Air pumps - with or without an airstone?

[Dave The Nefarious]

If you use an airstone with your air pump you get a lot more fizzy bubbles, but less physical water movement. On the other hand, if you take the airstone off and just leave the tube as it is (but weighed down obviously) then the result is more water movement because rather than lots of tiny fizzy bubbles youre just getting less-but-bigger bubbles

 

Im just curious if anyone knows if there's much difference, ie. which one oxygenates the water better?

[racingsnake]

Guess i cant call you 'Dave'

 

How you goin.

In my experience with fishtanks and water 'oxygenation' if one must call it that, i have read and have come to believe the following:

By 'injecting' air into the water and forming bubbles, you are not exactly oxygenating the water...

 

Oxygen diffusion happens most often at the surface of any 'water-body', or on the water-covered surface of any object.

In other words, Oxygen difussion is governed by surface area. By aggitating a water-body, you aggitate the surface, causing 'ripples' etc. These ripples caused by the water moment, increase the surface area enabling a higher rate of oxygen diffusion...

 

Now 10 large bubbles travelling upwards, might aggitate the suface more, but I'm led to believe thousands of little bubbles , moves water upwards to the surface faster where surcace diffusion takes placeas well as increases the overall surface area more.

 

I hope this helps...anyone

 

'snake

[MongyMan]

The amount of oxygen that is absorbed by water is directly related to the amount of surface area in contact with air. Smaller bubbles have more surface area than large bubbles in contact with the water and therefore oxygenate better.

[two2time]

The amount of oxygen that is absorbed by water is directly related to the amount of surface area in contact with air. Smaller bubbles have more surface area than large bubbles in contact with the water and therefore oxygenate better.

 

 

thats what i thought as well...

 

 

tt

[Stoney]

hey there dave

 

in my set up i have a 50lt restank with 2 airstones in the bottom and the return pipe above the water level what i have found is that the twin airstones work great to oxygenate the water and the water flow from the return pipe keeps my water movement under control as its on for 15min every 3 hrs as im in clay

 

works well for me

 

cheerz :Dj: