What's the point of bubbling air through the filter inlet/outlet tube ?

[Alan Silver]

Hello,

I have seen a few tanks with external filters where one of the filter
tubes (not sure which one) had air bubbling up it. What is the point of
this ? I presume it's to aerate the water, but is it effective and/or
necessary ?

Any comments welcome. TIA

--
Alan Silver

[The Madd Hatter]

Was it a salt water tank? Maybe you saw a protien skimmer?

"Alan Silver"
> wrote in
message ...
> Hello,
>
> I have seen a few tanks with external filters where one of the filter
> tubes (not sure which one) had air bubbling up it. What is the point of
> this ? I presume it's to aerate the water, but is it effective and/or
> necessary ?
>
> Any comments welcome. TIA
>
> --
> Alan Silver
>

[~Vicki ~]

Was it a salt water tank? Maybe you saw a protien skimmer?

I have to wonder the same thing. Skimmers use air frothed to allow
proteins to attach to the bubbles which are then collected in a cup and
dumped.

Vicki

[Alan Silver]

In article
ogers.com>, The Madd
Hatter > writes
>Was it a salt water tank? Maybe you saw a protien skimmer?

Nope, it was a cichlid tank. Any help ?

Thanx

--
Alan Silver

[Alan Silver]

In article >,
~Vicki ~ > writes
>Was it a salt water tank? Maybe you saw a protien skimmer?
>
>I have to wonder the same thing. Skimmers use air frothed to allow
>proteins to attach to the bubbles which are then collected in a cup and
>dumped.

Nope, cichlid tank.

Thanx for the reply. Any further ideas appreciated.

--
Alan Silver

[Bob in PA]

> >Was it a salt water tank? Maybe you saw a protien skimmer?
>
> Nope, it was a cichlid tank. Any help ?
>
> Thanx
>
> --
> Alan Silver
>

It could have been an external CO2 diffuser.

HTH,

Bob

[RedForeman ©®]

how about a UGF with airline running down them and a carbon cartridge on the
top????
"Alan Silver"
> wrote in
message ...
> Hello,
>
> I have seen a few tanks with external filters where one of the filter
> tubes (not sure which one) had air bubbling up it. What is the point of
> this ? I presume it's to aerate the water, but is it effective and/or
> necessary ?
>
> Any comments welcome. TIA
>
> --
> Alan Silver
>

[Alan Silver]

In article >, RedForeman ©®
> writes
>how about a UGF with airline running down them and a carbon cartridge
>on the
>top????

Could be. Sounds the most plausible so far.

I might just have to ring the shop and ask them !! If I can remember
which it was ;-)

--
Alan Silver

[Alan Silver]

In article >, NetMax
> writes
>Before magnetically coupled water pump impellers, water was returned to
>the tank from the powerfilter by using a long return line with an
>airstone near the bottom of the loop. Since this is now an antique,
>I'd guess it was a CO2 diffuser.

Doubt it very much. This is a cichlid tank - no plants at all. No real
reason to run CO2.

> Although no bubbles are involved, could it have been a fluidized bed?

No, I'm sure it wasn't that. No particles in the tube for one. Anyway,
the tube was definitely an inlet or outlet tube, not a fluidised bed.

Thanx anyway

<pause>

Well, during that pause (that you probably didn't notice 'cos you
probably just read straight from the last paragraph to this one without
any thought for reality.[1]) I remembered which shop it was and rang
them up. Apparently it is a nitrate reactor, designed to reduce the
nitrates in the water so they don't need to do as many water changes.
They also had a pH buffer in there to counter the effects of the nitrate
reactor which produces sulphuric acid !!

So there you are. Bottom line is do water changes and don't bother with
the bubbles !!

Thanx to all who replied,

Alan


[1] Yes, I'm tired ;-)

--
Alan Silver

[NetMax]

"Alan Silver"
> wrote
in message ...
> In article >, NetMax
> > writes
<snip>
<pause>
>
> Well, during that pause (that you probably didn't notice 'cos you
> probably just read straight from the last paragraph to this one without
> any thought for reality.[1]) I remembered which shop it was and rang
> them up. Apparently it is a nitrate reactor, designed to reduce the
> nitrates in the water so they don't need to do as many water changes.
> They also had a pH buffer in there to counter the effects of the
nitrate
> reactor which produces sulphuric acid !!
>
> So there you are. Bottom line is do water changes and don't bother with
> the bubbles !!
>
> Thanx to all who replied,
>
> Alan
>
>
> [1] Yes, I'm tired ;-)
>
> --
> Alan Silver

Thanks for telling us what it was!

NetMax