Just wondering about tanks...

I have the Aqua One AR380... I heard somewhere that the rectangular tanks are heaps better?

That's prob the case.. I find a lot of the time that my fish hang round the top (looks like they're trying to eat the bubbles caused from the filter)

I guess they could be deprived of oxygen because of the tank shape???

I have no idea...

Do you have any air stones/walls going in your tank
to increase the oxygen level? By having one or more,
you help release bad gases contained in the water like
CO2 and help oxygenate the water. Another thing to
consider when getting a tank is the more surface area
the better. This helps with the gas exchange too.

Paul is right. The surface area of your tank might not give enough exchange of air for the tank. Adding in one or more bubble wands or stones or disks or a small power head at the bottom of the tank will lift the water from the bottom and circulate it more efficiently. If you have just the one filter and its intake is not all the way to the bottom, it could potentially leave pockets of less than circulated water.

Adding more circulation could help, but it may be a sign of other problems, too. If, after trying extra circulation, they continue, you should check into some other possibilities. A stressed fish will hang out at the top, a fish with parasites or the beginnings of SBD, or some unnoticed water problem could also be showing this behavior.

adding an air stone can nevr hurt if in dought add an air stone.

An airstone also makes the tank look nicer too
But before i got an airstone, the fish would gasp alot and get air from the top, but an airstone puts air in the water.

Thanks guys!!

The only air supply I have in my tank is a couple of plants & the filter. The filter I have has a thing attached to the top of the tank that looks like a beater... and this draws the water up into the top of the tank, where it goes through ceramic noodles and a couple of sponges, before coming out through some tiny holes back into the tank.

Prob not the best filtration system. I should get something that also filters out the stones as well?

Everything came with the tank. And I haven't upgraded any equipment before... (I've had the tank for 2 years)

Hey when you say airstone, are you talking about those lil white shells you stick in that slowly dissolve?

(Plz bear with me... we have different names for things over here hehe)

there is another form of tank.. used by the chinese.. it is a clay pot, but the design is as such where it is round, but the top part which is the mouth is much wider than the body.. it looks more like a giant basin with open top... and this is also an exellent choice for gold fish.. (outdoor)

but for indoor, a retangular tank is mostly preferred..

cheers

An air stone is the thing that fits on the end of a line that's connected to an air pump. It diffuses the air from the pump into the right size bubbles for oxygenation.

You might also see them called air wands. Bubble walls do the same thing but let the air out over a longer horizontal run so it looks like, well, a wall of bubbles.

The size of the pump depends on how many bubble devices it has to run--including any fancy opening and closing trasure chests or clams or whatever--and the number of gallons (or at least the depth) of the tank.

Air stones come in various types. I use the coarse ones, which make bigger bubbles and don't put much back-pressure on the pump. The ones that make finer bubbles are OK for small tanks and fry and other times you don't want as much current.

Anything that breaks the surface tension on the water will add oxygen, which is what you want to do.

Caroline in San Jose

Whoops... I forgot to say that you should check your water for ammonia, nitrItes, and nitrAtes before you decide that the problem is low oxygen. And maybe for pH?

The water tests will also tell you whether your filter is doing an adequate job.

(Adding a bubbler won't ever hurt, but it won't help your fish's symptoms if there are water quality problems too.)


Caroline in San Jose

B) I have a 58 gallon, which is very nice and roomy. But I also have a 55 gallon and is a foot longer than the 58. Both are good tanks, but it's hard not lean toward the classic 55.