Aeration Amount Question?

[thecoolguy]

ok,

so measuring the oxygen level in the water is something i don't know how to do......

currently: running a ohf (which i hear is great for gas exchange) and have my cannister spray bar outlet pointed up to agitate water surface....

my question is: do i need to use the venturi's on my internal powerhead filters?

when i don't use them, it isn't like the fish are at the surface gasping, but how do i know exactly how they are doing oxygen wise?

just because fish aren't gasping, doesn't mean they are good to go right?

all insights welcome.....

 

[Lupin]

Fish that gasp on the surface heavily gives a lot of signals. Depletion of oxygen, gill flukes, gill burn from ammonia, etc.

 

[DeLgAdO]

buy a test kit for oxygen

 

[mercury904]

I also have come to think about this,but the heck! I just bought an airpump to be sure

 

[Nic]

it can't hurt......

 

[Wolf3101]

A lot depends on the shape of the tank. (serface area in relation to volume)
A 40gal breeder for instance needs far less aeration than a 75 tall. I prefer using a nozzle outlet on my cannisters rather than a spray bar for better water flow.

 

[Dr Joe]

I promote aeration... in the tank or sump.

Easiest way to find out is observe the fish for a week, note how fast the move from end to end, if they dart around how fast they feed and how much they feed (write this stuff down), then invest $20 max in an air pump / air stones (2) (or air wand a few more bucks) and some tubing...set it up for a week (giving them time to acclimate yto the new amount of DO and lack of other gases)...Then observe the fish again for a week noting the above behaviors again (on a blank sheet of paper so the data isn't biased) and then compare the two, you will probably see some increase in activity after the aeration, maybe it will be hard to tell at first. If you can honestly say you see no difference leave it in anyway ...You can then decide if you like the bubble in the tank or not.

Some of my fish love to play in the bubbles ...riding them from bottom to top and swimming back down to do it again (and this was a heavily aerated sump attached to the tank so I know they were playing)

Perhaps you can even borrow the equipment from a friend (clean the tubing if you do, and smell/taste the air coming out of the pump to make sure the pump isn't burnt or deteriorating).

Let us know your findings, It may help someone else decide too.

Dr Joe

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