# air stones



## 37tall (Jun 22, 2011)

is an air stone important for my fish's survival? or can i do without?


----------



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

It all depends on your filter and fish.

Does your filter agitate the surface of the water enough to provide sufficient oxygenation in the tank?

Do you have fish with higher oxygen needs?

An air stone will not hurt any thing, so you can get one if you want. If you don't need it though, then why spend the money? (Unless you like the bubbles, then by all means go ahead.)


----------



## 37tall (Jun 22, 2011)

well i have a topfin40 filter, i know its not the best obviously because it came with the setup from petsmart. should i upgrade the filter to one used in a 60 gal tank? my filter has a hi and low setting and i usually set it on lo at night so i can sleep because its in my room. but during the day the water is agitated at the surface and a few air bubbles go through the water so maybe thats alright. i have an oscar, pearl gourami, 2 plecos, and a bichir. for the most part theyre smaller sized. i just want to make sure my plants grow healthy and my fish have clean water to breathe.


----------



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

It's always good to go with a filter that's for a larger tank than you have. (Ex: My 20g has a filter that's for a 20-30g tank.) If your tank is a 37 (assuming that's why your name is 37 tall), then you should have one that is for a 40g tank at least.) My 36g has a filter that is for tanks up to 40g - came with tank - and it should be ok, especially since I have a smaller second filter (for up to a 20g) with Nitrazorb in it, so there will be more aeration and a little more filtration.


----------



## 37tall (Jun 22, 2011)

so 60 would be over doing it? my filter is rated for a 40 gallon tank. i just want to keep the o2 levels the same as much as possible because as ive read in another post (Are airstones necessary?) the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels change durastically at night. my fish dont seem to be afffected but my gourami seems to gasp for air at the top quite a bit more than my other fish. i am very new to fish tanks and i dont really know exactly what to do i just jumped in without any knowledge so im trying to learn as much as i can. i want a successful tank as much as the next guy.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

No, a 60g filter would not be overdoing it. Good rule of thumb is at least double the filter capacity for the tank size. So if you have a 50g tank, a filter that is rated for 100g. The rule can change a little based on the occupants you plan to have. For instance, your Oscar. Although small now, they are well known for being big waste producers. If it were me, I would just look into getting a second filter of the one you already have.

Air stones are largely personal pref. Always good to have if you need one, but not necessarily needed. Your filter will provide more oxygen than your airstone will. If you like the look and want the added benefit, go with it.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agree with everything above.I do want to add however,the gourami is an anabantid,and has a labrynth organ.This means they breathe surface air like bettas do.He isnt gasping,he is just breathing normally.You must have a way for him to reach surface air,or he will drown,as weird as that sounds.


----------



## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> No, a 60g filter would not be overdoing it. Good rule of thumb is at least double the filter capacity for the tank size. So if you have a 50g tank, a filter that is rated for 100g. The rule can change a little based on the occupants you plan to have. For instance, your Oscar. Although small now, they are well known for being big waste producers. If it were me, I would just look into getting a second filter of the one you already have.
> 
> Air stones are largely personal pref. Always good to have if you need one, but not necessarily needed. Your filter will provide more oxygen than your airstone will. If you like the look and want the added benefit, go with it.


Ben the rule of thumb is 4x water turnover per hour.
for a 37g tank you NEED 148gph of turnover. Id put an aquaclear 70 on that tank if it were mine.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

WhiteGloveAquatics said:


> Ben the rule of thumb is 4x water turnover per hour.
> for a 37g tank you NEED 148gph of turnover. Id put an aquaclear 70 on that tank if it were mine.


Yes, but double the rating works also. The same end result, as you have recommended with the AC70 - 70g tank filter - near double the rating of the tank size. 6 of one, half dozen the other.


----------



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

My 36g tank has a filter rated for a 40g tank, and it has a 200 gph turn over rate, so it should be fine. Especially since we have a second filter, (much smaller - only for a 20g - that is just to run some Nitrazorb) so it gets a little extra.


----------



## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

I am known for overfiltering to an overkill level, but i'll tell you my water is never cloudy. If you don't have heavy filtration you may want to do more water changes. Only concern you should have with overfiltering is making it difficult for the fish to swim in the current, for example if there getting blown sideways elminate some filtration. I like UGF's since you can add how many ever powerheads you want and control water flow quite well. Most people hate them or love them i've talked to. Normally i'd say get a 2nd of the same HOB filter in your case, but i have had top fin filters and i hate them. I bought a 37 gallon kit tank also at petsmart, and must say they're noisy for little filters and i already had it go bad on me in less than a year. I think the aquaclear's are the cadilac's of hob filters, but aqueon filters are good too. If money isn't an issue i'd say get a canister filter and keep your HOB on your tank.


----------



## Rohkey (Apr 25, 2011)

fishman81 said:


> Only concern you should have with overfiltering is making it difficult for the fish to swim in the current, for example if there getting blown sideways elminate some filtration.


Haha, I love that part. When I first bought my fish I thought they were playing some sort of game as they were swimming across my tank at weird angles, one by one (was this a mating dance? I wondered). I soon realized the filter was overpowering them. I never did change things, though, because they seem to actually have fun with it (why else would they be taking turns swimming across the current?), though I do notice they generally tend to stay on the other side of the tank, but that could also be because that's where the plants are. I'm considering adding two Aquaclear 20s in the tank and putting my current AQ50 to half output and seeing if that calms things down a bit. Another option would be to get an AQ30 and drop the AQ50 a bit, but quite by half (as according to the rule, I would be a little underfiltered - I'm not now because my tank isn't fully stocked).


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

37tall said:


> is an air stone important for my fish's survival? or can i do without?


you can do without.

What the stone actually does is circulate the water. If the tank is mature and especially with thriving plants, the fish will thrive without an air stone or any other means of circulation.


my .02


----------



## 37tall (Jun 22, 2011)

when i put feeder fish in my tank, if my oscar is too full he'll just kill the fish and they all get stuck to the filter. its kinda gross. but it was my fault for putting 5 fish in there when hes only 5.5"


----------



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Rohkey said:


> I never did change things, though, because they seem to actually have fun with it (why else would they be taking turns swimming across the current?),


I think my fish like it too. The go back and forth in the current and get pushed around. It's funny to watch. The shrimp do it too, and since they are so small, they get shot across the tank. (I actually think it's making the fish stronger as they don't seem to get blown around as much any more.)




Rohkey said:


> though I do notice they generally tend to stay on the other side of the tank, but that could also be because that's where the plants are.


You could try spreading the plants out, or getting a few more so the sides and back are planted, with the center open for swimming. Most fish seem to enjoy that kind of set up. (Just a suggestion.)


----------

