Fan for surface agitation???

[herezor]

Hi

I have a 80longx40widex35deep cm tank which is now quite OK. I use an Eheim 2213 without the impeller and a Hydor Seltz 30 pump (1200 lph) attached to the outflow. I inject CO2 and control it using a pHmeter (7.2 degassed and 6.1-6.2 at peak). I have also a Hydor Koralia nano (900 lph). Koralia is pointed a little bit upwards to generate ripples for better oxigenation. I can see it is too much flow because the UG is growing twisted and some have already uprooted and fish are having a hard time too.

I have removed the Koralia and now plants move slowly and fishes are much more active and happy although they are moving more towards the surface. There are no ripples now. I have decreased CO2 injection to compensate the lower oxigenation and not to suffocate fish (pH still reaching 6.1-6.2). I do not like adding more equipment inside the tank and one could say a solution could be to rise the lily pipe to generate ripples. Well, I inject CO2 through and inline atomizer and rising the lily pipe will send CO2 directly to air instead of water. So that is a no go. I could only do that at night...

I was planning to buy a small fan, attach it to the side glass of the tank to blow air to the surface and generate ripples for oxigenation. I know that will decrease temperature due to evaporation, but that is my minor concern (I live in Spain where temperature is not cold, so to speak 😉)

Has anybody done that before?. In this way, I decrease the flow (removal of powerhead), maintain CO2 delivery (not touching lily pipe arrangement) and generate ripples for higher surface area (using the fan).

What do you think???. Do you have any other easier solution??

Cheers

Pedro

 

[Wisey]

I just run a small air stone on a timer that comes on when the lights go off and runs overnight. Offgases excess CO2, oxygenates the water for the fish, removes any surface film that has built up, has lots of benefits and its a cheap and easy solution. I use a violet pipe which gives zero surface agitiation, so I keep my CO2 in the water during the photoperiod, but offgass it when the lights go out.

 

[herezor]

Thanks Wisey, but I do not want to introduce any more tubing or equipment inside the tank. I have an airpump and airstone. For some time I was using it but again, too many things already inside the tank.

Thanks anyway for the suggestion

 

[Nick16]

Is it possible to connect an airpump to an inline co2 reactor or would the back pressure be too much for the pump?
a fan will have very minimal effect.

either you have an airstone or use the filter to create surface adjitation.

 

[herezor]

Yeah, the airpump will not be able to overcome the back pressure, I guess. I suggested a fan, because when I blow air using my mouth to the surface of the tank, the ammount of ripples generated is on par to those generated by the koralia (maybe even more). The only difference is that the koralia moves the water so the diffused O2 is moved around the tank and the fan will probably just saturate the surface. But taking into account that my flow around the tank with just the Hydor Seltz moves the water all around... it might be sufficient, I guess...

Anyway, I will try to attach the airpump to the inline diffuser and see what happens. What if it works???. That would be the best solution...

Thanks

 

[Easternlethal]

try spraybars just under the surface of the water at the back pointing forward. they give the best rippling imo

 

[rebel]

If you have a co2 reactor, maybe you could pump some air into it? Diffuser won't work. That required about 2bar of pressure!

 

[alto]

Just add the fan & see how that goes - temperature drop will also be beneficial re more oxygen dissolved in cooler water 🙂