Well i finally got me an airstone...it looks great and the fish are loving it

I got a 6'' one from P@H last night and a gravel cleaner too and 3 new plants

I also have a fluval 2 plus filter....does anyone know if there will be too much oxygen in my tank as i have 5 plants too in a 2ft tank......i got a small plec and apparently they like lots of oxygen......god this fish keeping is exhausting lol ....so many fish and plants so many requirements

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Certain fish such as plecs do require a good level of oxygen in the water. An airstone isn't generally needed however it would be a good idea and so long as it doesn't bother the plants there shouldn't be a problem.

Adding an air stone is also a very good idea during the summer months, the warmer the water is, the less capable it is at holding dissolved oxygen.

fluval 2 plus filters are good, you might one day want to think about an external filter. Far better than internals. Costs more but well worth it, I clean my external filter every 9 month to a year, even then its not very dirty.

Dont think you have to worry about tooo much oxygen.
Whats your stocking level like ? The more fish you have the more oxygen they need.
Once the plants start growing they will also give off oxygen so you may not need the air stone on all the time.

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Well said, I only use externals these days.

I was told that with quite a few plants and a sensible stocking of fish an air stone was not needed, as long as the pump blows across the top of the water so it breaks the surface, dont know how true this is but all my fish and plants are doing very well i am for ever having to prune back plants and swop fish as they breed very well, (no they are not guppies) suz

great will think about that for the distant future...maybe when i get my marine tank just experimenting at the minute with the tropical.

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The big benefit of an air-stone is that it moves the water from the bottom of the tank to the surface, which your average internal filter may not do very well. The surface of the tank is where the gas-exchange of oxygen and CO2 happens... The actual oxygenation by bubbling air through the water is miniam, but by shifting the water at the bottom up to the top, you can improve the oxygen levels quit a bit.

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Mats

how much are the external filters???? that's my idea of filter changing.... I'd rather clean my car with a toothbrush than clean out my filter!!!!!!

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External filters come in different sizes and "fancyness". I quite like TetraTec EX series, I have two EX1200 and one EX700. I don't know what the list price is, but the EX1200 is around £100 and the EX700 is about £80, if memory serves. There are usually online sales of these things for a bit less, but then you have the trouble that if something isn't working for whatever reason, your LFS may not be quite as willing to help out...

The Mercedes of external filters is Eheim. Their Pro range is REALLY good (better than the TetraTec EX series), but at the same time, they are more expensive - around £200 pounds for the ProII 2028, which is equivalent to the EX1200. Eheim's Classic series, which I have a few of are less expensive (about the same as the TetraTec equivalent size), but do not have baskets for the media, which is not exactly helpful on those few times each year the filter actually needs cleaning.

I'd recommend going for the next size up filter (no matter what type), so if you have a 200 liter tank, and there is one filter for 100-200 liter, and one for 200-400 liter, go for the 200-400 liter size. That way, you have spare capacity, and it requires even less cleaning.

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Mats

I have an Eheim pro and Ecco, both very good filters.

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