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| I have had my 29 gallon up and running for 8 months. I have a HOB filter. My fish are all doing fine. My question is; do I need an air stone? In all the photos I see people have airstones. staffordmom
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Airstones aren't really necessary, most people just use them for decoration. The main purpose of airstones other than decoration is for surface agitation, which is required for good gas exchange. If you keep very warm tank water (89F +), then it might be a good idea to use one, just to help the tank stay more oxygenated.
But really, if the tank is working fine, then you don't need one unless you want one.
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10g Heavily Planted - Betta, Cory's, Oto's
20L - Kuhli Loaches, Banjo Cat, Singapore Flower Shrimp, Thick-Lipped Gourami pair
125g Planted - South American Biotope - with a reticulated stingray!!!
20H - Breeding Angelfish
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| Decor, gas exchange, and sometimes, to stimulate breeding. When in high temperatures, the bubbles agitate the surface and allows more oxygen to enter the water. Higher the temperature goes, the more oxygen the fish and bacteria use, combined with the double whammy of naturally lower oxygen levels in the water. The bubbles will most likely not be used for breeding, I think princessotfu is the only person who really knows how to use it...
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| And if you do choose to get one, I wouldn't do more than just a single column of bubbles. Those great big curtains of bubbles you see sometime are unnatural and can frighten and stress fish. I have seen fish "play" in small bubble columns before. I don't use one, but I don't see anything wrong with adding one either.
In the Mountains Of the Mountains For the Mountains
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| Hello, One thing about air stones is that they do not serve much of a purpose in modern aquaria anymore, but there is one use that you, as an HOB filter user, may be interested in: air stones are great for increasing circulation when level/zone-specific filtration is used. That is, some filters (like HOB's) tend to circulate one area of the tank more than others. These unaffected zones may not receive adequate filtration and might not receive enough exchange from the heater. For these zones, a column of bubbles can do the trick quite nicely. No less, it would probably be a more cost-effective investment to simply buy a small internal circulation pump. They do not break down easily, have more power, and many are adjustable. MOA
"Tears aren't a sign of weakness, they're a sign of poor plumbing." --Dead Men's Lies
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| Thanks for all your replies! staffordmom
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