FishProfiles.com Message Forums

not for labyrith and etc.

always a question of mines. fish do they need air that comes out of a air stone or do they just need water passing thru there gills like sharks.
i am setting up a new ten gallon right now and don't have any extra air stones until tomorrow when i get some. can my two baby oscars live the night with just the air that is cycled when it goes through the filter (epilice 6) or do they need a air stone now!.My other tanks all have air stones but i never really thought that they are nessary b/c they don't have them in the wild.

Last edited by bettachris at 17-Feb-2005 17:13

As long as there is some surface agitation from the filter, it should be enough.

If you are still concerned, you can just take a piece of airline tubing, poke a lot of holes in it with a pin, cap off the end, and use it as a make-shift airstone.

BTW, I hope you plan to move them to a larger tank later.

Joe Potato

depending on the tank size, how big the oscars are, and how much are the take from the tank i would say most definetly.if the tank is 55 gallons or more they should b ok but if it is 75 it will be very much ok

Aeration in a tank occurs through gas exchange at the surface through surface movement or agitation. Good water circulation will allow well aerated water to reach all parts of the aquarium. For instance if you have a power filter that causes a good agitation of water at the surface and water movement through the tank, this will USUALLY suffice for good aeration.
The airpump and and airstones will provide good agitation of the surface by the bubbles bursting the surface of the water. They also help circulate the water in the tank, the bubbles will draw the water up in what is known as the "airlift principle".
The bubbles themselves do not given off oxygen to water as they pass up through the aquarium.
An airpump is not always necessary. I do not use one in my 75gal. My filters provide enough surface agitation and water circulation to allow proper aeration.
If you have enough surface agitation from the filter and the filter provide good water circulation through the tank then an airpump is probably not needed.
If an unsure give it a try and MONITOR fish for distress and hypoxia(oxygen starvation).

ok so my filter will take care of the airation. i do plan on moving the oscars to my 75 later, but not yet.

Yes. The point of the airstone is to disrupt the water's surface so that it moves and has a greater surface area than otherwise so that air dissolves into it more rapidly. Fish don't need the bubbles to survive, and you're right, they don't have airstones in the wild! The oxygen that is dissolved in the water is what they pick up through their gills to "breathe".

HTH

Last edited by superlion at 17-Feb-2005 17:41

><>