# Aerator question



## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

So I know already by most people that having an aerator in a planted tank is not primarily used or accepted all of the time. Water column and surface disruption of co2 and all. 

I'm half tempted to take mine out as the ball is getting rolling now with the slate coming in tomorrow to drill it and sink my driftwood permanently and prepare for fish and plants here this week. 

Always had issues, and lazyness to buy a 4 way gang valve, with water pressure on the far end of the tank as far as bubbles entirely. Can't equal them out without a gang valve, even equal distance lines don't make a difference. 

Thoughts? Opinions? If I keep it I'm going to have to buy the valve and turn my aerator down in the first place as I don't want a huge stream of bubbles. Removal is easy, obviously.

125 gal, 15 fish for stocking, 6+ low light plants, 72" T5H0 light (only running 4 36" 39w bulbs), no Co2, Fluval FX5 filter, 300w heater, UV sterilizer.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

I really dont understand the question; your grammar needs some work. Anyways, I would say just take the air stone, air bar, or what ever it is you have out.


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

Usually doesn't but then again my hormones are all kinds of messed up seeming as though I'm WAY off my schedule for testosterone injections.

Basically to keep or not to keep aeration in the tank is the question of the day.


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## AvocadoPuffDude (Jan 20, 2011)

I like to have bubbles, although they probably don't actually do much aeration of the water. But in my tank, an upflow from the bubbles makes for a more complicated current for my fish, and I just like how they look. 
Needing them to be equal on both sides....? Because of.....why? Unequal bubble flow is fine I say, nature is so rarely symmetrical anyway!
But, it's your tank. Unequal bubbles on either side might ruin the effect you want, in which case, I'd remove the bubblers because you worry too much about them, and it's supposed to be relaxing. Uneven bubbles, if they screw with your serenity, are OUTTA THERE.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

how does the bubbles affect plants? cause i have large air stones on both sides of my tank to add upflow and a submergable pump at the bottom of tank near gravel to create a good constant current throughout the tank, plus as well i like the look of the bubbles, but this is the first time ive ever done a planted tank so i know nothing about it yet, but the bubbles dont seem to have any effect on the plants, cause in the 2 weeks i have had my plants in thier some of them have almost doubled in height and some have gotten alot of new starts already, not sure if this is a good thing cause i might have to do some trimming alot sooner then i wanted plus now im worried after seeing the speed of growth that the plants might over take my tank.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I've heard it both ways. That aeration 'outgases' your expensive added CO2 faster and makes it less effective, and that its not enough to make a difference and its good for fish. Try searching old threads on a plant forum like plantedtank.net.


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

See that's where I'm kinda OCD, I can accept imperfections. But if it's entirely my doing and up to me, it's gotta be perfect other wise it's not worth doing. But, with that being said it's uneven to the point where I like where the level is on the left side of the tank, but the right side barely has any at all. Maybe 1-2 per second. Using four 4" airstones on a 170g capable air pump (petsmarts Top Fin AIR-8000). Each line is equal in length at about 12.5 ft. Probably due to water pressure under tank dimensions for the right side and the left barely being under any. I'd rather have all the lines coming in at one place rather than two.

As far as CO2, from what I've been advised ( on the plantedtank none the less) was that aeration creates more surface agitation and less co2 for a non-injected tank through the water column. I'm going low tech, low light plants. Though with a 72" T5HO and up to 8 bulbs, I could go higher. I just don't want to bother with co2 honestly.

Can't really say I'm going low tech with that light, UV sterilizer, and a Fluval FX5 canister, but that's life and my choices are...different lmao.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

8 bulbs and no CO2? Sounds like you are asking for algae problems. Don't go more than medium light without adding carbon. Maybe a liquid supplement? Go with planted tank advice on plants over mine (I do low-light, no ferts only).

Suit yourself, bubbles are mostly for appearance. a tank that large can benefit from extra circulation, but you can do that with powerheads.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

ya I'm guess your right since you got probaly 4 or five feet more under the water running to your furthest stone cause I have two large airstones with same amout of hose but I have the hose's going into each end of the tank stuffed into the corners so thier not so visable and they both seem to be putting out the same amount of air even when I used a single out pump on a splitter, Upgraded now two a dual out and got rid of the spliter.

As for your plants I have low to med light plants and lots of them with only 1 watt per gallon and a bit of natural sunlight throught the windows and my plants seem to be flurishing in those conditions I was really scared that the med light plants wouldnt do good but they seem to be growing like weeds, of course the natural sunlight I'm sure is a huge help.


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

emc7 said:


> 8 bulbs and no CO2? Sounds like you are asking for algae problems. Don't go more than medium light without adding carbon. Maybe a liquid supplement? Go with planted tank advice on plants over mine (I do low-light, no ferts only).
> 
> Suit yourself, bubbles are mostly for appearance. a tank that large can benefit from extra circulation, but you can do that with powerheads.





chronoboy said:


> ya I'm guess your right since you got probaly 4 or five feet more under the water running to your furthest stone cause I have two large airstones with same amout of hose but I have the hose's going into each end of the tank stuffed into the corners so thier not so visable and they both seem to be putting out the same amount of air even when I used a single out pump on a splitter, Upgraded now two a dual out and got rid of the spliter.
> 
> As for your plants I have low to med light plants and lots of them with only 1 watt per gallon and a bit of natural sunlight throught the windows and my plants seem to be flurishing in those conditions I was really scared that the med light plants wouldnt do good but they seem to be growing like weeds, of course the natural sunlight I'm sure is a huge help.


Circulation is pretty much covered. Fluval FX5 with full media flows approx 600 gph. UV sterilizer flows at approx 100 gph.

I'll be going with .624 watts per gallon 10-12 hours a day and double that (1.248) for an hour a day with actinics. It has an 8 bulb capacity, I'm only going to run 2-4. Unless I see everything is doing ok and then I'm going to play with running (4) 6-8 hours a day. Won't run actinics that long, but I'll put another set of 10k bulbs back in to it. 

Also going to do some experimentation of my own on actinics and causing algae, as opinions are stern and black and white. 

With the plants I want, Anacharis, Java Fern, Narrow Leaf Java I shouldn't need to dose really. I'm going to do solid ferts in the gravel and then let the fish poo do the rest. Of course I'm still going to clean, but from where the plants are to the back of the tank will stay nice and fish poo'd to a minimum.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Take it out, takes co2 away


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