# fine bubbles like marine tank in a cichlid tank



## prats (May 12, 2008)

i have see many marine tankx have the airation so fine just like a mist and i love that so i wanna know if there is any way of doin to same in a cichlid tank as well if yes can anyone assist me with the sirection of doing the same


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

I think the bubbles in a marine tank are finer _because_ of the difference in the water. Possibly its specific gravity... as in the water is more dense, the same reson it is easier for us to float in the ocean compared to freshwater lakes. We might have a "Reefer" here who can answer for sure though.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Have you gave a wooden aerator a shot?


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## Aquanist (Dec 29, 2007)

Not possible to get "marine-fine" bubbles without adding a heavy dose of seasalt in the mix. Hoosier Tank already explained why so. Smallest bubbles I've witnessed in freshwater came from a heavily cavitating pump (not suggested). Wooden bubbles might work - if keeping the pressure at minimum there'd only be one string of tiny bubbles. When adding air pressure more timy bubbles would appear but they will join each other pretty much instantly thus ending up as your everyday freshwater bubbles.


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

I love those small bubbles also. What I do to get them as close as possible to a salt water tank is an air line that goes to my powerhead. It pulls in air after the pump and shoots fine bubbles out. I have them in all my tanks, and I like them better than air stones.


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## the General (Aug 26, 2007)

sometimes if the airstone is underneath a powerhead in my tank it gets like that.


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## prats (May 12, 2008)

i have never tried wooden airstone but i don't think that even would work


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

It works but I don't think it would work they way you want it.

Like they said, you would need a more powerful air pump anyway.

I have used them when I cycled tanks and they fizz.

Salinity does play a role thinking about it. Its one of the ways to trouble shoot a protein skimmer if its not working properly, check the salinity.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Most marine keepers buy expensive gadgets to eliminate those bubbles!


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

I did this playing around one day.








I have a 600gph pump with a sponge filter on it, a hose running to a pvc manifold on the corner of the tank, I put an airline inside the sponge filter just to see what would happen. Those bubbles went everywhere.
Personally I don't like tiny bubbles in my tank, they look like particles floating around.


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