Fx5 Question

[Columbian Shark Catfish]

I have an fx5 on my 75 gallon with the columbian sharks and I turned off my AC110 and I was wondering:

How does the water get oxygenated?

The water is so still without the AC.

Does the fx5 somehow oxygenate the water in the filter?

 

[Jordan]

I wondered this the other day with my C-360. Will check back for answer.

 

[aclockworkorange]

I have an fx5 on my 75 gallon with the columbian sharks and I turned off my AC110 and I was wondering:

How does the water get oxygenated?

The water is so still without the AC.

Does the fx5 somehow oxygenate the water in the filter?

Why not leave the AC110 on?

As far as oxygen content in the water, most of this happens between the surface area of the water and the atmosphere naturally. As long as the water is moving in your tank, not just sitting still, this will occur naturally and in all likelihood not need any additional supplementation.

You can add a cheap air pump in your aquarium that will absorb some oxygen from the bubbles it produces, but this is usually very little. However, it won't hurt.

The AC110 is good to keep because it can add additional mechanical filtration (try adding another sponge and some filter floss!) or if you choose to use chemical filtration for whatever reason, it is very easy to access and add or remove, unlike the big FX5 that must be moved and taken apart in order to access the media baskets.

 

[pk705]

You can add a cheap air pump in your aquarium that will absorb some oxygen from the bubbles it produces, but this is usually very little. However, it won't hurt.

The diffusion of gasses from the air bubbles into the water is negligible, what an air pump does create however is surface movement. CO2 diffuses out of the water and O2 diffuses into the water on the surface. If the surface moves it's effective surface area becomes larger, thus increasing the diffusion rate (diffusion is dependent on the effective surface area, the bigger the area, the faster the diffusion). You could easily create more surface movement with the output of your fx5 by pointing it towards the surface .

 

[Columbian Shark Catfish]

Thanks guys.

 

[Malawi Monster]

There are some good articles on the net about oxtgenation and how much your fish consume the o2...not to mention the o2 needed by the BB. Gas exchange happens at the surface....breaking the surface tension is the best way to help this process. If you are not going to put your AC back on I would suggest that you aim one of your return nozzles off the fx5 close to the surface...try to break the surface tension with the water flow. If you have a spare powerhead you can use that too....just postion it near the surface and direct the flow to break the surface tension causing ripples....should be good to go!