What is it with air bubbles?

[houstonhobby]

One thing I get from reading (I don't actually own any fish or corals yet, just some apitasia:thumbdown) is that little air bubbles in the water from the skimmer or pumps or whatever have a very bad effect on the health of marine animals.

Is that true? Anybody know why?

Thanks,
Rod

[BlindZide]

From what I have read, no, it wont harm the fish. The best way it was described to me is waves cause bubbles in a reef and it survives, so why not in your tank? Now From what I have experienced, it does make corals retract, well at least mine do. As far as scientific data, I don't know where to point you.

[houstonhobby]

thanks for the reply. I saw a thread somewhere where somebody said their fish had a popeye and it healed up over night when he fixed the bubbles from his skimmer. That was my source for the harming fish part. That wasn't very scientific either.

[Reefmedic79]

It's mostly aesthetic not having micro-bubbles in the tank, and impossible to completely remove from the tank, IMO. Outside of decreasing light penetration into the tank, and prevent full polyp extension as mentioned above, I don't believe it can cause any real harm to corals or fish.

[paul26]

The whole micro-bubble harm is bs. I used to scuba dive/snorkel in Okinawa and the reef's would be full of micro bubbles from crashing waves and it was FULL of fish.

[Glaucus_atlanti]

everyone has differing views, myself we used to be proud of microbubbles in our tanks back in the day, the more the better.

[houstonhobby]

Thanks everyone. I'm learning a lot.

[brandon429]

I run my small pico reef with only two airstones covering a decades worth of sps and lps in microbubbles 24x7 no probs!

[houstonhobby]

I have seen some tanks on YouTube with air stones and I have read that reef tanks need highly oxygenated water.

[Reefmedic79]

I have seen some tanks on YouTube with air stones and I have read that reef tanks need highly oxygenated water.

This is true though a skimmer is usually to provide O2 in our tanks, in addition to the cascading of our overflows.

[Glaucus_atlanti]

My expierences with stones in salt usually end up with salt crust on everything around the tank

[houstonhobby]

Good tthought, and a good reason to avoid bubbles

[Psxerholic]

Micro bubbles are different from normal air. Bubbles.
Micro bubbles from return plumbing going back into the tank will cause fish disease on the long run.

This is what I read in threads and Julian Sprungs lectures as well. So it is to be avoided in the display.