How to maximize tank oxygen

[BriansAquariumCare]

airstones are debatable on how much O2 they actually provide into the water column. Unless those bubbles that are hitting the surface are either huge or causing a really good surface break, airstones don't do a whole lot.
HOB filters are great for O2 saturation into your tank, another great option is if you are running a sump to either have the drain pipes or the returns above the water line, this will create excellent O2 levels as well. I personally keep my drain lines above the water line in the sump tank and my return below the water level to cut out noise.

I know in the hobby it is always repeated that bubbles don't aerate, but that is wrong. It isn't just at the water's surface that aeration takes place, it is at all water-air surfaces. The oxygen doesn't know if the surface is at a bubble or the tank's surface, it just knows how to diffuse from high to low concentration. There is a reason bubble aeration is used in sewage treatment, why protein skimmers are considered more than enough aeration on a saltwater system, why you use air stones and not water pumps with K2 type medias, and why professional aquarists at zoos and aquariums use air stones for aeration (it isn't just for looks). Those bubbles produce massive amounts of surface area that expose all that oxygen rich air to water, and constantly new water that isn't already saturated and in addition it definitely doesn't have any film on it to impede oxygen diffusion the way the surface of the tank can have.

People may doubt it and regurgitate the usual 'bubbles don't actually aerate', but repetition doesn't make it any more accurate.

 

[Pomatomus]

I know in the hobby it is always repeated that bubbles don't aerate, but that is wrong. It isn't just at the water's surface that aeration takes place, it is at all water-air surfaces. The oxygen doesn't know if the surface is at a bubble or the tank's surface, it just knows how to diffuse from high to low concentration.

Thank you for beating me to this. So true. Someone mentioned large bubbles before, which are technically worse for aeration than the same amount of air split into smaller bubbles. This is because with more small bubbles you get increased surface area, which allows for more gas exchange. I rarely hear the myth that the surface is the only source of aeration (it is if that is your only water-air interface though), but I did hear the president of an aquaponics nonprofit tell that to the group of us taking a tour of his facility. It was all that I could do to keep from shaking my head. All of us biologists made a lot of eye contact with each other after he said it!

 

[Ihsnshaik]

^^^ If I heard that I would've chuckled and laughed.

You don't even need any bubbles in your tank. It's better to have them but obviously you don't need to.

 

[Pomatomus]

Agreed. Most aquariums do not need an aerator due to a relatively low stocking density. I run an aerator on one of my 10 tanks because it has 2 canister filters (which don't agitate the surface much) and as they get clogged they move less water. At work we use moving bed biofilters and degassing sumps, which both have aeration. Because we farm our sturgeon at higher densities than aquarium fishes we need all of the air we can get, so we must also add pure oxygen to the systems.

 

[BriansAquariumCare]

A tank shouldn't need air stones under normal conditions, but if anything goes wrong they can definitely mean the difference between life and death pretty quickly. I have seen too many tanks saved by the air stones alone when filters stopped working for no good reason. And I have seen whole tanks of fish die when the same thing happened without one. For their cost their benefits are a great return on investment, and they help even if things don't go wrong.

 

[Vampire fish]

Lots of information. Its obvious that bubbles add aeration to a fish tank or else you would not have these features built into equipment like power heads/air pumps. When people debate they should post a scholarly peer reviewed article or else its all speculation to me. I try to come here for peoples opinions on products, ideas, and aquarium processes that are very new or unexplored to me, but I still like the influx of information.

 

[pops]

I run a combo of both HoB and canisters on all tanks, aeration not an issue, I still run bubbler wands in some takes because, well I like the bubbles. 'look sweetie he playen in the bubbles" or just adds some movement. my 2 cents

 

[pops]

I do have fish friends who are under the opinion , if you going to run airation then should be used with a sponge. these are air driven sponge filters.