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airstone question with goldfish tank and others

5K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  mHeinitz57 
#1 ·
Hey everybody :D

I'm new to the board. I joined so I could keep informed on ways to make sure my two fantail goldfish (Locke and Pieper) stay healthy and happy. They have an internal filter and a foot long bubblestone along with gravel and sparse decorations. I was wondering about the flow of the bubblestone and filter. Right now there are quite a few bubbles and I was wondering if that will stress them out too much. They've been with me for a week so far and seem to be doing really well... I'd just feel terrible if something happened to them that I could have prevented. Also, would they appreciate a heater, and how do i make sure they are getting a balanced diet? Thanks so much and have a great day!
 
#2 ·
You should be fine without a heater, goldfish are colderwater fish. In fact some people have to get chillers for their tank to keep it cold enough in very hot regions.
As far as the airstone...how big is your tank. General rule is to not go over half the length of the tank with an airstone. So if you have a 20 inch tank (about a 10 gallon) then you shouldnt have any bigger than a 10 inch airstone. You mentioned that you have a 12" airstone but if you have smaller than a 24" tank (20 gallon) then its probably too much. Believe it or not you can over-aerate a tank and "suffocate" a fish. Too much air and airstone can also cause a lot of water disturbance and current which could stress a fish as well. If you want to cause less disturbance, my suggestion would be to get a 2-way gang valve to split your airline and run a 1" airstone on either side of the tank. If its a smaller tank you would be fine with just one 1" airstone. I suggest the gangvalve rather than the t-valve so you can control how much airflow goes into each line. What size tank is it and what is the airpump rated for?
I have a 47 gallon tank which is about 3 feet deep and I dont use any airpump at all. The only aeration is my 3 plants and my fish hangout at all levels of the tank with normal breathing...you'd be surprised how little aeration a tank needs.
 
#3 ·
Oh wow thank you so much! :eek: I had no clue as this is my first tank and I've been trying really hard to do everything right. I'm going to get them a smaller stone then as it's a 10 gallon tank til one of them gets a little bigger. Thanks again! :D
 
#4 ·
oh wow, yeah a 12 inch stone is way too big for a 10 gallon tank. Keep in mind that 2 goldfish will definitely need a bigger tank though. What kind of goldfish are they? Being extremely dirty fish and the fact that they can grow quite large, they would be better off in a 20-40 gallon tank for the two of them depending on what kind they are. A smaller tank could become dirty rather quickly and will stunt their growth.
If its a new tank you should definitely read up about the nitrogen cycle. Its a cycle that will have a large effect on your tank for the first 4-6 weeks and is a process that continually goes on in your tank. Its a good thing to know. You should be able to find posts about it here or articles online or just ask and one of us can explain it :) good luck and welcome to the forum.
 
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