Is 1 airstone going to be enough oxygen for my discus????

[axl]

Hi,
im going to run 1 airstone at night hooked up to a timer on a 520ltr tank and need to no if thats going to be enough oxygen for the discus, if not i will add another airstone down the other end of the tank. 1 each end would better wouldnt it???. Thanks for you help on this 1. Cheers Axl (by the way im getting really exicted i pick up my new discus on the 16th of May.

[ILLUSN]

I tried my last tank the same way, eventually i had to put in a bubble wall and run it 24/7 or fish would gasp, plants didnt seem to mind once i uped my co2 to bout 4bpm.

[DiscusEden]

Hi Axl,

I've got a 540L tank, running 2 airstones (from the 1 eheim pump) at night. Discus seem to be fine atm, but am currently very understocked (only 3 in there + tankmates).

Maybe better to have too much at night than too little?

[Davo]

ILLUSN,

Did you mean 4 bpm or 4 bps?

Dave.

BTW have you connected the reactor up yet?

Dave.

[ILLUSN]

sorry Davo 4 bps, havn't hooked up the reactor yet but i'm itching too moved the last tank into the fishroom so hopefully tomorrow or sunday. will let you know how it all goes.

[scott bowler]

AXL i would run 2 mate i run 2 24/7 on large stones the round type , if you dont run air you will find the fish at the top of the tank trying to ge air

[fish_r]

in my 5ft planted tank "pretty heavily planted" and a bit over stocked with fish. i run an air curtain off 1 x ehiem air pump when the lights go off till the lights come on and they breath lots slower than they used to without an airstone at all...

[nicholas76]

Alternatively direct your rain bar upwards so it breaches the surface.

[axl]

thanks for all your advice if i break the top of the surface with the spray bar wont that release all the co2 into the air when its on.

[axl]

When the air stones come on at night will they make the ph rise up at all if so how much. My current ph is at 6.8.

[pbates]

The air stones will increase the surface area available for the CO2 to diffuse into the atmosphere. They also stir the water up, which increases the rate of CO2 diffusion too.

Worst case is that the PH will rise to the same level as it does when you turn off the CO2. How high it will go depends on the natural PH of your water, and how much you've buffered the KH.

So try that and see what happens.

[ILLUSN]

good lids with a tight fit also help trap escaping co2, at night as your bubbles break the surface the co2 will diffuse out of the water into the air space above the tank, eventually this will reach equilibrium as the surface movement allows some co2 back into the tank. with good lids (or a bit of gaffa tape across the back) i dont think your ph swings will be too harsh on the fish.