tropical1

is it really neccesary to run my bubble strips all the time. i have a 30 gallon and i have 2 14" strips across the back. i only have the pump turned up a little so i dotn blow the lid off the tank ,lol. just wondering if the filter provides enough oxygen in the tank or not.

Jay

No. For the most part, bubbles and bubble strips are an aesthetic addition to the tank rather than functional. O2 dissolving into the water takes place at the surface, requiring only a mild agitation to increase the rate dissolved, the bubbles really do not oxygenate the water. The bubbles breaking on the surface can provide some agitation; so do filter outlets, power-heads etc.

Regards,
Jay

tropical1

so in other words, if i dont want to runit i dont have too. the girl at the lfs told me that it was important to keep it running at all times. shows what they really know.

Jay

Yep! File it under "come hear kid and let me show you this absolutely necessary and essential snake oil that is going to do you wonders and I will let you have it for only...Shsss! whatever I need to meet my sales quota for the day"

Jay

tropical1

no she didnt tell me that when i bought it. i bought it cause it looks cool. but she told me a few days later about that.

orb4me

lol, Trop!!! I dont ask any questions any more, I sneak over and check the log book to see the water conditions for the day, get my fish and get out of there. I didnt know it was possible to turn the pump up and down, now Im going to have to take the top off the tank and look.

I added a air stone, and the pump wont push enough air for the UGF and the air stone, so I disconnected the air stone, and before I could get it out, the air stone was blowing bubbles, the tubing is still on it and I can hear it sucking air. The stone is about 3" round, and blows nice bubbles, that makes no sense!!

Thanks for starting this thread Trop, I learned some more today>

ps, Im not trying to hijack this thread, pumps are pumps

jwurm

Wait... it is making bubbles but it is no longer connected to the pump at all? WEIRD! This sounds like a science experiment waiting to happen.

__________________
Community Tank (10g FW)
Tetra 10 Whisper Filter & Air Pump 50w Submersible Heater
2.4.6 Fancy Guppies; 0.0.2 Cherry Shrimp
STATUS: Cycled

tropical1

i first got a 1000 watt pump and it did what yours is doing. went back and got a 4000 watt that has a adjustment on top and then i ran it through a 4 way gate valve to adjust it. also has anyone had a bubble strip make your water hazy. i have left my strip off for about 2 days now, and my water finally cleared up. whats up with that? kinda weird dont ya think.

OldSchool

The strip probably made it dirty and cloudy from the Detritus in the gravel. I assume your probably had the strip buried under the gravel right? If you vacuum your gravel a little more regularly it should both improve your water condition and prevent it from getting cloudy in the future. Just remember not to vacuum all your gravel because you need some of that Detritus for proper bacteria colonies.

Oh, and thats pretty cool that the airstone is sucking air out without a pump, I'd be interested if anyone knows how that works!

tropical1

well oldsckool, how do i vacuum better and more regularly but still not vacuum all the gravel? confused. do i do half the tank one time, then do the other side the next water change?