Air Stone Bubbles Carry Oxygen and NOT Surface Agitation??

[squint]

P.S. No wind in aquariums!

 

[RD.]

Bubble Wars! Lol.

Admitted air stone lover here. Power outages, even if usually not overly long, are not super uncommon here; having air stones (and sponge filters) on ac/dc air pumps that turn on automatically when power goes out makes a lot of sense. Yeah I'd love to have a generator that switches on automatically (something for future) but I don't.

Another consideration especially during the hot season here is water temperature -- air stones help to reduce this without potentially adding heat to a tank like powerhead filters or wavemakers (though maybe not such an issue with HOB's -- which I can't use as all of my tanks have glass bracing all around the perimeter).

LOL, bubble wars indeed, too funny. You do bring up a good point, Barrett. I actually forgot about my battery operated air stones that I use when the power gets interrupted here, which thankfully is a fairly rare event where I live. But still, a good boy scout is always prepared. At least now I know that the rising air bubbles, as well as the surface agitation, help increase 02 levels in my tanks. I'm not sure how I have gotten by all these years without that valuable bit of information.

 

[esoxlucius]

LOL, bubble wars indeed, too funny. You do bring up a good point, Barrett. I actually forgot about my battery operated air stones that I use when the power gets interrupted here, which thankfully is a fairly rare event where I live. But still, a good boy scout is always prepared. At least now I know that the rising air bubbles, as well as the surface agitation, help increase 02 levels in my tanks. I'm not sure how I have gotten by all these years without that valuable bit of information.

This whole discussion is farcical really imo. Everytime squint gets involved in any thread it reverts to a my cock is bigger than your cock argument. I've seen it over and over, though it is quite amusing when he tries to go toe to toe with you.

The guy would argue with himself in an empty room. Sorry squint but that's how you come across.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Lets face it, the vast majority of aquarists who utilize airstones could care less about oxygenation and are only concerned with how cool that awesome stream of bubbles looks.

 

[Ulu]

45 years ago we all believed that the bubbles did the real work.
Agitation of the surface was just the icing on the cake. Inconsequential.

I have always used air stones and I never heard this "agitating myth" until recent years.

Where did it start?

 

[neutrino]

Having abandoned engaging with (nameless) as a waste of time, I present the following for anyone objectively interested in whether it's a 'myth' that water turbulence in various forms introduces oxygen into water bodies including the world's oceans-- or the validity of emulating these natural processes with surface current/turbulence in an aquarium, if that is your preference among the available methods. I trust the references below, including such sources as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Sea Grant Michigan (a Great Lakes resource management organization), can be considered credible sources with no connection to non-professional hobby mythology.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/media/supp_estuar10d_disolvedox.html

Oxygen enters the water through two natural processes: (1) diffusion from the atmosphere and (2) photosynthesis by aquatic plants. The mixing of surface waters by wind and waves increases the rate at which oxygen from the air can be dissolved or absorbed into the water.

https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/8_ocean_currents/activities/currents.html

The global conveyer belt takes oxygen-rich surface water and flushes it through the deep sea. Without this renewal, the dissolved oxygen in bottom sediments and waters would quickly be used up by the decay of organic matter. Anaerobic bacteria would take over decomposition, leading to a build up of hydrogen sulfide. Few benthic animals would survive such toxic conditions.

https://www.michiganseagrant.org/le...ence/water-quality/oxygen-and-carbon-dioxide/

Where does oxygen come from? Oxygen from the air is mixed into water with the help of rain, wind, waves and currents. Fast-moving water contains more DO than still water because it has more contact with the air, allowing more oxygen to mix into the water. Underwater plants and algae also contribute oxygen during the process of photosynthesis.

https://www.iisd.org/ela/blog/commentary/lakes-stratify-turn-explain-science-behind-phenomena/

Lake turnover is extremely important in freshwater lakes, as it is the event that is responsible for replenishing dissolved oxygen levels in the deepest lake waters. When the lakes are a uniform temperature and density, it takes relatively little wind energy to mix water deep into the lake. Wind moves highly oxygenated surface water to the lake bottom, forcing low oxygen water from the lake bottom up to the surface where it becomes saturated with oxygen.

http://cels.uri.edu/docslink/ww/water-quality-factsheets/DO-Temp.pdf

Oxygen is introduced into lakes in a variety of ways. Wind and wave action bring oxygen into waterbodies. Inflowing streams can also carry DO into lakes and ponds. In sunlight, aquatic plants and algae produce oxygen within aquatic ecosystems through pho-tosynthesis. Turbulence and currents circulate DO throughout water bodies.

Whether one wants to emulate such surface action and/or employ a bubble maker to oxygenate their tank is personal choice. And with this I leave each to their own devices and bid this thread a fond adieu. It's been amusing.

 

[squint]

All completely irrelevant.

Find me an aquarium scale study that says that water turbulence from a diffused bubble plume is responsible for significantly more oxygen transfer than the bubbles themselves.

 

[squint]

45 years ago we all believed that the bubbles did the real work.
Agitation of the surface was just the icing on the cake. Inconsequential.

I have always used air stones and I never heard this "agitating myth" until recent years.

Where did it start?

I would say around the time people started using the Internet...

 

[Ulu]

Plausible.

 

[islandguy11]

Lets face it, the vast majority of aquarists who utilize airstones could care less about oxygenation and are only concerned with how cool that awesome stream of bubbles looks.

Yep, that's why I only use them in conjunction with skulls, clams, deep sea divers and treasure chests. But recently I was thinking about changing to volcano bubblers (with disco lights) to make my Arowana tanks look more Jurassic-like.