# For those who inject co2, do you run an air pump at night?



## blazer (Aug 17, 2007)

Just curious if it is reccomended to agitate the water at night with an airpump if injecting co2 during the day? 


Thanks


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

No need, especially if you do not run co2 at night. As long as you have adequate flow you should never have a problem. You need good flow for good co2 distribution anyways.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I do. I feel better about it. I think it would give the fish a breath of fresh air. And why not run it. It is so easy to drop an air stone in behind some plants or drift wood and run it on a timer.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Airstones work by breaking the surface and causing gas exchange. Your filter should already do this to some extent and thus there should be no reason for this.


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I run canisters, so there isn't really much breaking of the surface.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Good Surface agitation is key to having adequate co2 in your tank. If you have surface agitation you can run your co2 higher and still be safe for your fish. Without it, you will have less oxygen and thus have to run less co2. 

Surface agitation is key to good gas exchange. You will find the most beautiful tank(not mine!) have good surface agitation. Whether this be with a spray bar pointed at the surface slightly or with a powerhead, it doesn't matter. You have little to fear in terms of gassing off co2. You will however deplete oxygen quickly.


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## lopez_316us (Jan 25, 2008)

You don't need an air stone. I run my Co2 24/7 with out a problem. However, I make sure that there is enough water agitation on the surface to maintain the balance.


Best,


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

No airstone here. I've got plenty of surface agitation with a koralia 1 and run my CO2 on a timer with my lights.


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## HEINEKEN357 (Feb 10, 2006)

No airstones here I run my co2 on a timer with lights for 8hours I also have good circulation never had a problem.


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## alan j t (Feb 13, 2008)

me too


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

yikesjason said:


> I run canisters, so there isn't really much breaking of the surface.


CO2 on a controller running 24/7, no air added, no issues on two injected tanks.


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## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

agreed. co2 24/7 w/ph controller and all i need are my filters. havent had one fish die on me yet. I have anacharis and crazy fast growing limnophilia though taking up a lot of it.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

I do. Probably not necessary, I just like the idea.


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## discusonly (Mar 28, 2010)

My co2 is off at night. I run 2 spray bar across the top of my 48" wide tank. One pointing toward the back at an angle and one slighly below the surface.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I've always kept a little surface agitation for O2 and to breakup surface film so, I've never done anything extra a night. I used to infect co2 24/7 now, use a solenoid to shut co2 off at night.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

StaleyDaBear said:


> agreed. co2 24/7 w/ph controller and all i need are my filters. havent had one fish die on me yet. I have anacharis and crazy fast growing limnophilia though taking up a lot of it.


Still can't understand what a ph controller is doing when you can simply shut off your co2 with a $10 timer.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

houseofcards said:


> Still can't understand what a ph controller is doing when you can simply shut off your co2 with a $10 timer.


a controller is basically just taking the guess work out of the picture. i would imagine that not much co2 is injected at night with the controller either. i use a timer and my drop checker is still light green in the morning.


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## MarkMc (Apr 27, 2007)

A controller lets me push the envelope a little with CO2-I like to get to that 30ppm level as quickly as possible. A controller adds a bit of safety to the system-not necessary but if you already have one why not employ it? I run an airstone on a timer at night to add O2 even though I have 3 power heads for circulation and to break up the oil film on the surface. Is it necessary? I think it helps gas off CO2 and up the O2 level some. That's a good thing at night since plants are taking in O2 and giving off CO2.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I run an airstone at night. Can't hurt and can only help. Very cheap in cost and energy use. Increases oxygen levels for plants and fish and prevents any protein films from building up.



over_stocked said:


> Surface agitation is key to good gas exchange. You will find the most beautiful tank(not mine!) have good surface agitation. Whether this be with a spray bar pointed at the surface slightly or with a powerhead, it doesn't matter. You have little to fear in terms of gassing off co2. You will however deplete oxygen quickly.


Most nice planted tanks don't have that much surface agitation - they have a spraybar slightly pointed up or a lily pipe - neither compares to the same + an airstone. I don't see how using an airstone at night could deplete oxygen at all, quickly or otherwise.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I mispoke and should read co2 there. 



Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Ah - then that makes perfect sense.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

MarkMc said:


> A controller lets me push the envelope a little with CO2-I like to get to that 30ppm level as quickly as possible. A controller adds a bit of safety to the system-not necessary but if you already have one why not employ it? I run an airstone on a timer at night to add O2 even though I have 3 power heads for circulation and to break up the oil film on the surface. Is it necessary? I think it helps gas off CO2 and up the O2 level some. That's a good thing at night since plants are taking in O2 and giving off CO2.


See that's my point. I don't know the dymanics of your tank, but your running a ph controller, airstone, and three powerheads, while I'm running none of those and we both got from point A to point B successfully.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Co2 on a controlller 27/4, no air pump, good surface agitation. Why do I run mine on a controller? Because I have one left over from a reef setup and I bought one back when it was still debatable as whether or not ph swings affected the fishes well being. So why waste $4.00 on a timer when ive got a $150.00 one? This is one of the debatables that are present in the hobby along with lights and co2 period. I used 2 175w mH and 2 65w PC lights over a tank for 8 years w/o co2 and no algae but everyone on here recommends co2 if you have high lighting to "avoid algae issues" , bull hockey!


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## MarkMc (Apr 27, 2007)

A lot of posters have indicated that running an air stone at night is not necessary. Depends on how you look at it. Is making the environment better for your inhabitants necessary? Keeping in mind this is all subjective because I doubt that any of us have measured O2 and CO2 levels during a 24 hour day/night cycle. I feel that using an air stone at night increases O2 levels _some_. I turn my CO2 off at night (with a timer even though it is controlled by a controller) because it's not used by plants and _might_ cause some measure of discomfort to my fish even though I have no way of objectively proving that. But why go with just good enough when you can do something more. I'd change my mind if it was shown scientifically that an air stone at night does not off gas CO2 and add O2 to the water.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

You have a pH controller - it should be incredibly easy to test the off-gassing of co2 part. measuring o2 is more expensive.


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## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

with a timer it took some hour to an hour and a half for pearling to begin. with ph controller, less than a half an hour. i like pearling, it gives me a sense of satisfaction that things are going right. my motto has and always will be though, "to each their own". Unoriginal, but true nonetheless.


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

No.

It's not necessary.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

used to but the drastic swing in co2/o2 seemed to cause a bba outbreak so i simply added another small hole that points up on my spray bar while the rest of it sprays across. this gives me a slight ripple in one corner of the tank keeping me from overgassing at night (diy co2 new batch ive killed alot like that).


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## chhabi19 (Feb 17, 2010)

Does anyone have a picture of the setup of their spray bar for surface agitation?


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## switherow (May 1, 2010)

It seems most of these replies are refering to tank setups. I'm starting a 50 gal breeder tank with diy co2 ( 2 2liter bottles alternated so one's at full production at all times). Obviosly i can't turn off my co2 at night or BOOM. So, should I run an air pump at night or just monitor ph for awhile and see if it's needed? Thanks.


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## fooledyas (Feb 22, 2010)

I run my airstones at night I know its not needed. But i have like 5 airpumps some on gave me. Also i like the way the bubbles look in the moonlights


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## SirKappa (Apr 19, 2010)

I run my CO2 24/7 and do not use an airstone. I keep a high amount of surface agitation always to combat surface scum.

I sometimes wonder if this whole CO2 loss with gas exchange is a gigantic forum myth along with a ton of other misinformation about this hobby. I keep serious ripple in the water on both sides of the aquarium from my filter and my powerhead and my double drop checker is always on point. It seems as though all it takes is one guys to sound like he knows what he is talking about, then everyone blindly accepts and regurgitates this 'information' to the point where it is accepted as a fact.

How many of you have actually tested the gas exchange in an aquarium?

I really don't know. ....... just my thoughts on the subject.


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## Yokomo99 (Aug 10, 2008)

I have a 120 gallon tank and I run my CO2 at three bubbles per second. A 10 lb CO2 bottle lasts me a little over a year. I turn on my CO2 1/2 hour before the lights turn on and off again 1/2 hour before they turn off. My tank has very little surface agitation and I don't use a air stone at night. My fish get more than enough oxygen from the plants using up the CO2.


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## MarkMc (Apr 27, 2007)

Yokomo99 said:


> I have a 120 gallon tank and I run my CO2 at three bubbles per second. A 10 lb CO2 bottle lasts me a little over a year. I turn on my CO2 1/2 hour before the lights turn on and off again 1/2 hour before they turn off. My tank has very little surface agitation and I don't use a air stone at night. My fish get more than enough oxygen from the plants using up the CO2.


Plants don't use CO2 at night-they use O2 and give off CO2-the opposite of what they do in the presence of light. Whether it is an amount large enough to cause discomfort to your fish I don't know.


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## Yokomo99 (Aug 10, 2008)

After the plants spend all day converting the CO2 to oxygen there is enough dissolved oxygen in the water to last all night. The only time I ran an air stone was when I used DYI CO2 with yeast as I couldn't shut it off.

Matt


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## mayanjungledog (Mar 26, 2009)

I run DIY CO2 in a 20L and I do have an airstone running at night. If I don't run the airstone, all of its inhabitants are gasping at the surface in the morning. I am also running two Zoomed 501 canister filters at opposite ends of the tank that provide adequate surface agitation.


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## gazzazh (Jun 27, 2014)

I did not run an airstone in the beginning and ended up learning a lesson the hard way. I used to switch off the co2 at night on a timer, but could not measure the o2 level, I am tank is a fluval edge 12 gallon. One day i woke up with all my fishes and shrimps dead from co2 poison. Now I run an airstone at night and i close it an hour before my co2 works and 1/2 hour after co2 is off. My fishes are happy as well as my plants and i have no more death in the tank. So if you are worried of O2 rate, there is nothing to lose.. Just go for it.. And you can also search for all those who learned the hard way and killed their fish. Plus the airstone looks great with moon light at night.. so its added bonus.. 
Hope this helps


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## agro (Nov 29, 2013)

gazzazh said:


> I did not run an airstone in the beginning and ended up learning a lesson the hard way. I used to switch off the co2 at night on a timer, but could not measure the o2 level, I am tank is a fluval edge 12 gallon. One day i woke up with all my fishes and shrimps dead from co2 poison. Now I run an airstone at night and i close it an hour before my co2 works and 1/2 hour after co2 is off. My fishes are happy as well as my plants and i have no more death in the tank. So if you are worried of O2 rate, there is nothing to lose.. Just go for it.. And you can also search for all those who learned the hard way and killed their fish. Plus the airstone looks great with moon light at night.. so its added bonus..
> Hope this helps


This thread is 4 years old.


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