Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: Gaynor on June 01, 2013, 10:05:29 PM
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Hi all,
Hubby was wondering if air stones do a better, or the same job as an air pump. At the moment we have an air pump, but getting the pipe to stay hidden, and keeping it unblocked are driving him mad lol. Personally I think he's just scared of putting his hand in the tank to unblock the airholes because our Albino Convict gave me a nip last time I tried lol. In all fairness we had just stolen her second batch of eggs. :)
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I'm not really sure what you are asking here! You use an air pump to drive an airstone. It's possible, I suppose, to use an airpump without an airstone, but it would be very unusual. An airstone on the other hand, requires an airpump.
Neither is actually required. You get oxygen into the water by disturbing the surface layer; Your filter output is quite capable of disturbing it enough. Some people use the airpump as a bit of supplemental agitation. It's important to note that it isn't the air bubbles themselves that oxygenate the water, rather the agitation at the surface where they bubble up. You can, of course, use an airpump/stone for it's aesthetic effect if you deire.
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Hi Steve,
You can tell I'm new to all this can't you. :) The air stones I was thinking of are the ones you just pop into the tank and replace every so often, they might not be called air stones, they're just there to cause bubbles.
At the moment we have an air pump and the airline, but now you're making me wonder, should we have the air stones you mentioned with our pump and airline. Is the reason our airline keeps blocking because we should have the air stones over the tube?
I must admit I love the bubbles in the tank, the fish seem to like them too, the firemouth likes to hold his tail fins over them. :)
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I still don't know what you are referring to. Can you provide a link? Or a photo?
The only thing I know of that produces bubbles are airstones. They attach to the end of the tube from your airpump. They are generally made of wood and do need to be replaced after a while, the wood gets clogged up or decays. And yes, that is probably why your tube keeps getting blocked. They are only a few pence.
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At the moment we have an air pump, but getting the pipe to stay hidden, and keeping it unblocked are driving him mad
At the moment we have an air pump and the airline, but now you're making me wonder, should we have the air stones you mentioned with our pump and airline. Is the reason our airline keeps blocking because we should have the air stones over the tube?
What is blocking the airline? If a blockage keep ocurring, then what you are doing needs fixing because its causing more work than is necessary, as it's only blowing air out of the end, there shouldn't be anything to block it. I've never seen/heard of an airline alone being used in a tank. They are usually put in to drive airstones or air-driven decoration. The airline itself needs a weight to keep it submerged, an airstone will give you the weight, and it can't get blocked. A small cylinder type airstone is inexpensive, eg: 99p for two (click (http://fishkeeper.co.uk/site/product/aqua-air-accessory-airstone-cylinder-x-2-per-pack)). Suction cups will help you secure the line in the tank, usually down the inside if the glass. It really depends on where you want the end of the line to be.
The air stones I was thinking of are the ones you just pop into the tank and replace every so often, they might not be called air stones, they're just there to cause bubbles.
If you can find this product and link to it we can have a look, but I've never heard of anything like you describe.
Personally I don't use airstones as aesthetic additions, they are for me purely functional to keep the oily gunk from developing on my water surface. The bubbles help to keep it at bay for me.
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Hi again,
I feel like an idiot now, they're not called airstones, they're called bubble discs. http://www.petsathome.com/shop/bubble-disc-1-(7.5cm)-2-(10cm)-and-3-(12cm)-by-elite-31315
At least I learned that I need airstones for the airpump though, will pop out for some asap.
Sorry for being a pain, and a huge thanks for putting up with me. :-[
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These are airstones. Although the marketeers have rechristened them, they still need to be attached to an airpump to work. As an aside, an important one though, you should also fit a non-return valve to your airpump if the pump is located lower than the surface level of your tank. Otherwise there is a risk, if the airpump fails, of the water from your tank being siphoned out all over your carpet!
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Thanks SteveS,
I have informed the hubby, he's the technical half of our team, and he is now planning the trip to the pet shop to pick up the non-return valve and the airstones. The ones I linked to didn't have the best reviews so I think I'll go for one of the others that they stock.
Thanks so much for your help, my laminate floor thanks you too, sorry for the misunderstanding.
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Well we got the airstones and the non return valve a few days ago, we got three airstones, and hubby put them all in. One worked fine, the second was half hearted, the third didn't work at all. Hubby proceeded to complain about the lack of bubbles up until yesterday when he dragged me to the petshop, this is unheard of as he knows I always fancy something in there, where he bought a bigger airpump. He fitted the new pump as soon as we got back, also unheard of as he's a busy man, then grinned happily at the bubbles all evening. :)
Long story short, all the airstones are now bubbling so well I have to keep the lid on the tank or the tank table gets wet. The fish seem to like the bubbles as much as my hubby does, the convict has been spotted holding her mouth over the edge of them, the firemouth likes to hold his tail fins over them. :)