# Air pump question



## Ddrahos02 (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi, I was wondering about how I should place this bubble wall in my tank. I have two different and not sure what one I should use. The sizes are the one in the picture below and one about half that length. I do like the look of the bigger one since it covers the entire back wall but I don't want it to cause to much of a current and make it a pain for my fish. Can anyone suggest were or what size of tube I should have. I will post pics up of the tank as well.







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## Ddrahos02 (Nov 18, 2010)

Okay there is the tank. I should also mention I plan on getting 2 more female guppies and a dwarf gourami in there as well. So if there will be any problem with the gourami and current I need to know.







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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

My personal preference, I don't like to see all the bubbles floating up, so I actually stuck my aerator hose down inside my HOB filter so the bubbles flow out in it, and that works great. If you don't want to do that, or can't do that due to the type over powerhead you have, I'd use the smaller one. But again, I'm basing that on personal preference, not because it would be better in any way for the tank. Really, it wouldn't make a difference to the fish, or the plants for that matter, which one you use. The water is only going to be able to be saturated with so much oxygen, and with that small of a tank, the smaller air stone would be plenty.

I have Dwarf Gouramis in my tank, and I love the little guys. They have so much personality and are so curious about everything! They tend to stay out of the current of my HOB filter, and would much rather be in areas that have little current flow. But you should also know that the males (which is what most stores carry, since their colors are typically much more vibrant) are bubble nest builders, so they'll need something floating on the surface to feel more at home. I have some Anacharis in mine, and they love the stuff. It's easy to grow, and the DG's love to build their nests in it and just hang around in it. DG's are also labyrinth fish that can breath air from the surface, so the bubble stones wont make a difference for them 



How big is that tank exactly? I wouldn't be so quick to throw that many fish in it... If you DO want to put a DG in it, I'd be hesitant to put many other fish in there with it. Maybe some small shrimp as a cleanup crew, but you don't want to overstock a small tank like that with fish, or you'll be doing water changes every day! It's not so much the personality of the DG's that would be an issue; they're pretty docile, and about the only thing that will work them up is another male. I've got 4 in my tank, and they have their little spats every once in a while, but they've also got plenty of hiding places. But they don't bother the Chinese Algae Eater or the Ghost Shrimp I just added either.


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## Ddrahos02 (Nov 18, 2010)

The tank is about 8 gallons or so, I think the guy I bought it from when I moved into my dorm said it was like 8.5 or so, and as for the water changes I do small ones about every 3 to 4 days without missing a beat... Probably over do it but my guppy in there is doing fine and all my tests are right where they should be, so I'm not afraid to put a inch or 2 over the old rule of thumb of 1 inch per gallon. Also I planned on picking up Anacharis after I read that post on hornwort (was my first choice but if its messy its out xD) before I picked out the DG.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

yeah I'm technically overstocked for my 10 gallon, but the live plants handle the bioload really good 

I'd add the DG and watch your water perimeters for a week or two, and if they stay stable, then I'd consider adding the other 2 Guppies


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## Ddrahos02 (Nov 18, 2010)

Sounds like a plan lol, thanks for the tip!


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*A whisper 10 air pump doesn't cause a lot of turbulence and should be fine. I use a whisper 20 air pump on my 2.5g shrimp tank . And I use an AquaClear 50 powerhead and an AquaClear 70 powerhead both on maximum power on my 55g. Its 120 gallons per hour in my 55g =D. My belief is water circulation is a must.*


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Best advice I can give on a subject like this .... go with which one you like best. After all, you will be the one looking at it everyday. ;o)


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

If you put a valve in the air tube (the kind you use when you have more than one thing on the same air source) you can adjust how much air pressure is going to your wall of bubbles and therefore the speed and force of your bubbles. If you think they're too strong, you can turn them down as low as you want, to barely a trickle if you prefer. I love valves.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I like bubble walls at the back of the tank.

that is when I had air pumps which was a very long time ago.

Are those live plants? and what kind of substrate?

just curious.


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## Ddrahos02 (Nov 18, 2010)

So I went with getting the two female guppies first and then plan to go back to the LFS and pick up the DG since my one guppy looked a tad lonely. O and yes those are all live plants in there with just aquarium gravel...didn't know there was other substrate to get at the time for growing live plants but hey it works! Also ended up using the smaller on and putting it behind my filter, seems to be circulating the water better in a more gentler flow.


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