Tank Equipment

[Del]

I have a planted 3 foot tank with 2 checkerboards, 2 rams, a gourami, a cory and 13 tetras. I am running an Eheim 2217 and lighting with a double reflector - I also have a 200w glass heather.

The spraybar is moving the surface water but I guess my question is :? do I also need an airstone?

[Merrilyn]

Well, circulation is what we're looking for here, so there a couple of very simple tests you can do to see if there is enough circulation in the tank.

First, get a bottle of food dye from the supermarket. Blue or green is probably best. Place a couple of drops in each corner of the tank, and watch the colour disperse. If you've got stagnant areas, it will be obvious. The dye is totally harmless to fish and plants, and can be removed with carbon in the filter, or a couple of waterchanges.

The other way is simply to move your tank thermometer to several different parts of the tank and record the reading. Any difference will be noted.

Personally, I would add an airstone. My fish just seem more comfortable with more oxygen in the tank.