Aerators are a critical part of the maintenance and operation of your aquarium. They help provide the oxygen that fish need to survive and thrive. Keeping your tank aerated also helps prevent the buildup of toxic carbon dioxide which can cause fish and invertebrates to suffocate.
There are many different aerators available for your aquarium, including power heads, filters, air stones and aerating decorations. Which one you choose depends on your preferences and budget.
Filters
Most filters, if used correctly, will aerate your water while providing filtration. A filter with a mesh that allows air to flow through it will help improve aeration. This aeration can be further increased by using a power head, which will siphon the water from the tank and mix it with air as it is expelled.
Power Heads
Some power heads are equipped with an adjustable volume control to adjust how much air the device consumes. These can be used to control how much aeration they produce and ensure that they are producing the amount of bubbles that your aquarium needs.
Aerating Decorations
Aerating decorations can be made of a variety of materials, but they all serve the same purpose: to provide bubbles for aeration. This aeration is necessary to increase the amount of gas exchange in your tank so that excess carbon dioxide and oxygen are released into the air and new oxygen dissolves into the water for your fish to breathe.
Bubbles
When aerating your aquarium, you want to be sure that the bubbles are small and friendly for your fish. This can be achieved by using an air stone or other aquarium bubblers that are made of porous stones or lime wood.
The pores in an air stone reduce the size of the bubbles that come out of the air pump, which will allow your aquarium to receive positive aeration while reducing turbulence.
You can use an air stone in a number of ways, for example, to provide bubbles to a sponge filter or an aerator decoration (such as a pirate ship that moves back and forth). These can be placed anywhere in your aquarium and will create a wall of bubbles at the back of the tank to enhance the look.
Whether you are using an air stone or another aquarium aerating device, it is important to connect the device to your aquarium in a safe way that will not damage your equipment or your fish. This means that you will need to use an air line to connect the pump to your aquarium and a return valve at the end of this line.
Once the air stone is connected to your aquarium, you need to plug in the air pump into a wall outlet or battery-powered option. Typically, the device you use is packaged with detailed instructions, so be sure to follow these directions when you install it in your aquarium.
If your aquarium has no pump, you can manually aerate the water. However, this is not as effective and you may need to change the water more often than with a pump. This is because the aeration you provide will likely not be as good since you are manually aerating the water, not circulating it.