Too many bubbles from airstone??

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Well, I have two small goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. I know I know,
thats not enough room but thats all I can afford at the moment.
Anyway, I bought a 15 gallon air pump (i'm looking into getting a
bigger tank) which is attached to a filter, and and airstone. The
airstone is blasting out bubbles and its making the top of the whole
tank all bubbly/foamy. There is hardly any surface water that isn't
bubbly. Is this normal or do I need to do something? Thanks for any
help.

[Koi-lo]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Well, I have two small goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. I know I know,
> thats not enough room but thats all I can afford at the moment.
> Anyway, I bought a 15 gallon air pump (i'm looking into getting a
> bigger tank) which is attached to a filter, and and airstone. The
> airstone is blasting out bubbles and its making the top of the whole
> tank all bubbly/foamy. There is hardly any surface water that isn't
> bubbly. Is this normal or do I need to do something? Thanks for any
> help.
========================
You need to get a valve to bleed some of the air off. It should be gently
bubbling and not making the tank surface look like ocean surf during a
hurricane. A 20g Long tank would be better for 2 goldfish than a 15g
standard.

What kind of GF do you have? :-)
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Cindy]

Koi-lo wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> Well, I have two small goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. I know I know,
>> thats not enough room but thats all I can afford at the moment.
>> Anyway, I bought a 15 gallon air pump (i'm looking into getting a
>> bigger tank) which is attached to a filter, and and airstone. The
>> airstone is blasting out bubbles and its making the top of the whole
>> tank all bubbly/foamy. There is hardly any surface water that isn't
>> bubbly. Is this normal or do I need to do something? Thanks for any
>> help.
> ========================
> You need to get a valve to bleed some of the air off. It should be
> gently bubbling and not making the tank surface look like ocean surf
> during a hurricane. A 20g Long tank would be better for 2 goldfish
> than a 15g standard.

And if it's actually FOAMING, you probably have a lot of crud in the water
and should do a water change.

[Logic316]

wrote:
> Well, I have two small goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. I know I know,
> thats not enough room but thats all I can afford at the moment.
> Anyway, I bought a 15 gallon air pump (i'm looking into getting a
> bigger tank) which is attached to a filter, and and airstone. The
> airstone is blasting out bubbles and its making the top of the whole
> tank all bubbly/foamy. There is hardly any surface water that isn't
> bubbly. Is this normal or do I need to do something? Thanks for any
> help.


Before anybody goes blasting this fellow with both barrels, let's
consider the fact that a well-maintained 5 gallon tank is *far* better
than the crowded conditions his fish had to endure in the pet store.

Anyway, from what you're describing your airpump is far too strong. Lack
of oxygen can kill a fish quickly, but excessive aeration can, over
time, cause irritation and inflammation of the gills known as "gas
bubble disease". And the excessive water current will also cause stress
that can shorten a fish's lifespan. You can reduce this turbulence by
either moving the airstone very close to the water surface, or, as
others have already mentioned in this group, by getting a tunable inline
valve for the plastic hose to turn the air current down. Of course, the
question still remains "Exactly how much aeration do I need, and how can
I measure if it's just right?". An old rule of thumb is that if your
goldfish are frequently coming to the surface of the tank and are
gulping air, then you know they're not getting enough oxygen. But the
only precise and scientific way to tell is to purchase an oxygen test
kit, which are available at all good fish stores. While gradually
reducing the aeration, test the oxygen content of the water frequently
until you achieve a small amount of turbulence while still producing a
high oxygen concentration.

- Logic316


"I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers."
-- Thomas Watson, IBM boss, 1943

[Cindy]

wrote:
> Well, I have two small goldfish in a 5 gallon tank. I know I know,
> thats not enough room but thats all I can afford at the moment.
> Anyway, I bought a 15 gallon air pump (i'm looking into getting a
> bigger tank) which is attached to a filter, and and airstone. The
> airstone is blasting out bubbles and its making the top of the whole
> tank all bubbly/foamy. There is hardly any surface water that isn't
> bubbly. Is this normal or do I need to do something? Thanks for any
> help.

You ever go to garage sales? I get 10-gal. tanks all the time for like 2
bucks. Heck, even if they want 5, that's half-price. Often they even have
some filters and such with it. Usually it's not high-end stuff, but hey...

My husband once got me an 80-gal. tank, in excellent condition, not a
leaker, not scratched up--for $20 at a garage sale! Yes, that was eighty
gallons and twenty bucks! I kissed his feet for a long time...

Craig's list for your area is also a good place to look.

My outlook on tanks is, the more the merrier! I stockpile them. I may need
one, or hey I may get one of my friends hooked on fish, you never know. ;)

Cindy

[Koi-lo]

"Cindy" > wrote in message
. net...
> My outlook on tanks is, the more the merrier! I stockpile them. I may
> need one, or hey I may get one of my friends hooked on fish, you never
> know. ;)
==============
Looking for something glass and at least holding a gallon of water for my
bettas, I saw more than a few tanks in the Goodwill stores where I live.
They were all 50% off that day. I would have grabbed a few but have nowhere
to store more tanks. They ranged in size from 10 gallons to a large one no
one knew the gallonage of - all with stands!!!!

I did find some cheap 1 to 2 gallon jars for 50% off. :-)))
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Cindy]

Koi-lo wrote:
> "Cindy" > wrote in message
> . net...
>> My outlook on tanks is, the more the merrier! I stockpile them. I
>> may need one, or hey I may get one of my friends hooked on fish, you
>> never know. ;)
> ==============
> Looking for something glass and at least holding a gallon of water
> for my bettas, I saw more than a few tanks in the Goodwill stores
> where I live. They were all 50% off that day. I would have grabbed a
> few but have nowhere to store more tanks. They ranged in size from
> 10 gallons to a large one no one knew the gallonage of - all with
> stands!!!!
> I did find some cheap 1 to 2 gallon jars for 50% off. :-)))

I have a betta in an antique gallon jar. Looks cool. :) I have another
old jar from a soda fountain, probably 3/4 gallon, round from above, oval
from the side. I have to put some water in it and see if a fish would look
distorted.
Smith & Hawken has some beautiful, expensive gallonish-sized footed vases
that I would love to use for bettas! I've seen nice ones at Michael's,
Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge too, for less than S & H. Where else...oh
yeah, Pottery Barn.

[Koi-lo]

"Cindy" > wrote in message
om...
> Koi-lo wrote:
>> Looking for something glass and at least holding a gallon of water
>> for my bettas, I saw more than a few tanks in the Goodwill stores
>> where I live. They were all 50% off that day. I would have grabbed a
>> few but have nowhere to store more tanks. They ranged in size from
>> 10 gallons to a large one no one knew the gallonage of - all with
>> stands!!!!
>> I did find some cheap 1 to 2 gallon jars for 50% off. :-)))
===================================
> I have a betta in an antique gallon jar. Looks cool. :) I have another
> old jar from a soda fountain, probably 3/4 gallon, round from above, oval
> from the side. I have to put some water in it and see if a fish would
> look distorted.

$ So far only the pickle jar really distorts them but the betta I have in
that is so old and decrepit he looks bad anyway. I'll let him live out his
life in it.

> Smith & Hawken has some beautiful, expensive gallonish-sized footed vases
> that I would love to use for bettas! I've seen nice ones at Michael's,
> Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge too, for less than S & H. Where else...oh
> yeah, Pottery Barn.

$ Those places are too expensive for things to put fish in. :-) I paid
less than $2 each for the huge jars I got at the Goodwill store. When
you're retired you gotta pinch pennies.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>