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I have a dual 12L/pm air pump with the 2 lines plugged into each end of an 18" air wand,

Now the bubbles are very very fine with a clump of bigger bubbles at one end breaking the surface, I have the just stretched out covering one third of the tank,

Just wondering do I actually need them? Or is there a trick to doing without?

It just does not look natural in the tank I have!

Thanks

Azz

If you have enough water movement in the tank (via other filters), there is no real need for them. What other filtration do you have for the tank?

I have a Fluval Plus 4 internal power filter,

Is that any good?

I personally like to add more air because i think it makes for a happier fish.

I think it's always a good idea to have more than one filter per tank. If you don't like the air bubbles, maybe you can stick the tubing in a sponge filter instead. That should get rid of the bubbles.

If you use reverse osmosis water and heavily aerate(use a ton of bubbles/airstones), the pH can become unstable extremely quickly, edging towards 8.0 within minutes. This has been my experience. I've found powerheads work well. The water moves and the pH stays stable. You can also control the flow of the water with a powerhead. Certain species like fast-moving, heavily aerated water, others don't. Please check the requirements of the species you have. This will tell you how much aeration is required. The only time I use airstones these days is in a hospital tank or in a fry tank. Just my personal preference.
Amanda

I am going down the drift wood route and i like the calmness and the way the fish/frogs )except the cichlid and goldfish) interact with each other, then i have a mass of bubbles ruining it at the other end,

I was thinkng about hiding the bubbles behind some bark or a flat peice of drift wood.

but i have seen a ocean tank with a wooden block producing the fines bubbles i have ever seen!!! they looked smoke they were that fine, he said i need an airpump that throws out 5bar!!! my turbo only does 1.5bar

I would settle for super fine bubbles if i could get them, on my 18" wand there either fine or big in clumps but whene i twist it into a circle the bubbles just get masive,

Bear in mind also that bubbles behave differently in fresh and salt water - they are smaller in salt-water than in fresh-water. I don't really know why [I'm sure half an hour in google will get me the answer, but I've got other things to do right now... Call me lazy or sumthing... ]

I have a 6 (or 8?) inch bubble wand in my tank, and I personally think it adds to the look of the tank. The wand runs along the back of the tank, behind a bunch of decorations (broken pots and wood).

Fish seems to enjoy it, although I must confess I haven't tried to see what the fish does without it.

I also have three different pumps doing 1000 lph in a 400l tank, so there's plenty of water movement in the tank...

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Mats