I have never done so. The benefit of an air pump is the surface water movement the stream of air bubbles causes, not the air bubbles themselves. Most filters of any kind give you that surface movement, so the air pump is of much less value.

 

[SpaceLord]

If this statement were true I would have killed more fish than you could count.40 years of both fish only and planted and I have never used a pump and air stone.The thing to remember is that after lights out and again when they are turned on is way to short of a time period to cause a problem unless you have some other problem in your tank.

So you stop the C02 when the lights go out since you don't have an airstone?

Thanks.

 

[Doogy262]

So you stop the C02 when the lights go out but just don't have an airstone?

Thanks.

Hi SpaceLord,yes,co2 comes on 1 hour before lights on and turns off 1 hour before lights off.I have a filter with a spray bar on three tanks and have never had a problem but even a hob filter has plenty of water movement to allow for 02 exchange.