plant oxygen
I was just wondering how much oxygen plants let out into the water, i'm
going to be setting up a 135 gallon tank for an oscar and jack dempsy in the near future, I know oscars have a reputation of redecorating but from what I have red they seem to leave stuff alone as long as it was there before they were. but anyways back to the main point, I have always had undergravel filters with airstones so have never really worried about any other type of airration but the 135 gallon won't have an undergravel filter so I was wondering how much would planting of the tank and how many airstones would be recomeneded? I also have a pl*co so I won't be able to count on algae for any oxygen ether. thanks -- Posted via CichlidFish.com http://www.cichlidfish.com/portal/forums |
GothicWombat wrote:
I was just wondering how much oxygen plants let out into the water, i'm going to be setting up a 135 gallon tank for an oscar and jack dempsy in the near future, I know oscars have a reputation of redecorating but from what I have red they seem to leave stuff alone as long as it was there before they were. but anyways back to the main point, I have always had undergravel filters with airstones so have never really worried about any other type of airration but the 135 gallon won't have an undergravel filter so I was wondering how much would planting of the tank and how many airstones would be recomeneded? I also have a pl*co so I won't be able to count on algae for any oxygen ether. thanks Sorry, but I don't think you have a hope of keeping plants. Anything the pleco doesn't eat, the dempsey and oscar will shred for fun. Try using a spraybar filter return slightly above the surface of the water so the spray agitates the surface. You'll get plenty of oxygen that way. -- Elaine T __ http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__ rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com |
You really have two issues he
1. oxygen 2. plants The most important source of oxygen for your fish is through the exchange of gases with the air at the water's surface. An important factor is the ratio of surface area to water volume. There is an optimal formula for this, but I forget what it is. In any event, we have mechanical options to help. The main thing, going back to the surface gas exchange, is to create some movement on the surface to break up the "adhesive" quality of the water molecules. Power filters provide good breakup of the surface tension, as can the spray bars of cannister filters. Bubble wands are also useful in creating "updrafts" of water to the surface that release CO2 and facilitates oxygen being dissolved into the water. Power heads can also be used. If you're interested in plants, the bubble wand works against you, in that it helps release CO2 that the plants could otherwise use. Plants do, as we learned in school, absorb CO2 and release O2. Don't forget though, that with the lights off, photosynthesis ceases, and plants use oxygen and release CO2 just like the rest of us. A small benefit of plants is that they do absorb some nitrates. Now, as to keeping oscars or most other big cichlids in a planted aquarium, the best thing I can say is, good luck. I have had some luck when putting the fish in a tank with established plants, but only as long as the fish (oscars, severums, Uarus, etc) were small. When they got their growth, life became much tougher for the plants. The ones they didn't shred they eventually dug up. Others on this forum say they keep plants with fully grown O's; I have not been able to. -- Posted via CichlidFish.com http://www.cichlidfish.com/portal/forums |
thanks for the info, and the oscar is still pretty small so hopefully
i'll be ok but we'll see -- Posted via CichlidFish.com http://www.cichlidfish.com/portal/forums |
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