Air Pump in a reef tank.

[JamieTotten1996]

good or bad?

is there anything to be mindful of?

any species that could be effected?

so on and so forth.

 

[lapin]

Air stone in tank is fine. Pump may short out if placed in the tank water.

 

[landlubber]

unnecessary.
fish appreciate strong flow and most corals require it. the surface agitation created by this flow results in gas exchange far beyond what an air pump can provide.

 

[dwair]

Begs the question of why do you want an air stone in your tank?

 

[blaxsun]

unnecessary.
fish appreciate strong flow and most corals require it. the surface agitation created by this flow results in gas exchange far beyond what an air pump can provide.

This. I’d also add that these kick up a tremendous amount of salt spray that makes just an absolute mess.

 

[JamieTotten1996]

Begs the question of why do you want an air stone in your tank?

I just think when placed inside some live rock it looks pretty cool

 

[Uncle99]

Good thing but I run this process in the first chamber of the sump so bubbles don’t get into the DT. Blows off some C02.

For looks, sure, it’s your scape.

May get messy.

 

[Pny]

An airpump in the display tank would result in massive salt spray... I have no ideá why you would like to do that, but I'd say it isn't worth it.

 

[landlubber]

I just think when placed inside some live rock it looks pretty cool

that it does, however, micro bubbles are something that reefers typically avoid introducing to their systems. they cause salt spray and generally float around in saltwater for a lot longer. this is why hobbyists that have sumps generally also have a bubble trap before their return.

 

[Malcontent]

unnecessary.
fish appreciate strong flow and most corals require it. the surface agitation created by this flow results in gas exchange far beyond what an air pump can provide.

Have you tested this? I have and an air stone absolutely blows away pumps and powerheads in oxygenation performance.

That being said, I don't like air stones because of the mess. Not because they're ineffective.

And check this out:

Not my video...

 

[JamieTotten1996]

Good thing but I run this process in the first chamber of the sump so bubbles don’t get into the DT. Blows off some C02.

For looks, sure, it’s your scape.

May get messy.

I’ve just put one in my sump chamber 2 after the skimmer

 

[Waynerock]

I bubble scrub with a wood air stone once a month. No side effects

 

[landlubber]

Have you tested this? I have and an air stone absolutely blows away pumps and powerheads in oxygenation performance.

That being said, I don't like air stones because of the mess. Not because they're ineffective.

And check this out:

Not my video...

no i haven't tested because as i mentioned already, there is no reason to do so. my system has plenty of surface agitation which is the preferred method.
airstones are old school along with box and undergravel filters and in the past 40 years have become obsolete. they still work but the industry has forgotten them.
there are hundreds of ways to manage an aquarium. some people find their amusement in proving others wrong by using alternative methods which is fine and dandy. I guess i'm in the camp that embraces new tech and haven't looked back since.

 

[Malcontent]

no i haven't tested because as i mentioned already, there is no reason to do so. my system has plenty of surface agitation which is the preferred method.

How do you know without testing? People assume a lot of things about aeration only to be proven wrong by science.

airstones are old school along with box and undergravel filters and in the past 40 years have become obsolete. they still work but the industry has forgotten them.
there are hundreds of ways to manage an aquarium. some people find their amusement in proving others wrong by using alternative methods which is fine and dandy. I guess i'm in the camp that embraces new tech and haven't looked back since.

Surface aeration was abandoned by the wastewater treatment industry (where aeration is the majority of their operating costs) in the '70s in favor of bubble aeration which is several times more efficient.

 

[landlubber]

How do you know without testing? People assume a lot of things about aeration only to be proven wrong by science.



Surface aeration was abandoned by the wastewater treatment industry (where aeration is the majority of their operating costs) in the '70s in favor of bubble aeration which is several times more efficient.

one way i know is the lack of hobbyists experiencing issues from lack of available oxygen. we don't address problems that aren't pressing.
for context, as a trained paramedic i am aware that atmospherically we require less than 20% oxygen to normally function. If a healthy person was inclined they could easily wear a nasal canula all day and night to boost their O2 but to what benefit?
In a reef tank running an airstone may well increase atmospheric O2 but running that airstone in the sump essentially is going to form bubbles in the form of skimmate which will get very messy along with the aforementioned salt spray and to what benefit?
as for the example, you're conflating saltwater and freshwater with your wastewater example. if you want to run a little test its actually very easy to see what'll happen.
assuming you have a skimmer take the cup off and place the lid from it over top of the skimmer neck. what this does is allows the bubbles to overflow without being collected. if you leave it overnight the mess in your sump may make you reconsider all of this.

 

[blaxsun]

Have you tested this? I have and an air stone absolutely blows away pumps and powerheads in oxygenation performance.

That being said, I don't like air stones because of the mess. Not because they're ineffective.

And check this out:

Not my video...

I find that really hard to believe, as most oxygenation is through diffusion - and the movement of water from a wavemaker is vastly greater than the microscopic surface area of all those tiny bubbles. There’s a reason that airstones aren’t prevalent in reef tanks - and it’s not just due to the mess.

 

[sergifed91]

Airstone in qt. Not dt. Although I do bubble scrub.

 

[blaxsun]

Surface aeration was abandoned by the wastewater treatment industry (where aeration is the majority of their operating costs) in the '70s in favor of bubble aeration which is several times more efficient.

I’m not sure how you can make an analogy between a small saltwater reef tank and a massive freshwater sewage treatment plant? Just because you can do a thing doesn’t necessarily make it a great idea. For the vast majority of us, if given a choice between no mess vs. daily cleaning and scrubbing, any perceived (negligible) benefit is far outweighed by the (very real) practical consideration of additional maintenance.

 

[Vyper]

I have often wondered about doing this. One huge benefit is if power goes out if you are using one of the battery powered pumps you wouldn’t have to worry as much. In the event of a bacterial bloom it would be hugely beneficial as well. I have wondered what the o2 content is in my tank but the probe to show it is rather costly.

 

[uninformed]

Surface aeration was abandoned by the wastewater treatment industry (where aeration is the majority of their operating costs) in the '70s in favor of bubble aeration which is several times more efficient.

True, but industrial wastewater aeration basins sustain vastly greater quantities of bacteria—orders of magnitude more—and have rings of air nozzles at the bottom pushing proportionally much greater CFM of air than our measly air pumps.

That being said, I run air stones in my freshwater tanks, but in a reef tank, I don’t think it adds much. If you run a skimmer, you’re already getting the benefit.