bubbles?

[paulz01]

I have 2 3" inch bubble stones in my 168 gallon tank, and sometimes i turn it off and it really really looks peaceful. I really like it

If i turn off my air pumps how would my fishes get oxygen? And what is this "agitation" thing i hear about that will give oxygen. Any other way i can get oxygen in my tank?

 

[CHOMPERS]

Welcome to the Internet, the place where anyone can regurgitate crap and and still be an expert.

Any time you see the word 'agitate' in relation to gas exchange, just poke yourself in the eye and go on to the next post.

Your fish get oxygen because it is a dissolved gas. The term dissolved gas simply means that gasses can dissolve or diffuse into water. This occurs at any place that the water meets the gas. In other words at the surface of the water and on the surfaces of the bubbles. By adding the bubbles, you are essentially increasing the total surface area, and thus increasing the potential for gas exchange.

 

[xFLEAxx]

exactly, i hate people who think you have
to move around the water to oxygenate it
also your filters cause bubbles when the water
is spit back into the tank and that also puts
in oxygen

 

[CHOMPERS]

By adding the bubbles, you are essentially increasing the total surface area, and thus increasing the potential for gas exchange.

The bubbles also cause a current in the aquarium. The rising bubbles carry water from lower in the tank to the surface. The water that was at the surface is then displaced and then travels lower into the aquarium. This current also facilitates in the gas exchange process in that it carries a lower concentration of dissolved oxygen from within the tank and displaces the higher concentration of dissolved oxygen at the surface. Essentially the oxygen is carried throughout the tank.

Without bubbles or current, gas exchange still occurs throughout the tank due to a process called diffusion. This occurs on the molecular level where the water and gas molecules are naturally mixing within each other due to molecular vibrations. This is a much slower process than mechanical stirring (currents) within the tank.

There is a natural limit of how much oxygen that can dissolve into the water. This is refered to as the saturation limit or just simply saturation. The conditions causing this limit are temperature and atmospheric pressure. As the temperature is increased, the saturation limit is decreased and vice versa. As the atmospheric pressure is increased, the saturation limit is increased.

 

[VLDesign]

Welcome to the Internet, the place where anyone can regurgitate crap and and still be an expert.

Any time you see the word 'agitate' in relation to gas exchange, just poke yourself in the eye and go on to the next post.

So true.

 

[CHOMPERS]

exactly, i hate people who think you have
to move around the water to oxygenate it...

Actually circulation does help as long as the oxygenated water from the surface is carried into the rest of the aquarium. But it is true that oxygen will diffuse into water without our help.

Agitation is a loose term which is not helpful in describing gas exchange. It means anywhere from "to move with an irregular, rapid, or violent action" to "excite physically". In its strictest definition, it implies wave action and this does not help the gas exchange process.

 

[CHOMPERS]

...Any other way i can get oxygen in my tank?

In an emergency situation, when your fish are at the surface gasping for air, Hydrogen Peroxide can be added to intantly add oxygen to the water.

The effectiveness of adding bubbles can be increased by decreasing the size of the bubbles and increasing their numbers. You can add oxygen faster by using an airstone than by just bubbling straight from the airline.

 

[navygirl76]

what type of filtration do you use (sump or canisters). wet/dry sumps also oxygenate the water really well. i dont use air bubble lines in my 180.

 

[paulz01]

i use 2 rena xp3 for my filters and i also have 2 fans for circulation of the water.

and my tank is pretty much closed on top to prevent my cichlids from jumping out. So i guess i would really need the air stones. Is there anyway i can get enough oxygen for my fishes without the air stones, i have a lot of fishes..

 

[rpcodd]

If you can get a hold of a we/dry filter that would elimate the need for air pumps and stones. I have a 190G with a wet/dry and 2 fluval 404 filters and that's it...