# Why is night time aeration important?



## ADA (7 Oct 2014)

Just wondered as I've never bothered with it myself?


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## prdad (8 Oct 2014)

Plants consume co2 during the day and produce it at night. Aeration, esp if you don't run your co2 on a timer solenoid,  helps to get rid of the excess co2. Or so the theory goes.


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## ADA (8 Oct 2014)

It's always run on a solenoid, so is it purely for livestock? Don't see the point if that's all its for as if the plants are pearling they're throwing plenty of O2 into the water.


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## prdad (8 Oct 2014)

O2 produced during the day (pearling) and consumed during the night, so yes, it's for the livestock as the co2 could theoretically could rise above the controlled injection rate. Watch for fish gasping at the surface after lights out.


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## ADA (8 Oct 2014)

I've never had that either, I only wondered as Amano does it on every tank he sets up.


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## RossMartin (8 Oct 2014)

Just make sure you get some rippling on the surface and you will be fine. This allows for the gases to exchange as the surface tension is broken!


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## parotet (8 Oct 2014)

IMO night aeration is very important to combine in high tech setups very high levels of O2 with very high levels of CO2. By night I raise my spraybar and break the surface. This way I get rid of the scum, fish are happy and microbes much more. Co2 is needed in high and constant levels especially with high lights but we always forget that most of our tank critters are highly demanding organisms in terms of oxygen consumption.
I didn't pay attention to this but one month ago I started to aerate my tanks by night with strong rippling when I'm home and IMO tanks look much healthier (although I have not measured this progress properly of course, just my observation)

Jordi


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## Vazkez (8 Oct 2014)

parotet said:


> IMO night aeration is very important to combine in high tech setups very high levels of O2 with very high levels of CO2. By night I raise my spraybar and break the surface. This way I get rid of the scum, fish are happy and microbes much more. Co2 is needed in high and constant levels especially with high lights but we always forget that most of our tank critters are highly demanding organisms in terms of oxygen consumption.
> I didn't pay attention to this but one month ago I started to aerate my tanks by night with strong rippling when I'm home and IMO tanks look much healthier (although I have not measured this progress properly of course, just my observation)
> 
> Jordi


+1 I also do aeration during the night to help remove scum on surface  I did not try to raise the spraybar but I will definitely give it a go too


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## parotet (8 Oct 2014)

I raise the spraybar or twist upwards the spraybar so the jets break the surface... more than rippling I look for some little waves  The DC becomes blue in two hours or so.


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## RossMartin (8 Oct 2014)

I run a surface skimmer over night to help with this!


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## parotet (8 Oct 2014)

RossMartin said:


> run a surface skimmer over night to help with this!


Yep, but I guess this way you solve only one of the problems (surface scum)... while aireation breaks the scum but also injects high levels of O2 in the water column (which I'm nearly sure will help the denitrifying bacteria to have more O2, to multiply and to break down more efficiently the dissolved organics thus will reduce the scum). Moreover your spend more electricity!


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## ian_m (8 Oct 2014)

Also running aeration at night, I have found, creates different water flow patterns which seems to shift those little piles of detritus that collect during the day.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (8 Oct 2014)

Yep, me too; the fish seem to like it very much, the scum is removed from the surface, and I get the idea even my plants like it this way (I use DIY Bio CO2, without a solenoid). Have to say that an airpump plus a timer is a lot cheaper than a solenoid, so makes financial sense as well.


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