# added a bubble strip hurt anything?



## bradjenny

hey i added a bubble strip in my tank will thishurt anything the reason is i kept getting like a film or like sand floating up top of the water. i have a fluval 405 which keeps the water pretty clear. i just wanted to add the bubbles for more water circulation. i was told at the pet store wouldnt hurt anything. i like the look of it now. not the plain look at the rocks and the 4 fish. i have a dragon goby that will not leave the sand alone he keeps digging caves under the rocks. cool fish but man does he have stuff tore up.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

Gobies for the most part are substrate dwellers, the DG is just being a DG. Bubble bars are fine, I added one to my tanks finally cause I went out of town for 4 days, I come back and all my plants are growing like mad and had to do trimming last night and this morning.

The film at top is due to no surface aggitation, the bubble bar will help that as well as adjusting or relocating your 405's outlet to the surface, spray bars are great for this.


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## trouble93

bradjenny said:


> hey i added a bubble strip in my tank will thishurt anything the reason is i kept getting like a film or like sand floating up top of the water. i have a fluval 405 which keeps the water pretty clear. i just wanted to add the bubbles for more water circulation. i was told at the pet store wouldnt hurt anything. i like the look of it now. not the plain look at the rocks and the 4 fish. i have a dragon goby that will not leave the sand alone he keeps digging caves under the rocks. cool fish but man does he have stuff tore up.


One thing about a bubble strip in a salt water tank is the salt creep is horrible.We all in this hobby has thought about one at some time or another. You have to think about to micro bubbles in the water all the time and that's not good for your fish. As for the film on top of the water that comes from poor gas exchange just add a power head and have it skim across and move the top of the water. Most pet stores will tell you something like that is OK because they just don't know any better. A bubble strip in a salt water tank will hurt more in the long run then it helps. IMO they look nice but not worth the risk and clean up.


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## bradjenny

so i need a power head then. or a differnet head for the fluval the head now is down in the water so it doesnt really hit the surface much. my goby hated it and tore the bubble strip out already.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

Risk isnt that bad, after all its not pure oxygen going into the tank its a mix of air and Co2. Since this is a salt tank and I will admit I dont know all the aspects but the clean up wouldnt be worth it, PH's are cheap and the surface aggitation they make really has no competition.


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## trouble93

WhiteDevil said:


> Risk isnt that bad, after all its not pure oxygen going into the tank its a mix of air and Co2. Since this is a salt tank and I will admit I dont know all the aspects but the clean up wouldnt be worth it, PH's are cheap and the surface aggitation they make really has no competition.


To many micro bubbles in a salt water tank can give the fish pop eye among other things.


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## trouble93

bradjenny said:


> so i need a power head then. or a differnet head for the fluval the head now is down in the water so it doesnt really hit the surface much. my goby hated it and tore the bubble strip out already.


Yes go with the power head it's the safest way to do what you need.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

Pop eye isnt a disease its a symptom of something bacterial in the fishes body. It cant give them something that doesnt exist.


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## bradjenny

i just moved the head of the fluval up so the water will have movement til i get a power head. guy at store said the big bubbles wouldnt hurt anything it is the small bubbles that would hurt the fish. so what power head do i need for a 72 gallon bow front corner tank. thanks


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## trouble93

bradjenny said:


> i just moved the head of the fluval up so the water will have movement til i get a power head. guy at store said the big bubbles wouldnt hurt anything it is the small bubbles that would hurt the fish. so what power head do i need for a 72 gallon bow front corner tank. thanks


There are several reasons why bubble wands/bars/stones are not good for saltwater tanks. The first one is that they do not distribute oxygen throughout the tank. Saltwater is very dense. The bubbles will only flow straight up. The surrounding water will still be oxygen poor which will create PH fluxuations within the tank. The areas that are oxygen poor will have a lowerer PH than the small area where the bubles are flowing. The next reason is that they can cause pop eye. The bubbles break on the surface of the eye as the fish swim through resulting in bulging eyes and eye infections. Another reason is salt creep. The bubbles break at the surface causing the saltwater to splash up and make a mess. Basically the only possitive thing that you get from using bubble bars is the pretty look. There are more negative things that come from it, which makes using them not worth it at all. As fas as the power heads go you can do a moded Maxi-Jet 1200 or a koralia#4 both will be about the same price. If you don't have any in there at all I would do atleast 2 for more overall flow. That will help you more in the long run. I understand what you mean about wanting to do something different. There are so many ways we can be creative in this hobby. So don't worry no matter what yours will be one of a kind because it's yours.


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## trouble93

WhiteDevil said:


> Pop eye isnt a disease its a symptom of something bacterial in the fishes body. It cant give them something that doesnt exist.


It can come from air bubbles poping around eyes. I don't understand this one upsmenship...You do send time trying to prove me wrong. I'm not giving any bad information.


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## BigandUgly

trouble93 said:


> There are several reasons why bubble wands/bars/stones are not good for saltwater tanks.
> 
> The first one is that they do not distribute oxygen throughout the tank. Saltwater is very dense. The bubbles will only flow straight up. The surrounding water will still be oxygen poor which will create PH fluxuations within the tank. The areas that are oxygen poor will have a lowerer PH than the small area where the bubles are flowing.


With the water being circulated throughout the tank you will not see differences in PH from one point to another because of bubbles.



trouble93 said:


> The next reason is that they can cause pop eye. The bubbles break on the surface of the eye as the fish swim through resulting in bulging eyes and eye infections.


I would really like to see some proof of this. Sounds like an old wives tale.



trouble93 said:


> Another reason is salt creep. The bubbles break at the surface causing the saltwater to splash up and make a mess.


I agree with this part.


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## trouble93

Popeye, also known as exophthalmos or exophthalmia, is more a condition than it is a disease. In saltwater fish it may affect one or both eyes, appearing as if the eye has air or fluid trapped inside, around or behind it, causing the eye to enlarge and bulge out of its socket, as if under pressure. Duration of this condition can be anywhere from several days to several weeks By Stan & Debbie Hauter, About.com Guides to Saltwater Aquariums since 1997
With film standing on top there is not much water being circulated. With only a canister in a 72gal. bow front at that with poor circulation you will have PH swings


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## BigandUgly

I know what pop eye is, I just don't believe it can be caused by bubbles being added to the tank. It is typically from bacterial infections. Pop eye is not a disease, it is a symptom of another condition. I doubt there is any scientific proof that a bubble wand will lead to pop eye. If there is, I would be very interested in reading it.

I'd really like to see samples from different parts of that tank having different pH readings and have evidence that any variations were attributed to a bubble wand. If anything the wand would cause more surface agitation resulting in improved gas exchange and fewer fluctuations in chemistry (except those attributed to increased salt spray/creep).


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