Even if that theory is flawed I still won't use anything like that in my planted tanks. My duckweed disappears when I have water movement, and while it is fairly easy to come by, it isn't something I should have to buy more than once, it is a weed for goodness sake! My frogbit does okay with some slight movement, but it grows so much better without it.
Of course in my personal experience, everything seems to grow better without water movement except by fish, but maybe there is some other factor I am not considering? Like the increased movement helps the BB thrive thus breaking down nutrients (ammonia/nitrites) that the plants could use to grow?
well floaters may not do as well, but I have a fair few delicate species in my tanks which does better :) I have driftwood breaking the water surface, so my duckweed likes to stick to that...it was a pain trying to get rid of all the duckweed. but I succeeded! :D
personally I prefer to see movement in my tanks ^___^
you recomend the best place to put it is in corner beside heater?
I would play with it a bit, it doesn't really matter where it's put. My betta loves to play in the bubbles.
Also if you have 2 valves, if you loosen the one that isn't used for your airstone, you can control the bubbles so there is less pressure. If that makes sense. Haha.
Even if that theory is flawed I still won't use anything like that in my planted tanks. My duckweed disappears when I have water movement, and while it is fairly easy to come by, it isn't something I should have to buy more than once, it is a weed for goodness sake! My frogbit does okay with some slight movement, but it grows so much better without it.
Of course in my personal experience, everything seems to grow better without water movement except by fish, but maybe there is some other factor I am not considering? Like the increased movement helps the BB thrive thus breaking down nutrients (ammonia/nitrites) that the plants could use to grow?
my floating wisteria and hygrophilia do worse when there is a strong current. I get dead leaves and the new shoot took longer to come out.
I had a very small 1.5 gal several years ago that I ran with no filter. In order to have any water movement at all, I needed to run air into it. I didn't like the air coming out of an airstone, so I cut the tip of a bamboo chopstick off and stuck that in the end of the airline (point out). Bubbles became a very fine mist, which was perfect!
It is strongly recommend that planted tanks have as little surface agitation as possible. This removes CO2 from the water, which will then stunt the growth of the plants (as they "breathe" in CO2). Thus, a strong filter, air pump, or anything that is generally considered beneficial for the oxygenation of the water is not recommended nor required for a planted aquarium. Of course some people do use them in unison, just keep this in mind.
Also, some plants, particularly surface plants such as duckweed or frogbit will not grow at all and may even die because of the aforementioned pumps/filters. They grow best, as do betta fish imo, in still waters.
Hopefully I don't hijack thread, but I too have been wondering about an airstone in my 10g NPT. The main reason is that I don't have a betta, but rather plan to have fish that prefer well oxygenated water. Do plants produce enough oxygen for fish other than air breathing bettas?
And how confident are we about the falseness of the theory of water movement/loss of CO2? I don't have a filter, so Id really like to have a little water movement with an airstone, but am afraid of plant health...
Hopefully I don't hijack thread, but I too have been wondering about an airstone in my 10g NPT. The main reason is that I don't have a betta, but rather plan to have fish that prefer well oxygenated water. Do plants produce enough oxygen for fish other than air breathing bettas?
And how confident are we about the falseness of the theory of water movement/loss of CO2? I don't have a filter, so Id really like to have a little water movement with an airstone, but am afraid of plant health...
It is basically on topic, so don't worry about asking questions/hijacking!
I found this from our parent site, tropicalfishkeeping.com, posted by a member named Bryon. Again, most other hobbyists seem to support the air stone, or any water movement really, driving off CO2 from the water.
Quote:
Provided the fish load is not beyond what the aquarium can naturally handle, you will not have an oxygen deficiency with or without plants. Oxygen shortage only occurs when the fish load is too great and/or something goes wrong biologically. Fish, plants and bacteria consume oxygen and give off CO2 continually, day and night. Live plants produce more oxygen than they use during daylight (photosynthesis), and again provided the fish load is not beyond the tank's natural capacity the oxygen produced will usually be more than what is used/needed. There are no "rules" for this, as many factors affect a tank's capacity. General guidelines are to keep the fish load balanced for the volume, have "compatible" fish (which includes water parameters, environment, behaviours), ensure regular maintenance (water changes weekly, filter rinsing as needed), healthy plants, not overfeeding, and correct temperature for the fish species (the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold naturally and at the same time the more oxygen the fish will need).
Though it would be interesting if someone had the time and resources to set up two identical tanks, just very basic, no fish maybe even, and put the same number of the same amount of plants in those tanks (say 5 different species). They both get the same light (sunlight preferred). One with an air pump/water agitation, one with nothing. They both get ferts once or twice a week. Then see which one grows the best.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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