# airstones in npt



## Juicebox (Oct 24, 2012)

im thinking about buying an airpump for my npt.does anyone else use them? 

im baffling my filter so there is very little flow and water movement in my tank.theres hardly any surface agitation......

what are the pros and cons of using an air pump?? ive got bettas snails and shrimp in the tank....

also if i do decide to do it can anyone reccomend some equipment please.do i buy an air pump some tubing and a dollar airstone and im good to go?where abouts would i place it in the tank and secure it and such


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

My personal opinion of airpumps is that they are noisy, create wayyyy too much turbulence...

if you do get one, I would recommend a control valve and a fine airstone. Honest for filtration I prefer HOBs as the water fall effect creates really nice surface agitation.


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## 319 (Jan 19, 2013)

I don't have an NPT but I am planning on making my 10g one once I get it cleaned. The tank I'm using now (3g) came with a whisper air pump and a LED airstone thing. I love it and so does Sebastian but the light was bright and I had to cover the lights with some of the gravel and since the tank is rather small I had to turn the bubbles down with a valve so I would invest in one of those also if your airstone or pump doesn't come with one.


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## LyLy (Jan 28, 2013)

My boyfriend and I recently got a piece of decor that came with an air pump attachment and bought pump a few weeks later to try it out.

Since we only have a 3.5 gallon tank and the decor piece is quite tall, the bubbles end up at the surface rather quickly, creating a lot of disturbance.

The noise isn't all too bad, nothing that can't be drowned out by a movie or game in the background, but I think you should factor in the size of your tank and placement.


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## 319 (Jan 19, 2013)

The pump I have isn't bad. I can't stand the sound of a constant hum so I placed a folded up bandana under the pump. Can't even hear it.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Lol, for me, I sleep next to my tanks :3 airpump noise is unbearable.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I always use an air stone under my heater to distribute heat. I've used them in as small as 2g and as large as 10g. I use a tetra whisper pump and it's practically silent. I don't even hear it across the room. I also use an inline control valve to turn down the bubbles into more of a mist. I also use a certain kind of stone.. after tons and tons I like this one. It's called a Kordon Mist Air Fine Bubbles.


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## Juicebox (Oct 24, 2012)

should i get the 20 gallon pump for my 14 gallon or should i go for 30 or 40 gallon pump, i dont want to go too small in case in the future i want to run it on 3 or 4 tanks..

will a 30 or 40 air pump be too strong for a 14 gal or will it be fine if i buy one of them valves that u twist on the line to make the tube pinch smaller..


you recomend the best place to put it is in corner beside heater?


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

It is strongly recommend that planted tanks have as little surface agitation as possible. This removes CO2 from the water, which will then stunt the growth of the plants (as they "breathe" in CO2). Thus, a strong filter, air pump, or anything that is generally considered beneficial for the oxygenation of the water is not recommended nor required for a planted aquarium. Of course some people do use them in unison, just keep this in mind.

Also, some plants, particularly surface plants such as duckweed or frogbit will not grow at all and may even die because of the aforementioned pumps/filters. They grow best, as do betta fish imo, in still waters.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I think that theory is flawed
carbon dioxide in a room can be 380-3000ppm
whilst in water it's only around 10ppm...
I love a good flow for my plants with a decent surface movement.
unless you are running CO2 into your tanks, allowing for greater gaseous exchange isnt a bad idea


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Even if that theory is flawed I still won't use anything like that in my planted tanks. My duckweed disappears when I have water movement, and while it is fairly easy to come by, it isn't something I should have to buy more than once, it is a weed for goodness sake! My frogbit does okay with some slight movement, but it grows so much better without it. 

Of course in my personal experience, everything seems to grow better without water movement except by fish, but maybe there is some other factor I am not considering? Like the increased movement helps the BB thrive thus breaking down nutrients (ammonia/nitrites) that the plants could use to grow?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

well floaters may not do as well, but I have a fair few delicate species in my tanks which does better  I have driftwood breaking the water surface, so my duckweed likes to stick to that...it was a pain trying to get rid of all the duckweed. but I succeeded!  

personally I prefer to see movement in my tanks ^___^


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## 319 (Jan 19, 2013)

Juicebox said:


> you recomend the best place to put it is in corner beside heater?


I would play with it a bit, it doesn't really matter where it's put. My betta loves to play in the bubbles. 
Also if you have 2 valves, if you loosen the one that isn't used for your airstone, you can control the bubbles so there is less pressure. If that makes sense. Haha.


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

Kytkattin said:


> Even if that theory is flawed I still won't use anything like that in my planted tanks. My duckweed disappears when I have water movement, and while it is fairly easy to come by, it isn't something I should have to buy more than once, it is a weed for goodness sake! My frogbit does okay with some slight movement, but it grows so much better without it.
> 
> Of course in my personal experience, everything seems to grow better without water movement except by fish, but maybe there is some other factor I am not considering? Like the increased movement helps the BB thrive thus breaking down nutrients (ammonia/nitrites) that the plants could use to grow?


my floating wisteria and hygrophilia do worse when there is a strong current. I get dead leaves and the new shoot took longer to come out.


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## tekkguy (Jan 28, 2013)

I had a very small 1.5 gal several years ago that I ran with no filter. In order to have any water movement at all, I needed to run air into it. I didn't like the air coming out of an airstone, so I cut the tip of a bamboo chopstick off and stuck that in the end of the airline (point out). Bubbles became a very fine mist, which was perfect!


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## MonteCarlo (Dec 4, 2012)

Kytkattin said:


> It is strongly recommend that planted tanks have as little surface agitation as possible. This removes CO2 from the water, which will then stunt the growth of the plants (as they "breathe" in CO2). Thus, a strong filter, air pump, or anything that is generally considered beneficial for the oxygenation of the water is not recommended nor required for a planted aquarium. Of course some people do use them in unison, just keep this in mind.
> 
> Also, some plants, particularly surface plants such as duckweed or frogbit will not grow at all and may even die because of the aforementioned pumps/filters. They grow best, as do betta fish imo, in still waters.


Hopefully I don't hijack thread, but I too have been wondering about an airstone in my 10g NPT. The main reason is that I don't have a betta, but rather plan to have fish that prefer well oxygenated water. Do plants produce enough oxygen for fish other than air breathing bettas? 
And how confident are we about the falseness of the theory of water movement/loss of CO2? I don't have a filter, so Id really like to have a little water movement with an airstone, but am afraid of plant health...


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

MonteCarlo said:


> Hopefully I don't hijack thread, but I too have been wondering about an airstone in my 10g NPT. The main reason is that I don't have a betta, but rather plan to have fish that prefer well oxygenated water. Do plants produce enough oxygen for fish other than air breathing bettas?
> And how confident are we about the falseness of the theory of water movement/loss of CO2? I don't have a filter, so Id really like to have a little water movement with an airstone, but am afraid of plant health...


It is basically on topic, so don't worry about asking questions/hijacking!

I found this from our parent site, tropicalfishkeeping.com, posted by a member named Bryon. Again, most other hobbyists seem to support the air stone, or any water movement really, driving off CO2 from the water. 



> Provided the fish load is not beyond what the aquarium can naturally handle, you will not have an oxygen deficiency with or without plants. Oxygen shortage only occurs when the fish load is too great and/or something goes wrong biologically. Fish, plants and bacteria consume oxygen and give off CO2 continually, day and night. Live plants produce more oxygen than they use during daylight (photosynthesis), and again provided the fish load is not beyond the tank's natural capacity the oxygen produced will usually be more than what is used/needed. There are no "rules" for this, as many factors affect a tank's capacity. General guidelines are to keep the fish load balanced for the volume, have "compatible" fish (which includes water parameters, environment, behaviours), ensure regular maintenance (water changes weekly, filter rinsing as needed), healthy plants, not overfeeding, and correct temperature for the fish species (the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold naturally and at the same time the more oxygen the fish will need).
> 
> Read more: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...um-has-enough-plants-can-65800/#ixzz2JQK3B0Lj


Though it would be interesting if someone had the time and resources to set up two identical tanks, just very basic, no fish maybe even, and put the same number of the same amount of plants in those tanks (say 5 different species). They both get the same light (sunlight preferred). One with an air pump/water agitation, one with nothing. They both get ferts once or twice a week. Then see which one grows the best.


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