JohnnySocko
Active Member
Newb here, but...
I recall long ago visiting a aquarist with hundreds of fish tanks and not one had a airstone...and he said airstone cause unnecessary back-pressure vs. the added benefit of breaking air into smaller bubbles for more efficient gas exchange...basically the marginal benefit didn't justify the added power consumption...
...this was 20-30yrs ago, and anymore, most serious fish-rooms have dispensed with them; pump diaphragms & power is just too costly ...and yes the fish & plant root analogy is justified since we are needing dissolved O2 here
....and granted, I've not seen any "scientific" comparison done with O2 levels in water: with/without airstones, but after loosing a plant to a clogged stone (and the accompanied ruined airpump diaphragm), I just tossed mine and see zero difference in the plant
(yes I get the reasoning that many smaller/fine bubbles have a greater capacity/opportunity for gas exchange in water, vs fast moving larger bubble, but...)
...I'm thinking the added air volume/water turbulence of a airline MINUS the airstones basicall makes up the the minor difference in O2 levels (NTM the piece of mine that you no longer have to deal with the risk/cost of airstones clogging, buying/replacing/blah blah blah)....
(I'm basically saying just stick a 1/8 rigid tube into the bucket all the way to the bottom and its VERY close in performance to a bucket with some giant airstone at the end)
...just wondering what everyone/anyone thinks
I recall long ago visiting a aquarist with hundreds of fish tanks and not one had a airstone...and he said airstone cause unnecessary back-pressure vs. the added benefit of breaking air into smaller bubbles for more efficient gas exchange...basically the marginal benefit didn't justify the added power consumption...
...this was 20-30yrs ago, and anymore, most serious fish-rooms have dispensed with them; pump diaphragms & power is just too costly ...and yes the fish & plant root analogy is justified since we are needing dissolved O2 here
....and granted, I've not seen any "scientific" comparison done with O2 levels in water: with/without airstones, but after loosing a plant to a clogged stone (and the accompanied ruined airpump diaphragm), I just tossed mine and see zero difference in the plant
(yes I get the reasoning that many smaller/fine bubbles have a greater capacity/opportunity for gas exchange in water, vs fast moving larger bubble, but...)
...I'm thinking the added air volume/water turbulence of a airline MINUS the airstones basicall makes up the the minor difference in O2 levels (NTM the piece of mine that you no longer have to deal with the risk/cost of airstones clogging, buying/replacing/blah blah blah)....
(I'm basically saying just stick a 1/8 rigid tube into the bucket all the way to the bottom and its VERY close in performance to a bucket with some giant airstone at the end)
...just wondering what everyone/anyone thinks