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Air stones and sponge filters

Becca

Members
Last night I set up two 30-gallon grow outs on the floor in the fish room (yes, that's how bad it's getting :p). I put two sponge filters in each and outfitted them with the new air stones I got from DrsFosterSmith.com. As soon as I'd done this, many of my other filters stopped working. The more new airstones I added, the more old ones I needed to replace - the new stones seem to be more porous than the old ones, which is great because you get better flow, but not so great because all the air rushes out of those and you get nothing out of the new ones.

So, I've learned the hard way that if I'm going to replace air stones I have to replace them all at the same time and with the same type.

Is there a brand or type of air stone that lasts long/holds up well that people recommend for use with sponge filters? I know some don't use them, but I find that the bubbling of filters is FAR too noisy when there's no stones on any of them.
 

Becca

Members
I might have to invest in a few of those type of manifolds. Mine are not adjustable I tend to tie knots in my airlines and loosen or tighten the knot to adjust but, given the number of lines I'm running, it's just not practical to keep doing that.
 

Localzoo

Board of Directors
I use a little air manifold to adjust pressure to each line. They have different sizes available. http://www.amazon.com/Jardin-Outlet...TF8&qid=1410787620&sr=8-3&keywords=Jardin+air

Air stones do clog over time, some brands faster than others. I've heard that there are some nice ones at Jehmco.....I think the ceramic ones. I'm guessing you could renew the higher end air stones in a mild acid solution when they clog???? Anyone actually done this?

When I first started I bought used equipment. I soaked the air stone in vinegar, then ran air through it while in the vinegar. Rinse repeat, then rinse, then move to fresh water, then to the tank.


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jonclark96

Past CCA President
I've never tried cleaning air stones, as it just didn't seem to be a good use of my time. Stones are relatively inexpensive.

+1 on using valves/manifolds to balance your lines. You can achieve almost the same amount of control with inline valves versus the manifold.
 

Becca

Members
I've never tried cleaning air stones, as it just didn't seem to be a good use of my time. Stones are relatively inexpensive.

+1 on using valves/manifolds to balance your lines. You can achieve almost the same amount of control with inline valves versus the manifold.

Yeah, I've never seen the point in cleaning them either - it's already enough of PITA to go in and replace them. Especially since I worry about upsetting fish guarding fry.

I'd like to have to change them less often, so if anyone has a brand they just love and think is worth the extra money/trouble to find/whatever, let me know.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
I only use air stone on sponges that are in tanks in "public" spaces, as my air pump in my fish room is noisy and I'm not concerned with the bubbling in there. On the tanks in bedrooms, I use the old Perfecto brand ones that look like long white cylinders that connect into air line splice fittings. They seem to make small bubbles and have been in use for what seems like years. I'm sure that they have partially clogged over time, but not enough for me to take the time to replace them.
 

Becca

Members
I only use air stone on sponges that are in tanks in "public" spaces, as my air pump in my fish room is noisy and I'm not concerned with the bubbling in there. On the tanks in bedrooms, I use the old Perfecto brand ones that look like long white cylinders that connect into air line splice fittings. They seem to make small bubbles and have been in use for what seems like years. I'm sure that they have partially clogged over time, but not enough for me to take the time to replace them.

Good to know! I think that Lee's makes ones like this - a couple came with a box filter I got a while back and I did notice that they had nice flow. Thanks for reminding me of them!
 

rsretep

Members
I use airstones in all of my sponge filters, I use Lee brand discard a stone, they come in different styles (coarse, fine, slim etc.) mine need changing about every three months or so. Have never used anything else
 

dogofwar

CCA Members
I don't use airstones on my sponge filters...but I keep the flow relatively low so that they don't suck in too much gunk but provide for bio filtration...and run box filters (with gravel to weight them down + flow) with lots of flow to serve primarily as mechanical filtration

Matt
 

cabinetmkr39

DavidG / CCA Member
I use airstones in all of my sponge filters, I use Lee brand discard a stone, they come in different styles (coarse, fine, slim etc.) mine need changing about every three months or so. Have never used anything else

I use the same as Pete the coarse ones seem to work best for me.
I keep a plastic coffee can with bleach in my fishroom with the lid on and when I change out my dirty Discard-A-Stone they go rite into the bleach. And I start the cycle all over . of course make sure you rinse them well and I let them air dry before i use again.
I bought a bag of 100 Discard-A-stone from Aquatic Eco 5 years ago still using . they last a fair amount of time before you need to trash.
 

rsretep

Members
I use the same as Pete the coarse ones seem to work best for me.
I keep a plastic coffee can with bleach in my fishroom with the lid on and when I change out my dirty Discard-A-Stone they go rite into the bleach. And I start the cycle all over . of course make sure you rinse them well and I let them air dry before i use again.
I bought a bag of 100 Discard-A-stone from Aquatic Eco 5 years ago still using . they last a fair amount of time before you need to trash.

Good tip bro may give that a try
 
airstones-aircontrol

You also may want to check out Kens Fish, 100-Deep Blue stones for $20, Deep Blue(or Lees, DB a better value) air control valve kit if you want to further split off a manifold which I do. Those 'jardin type' metal valves can also be bought on e-bay cheaper than Amazon.
By the way I use some old wood type for 20+years, just clean them in bleach and rinse appropriately. Kens now carries a similiar type.
Just a thought.
 

Becca

Members
I had wondered about the wood type. I thought they were for saltwater use

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MarkK

CCA Members
I do use air stones in all my sponge filters. I believe they improve the flow rate of water through the sponge filter and they also help with the sound.

I was using cheapo molded diffusers, the blue kind that you get at fish stores, but having been unhappy with their short useful life I have switched to Sweetwater diffusers.

According to the manufacturer they have these special characteristics:

The Sweetwater Diffuser is a high quality ceramic type diffuser that is machined from a solid block of glass bonded silica. This diffuser requires no air filter because dust and dirt particles up to 30 microns in size will pass right through.
Here’s a quality air diffuser that offers the best diffuser technology available. This diffuser has an air resistance of 0.25 psi, which makes this glass-bonded diffuser compatible with economical low-pressure blowers. It produces a uniform medium-fine bubble and is very resistant to clogging. Occasional cleaning is necessary after calcium precipitate or bacteria builds up. May be cleaned and restored to like-new performance by placing in an acid bath. Comes with a 2 year guarantee.
Sweetwater diffusers are the best choice for aquaculture, wastewater and lake aerations because of the round grain pore structure, low resistance and uniform porosity. Sweetwater designed this diffuser to produce the smallest bubble possible within the constraints of a reasonable service life. Most soft water applications will not require cleaning for more than a year.

Introduced in 1978, Sweetwater is the original 2,000 degree F glass bonded, silica diffuser. Others may look the same, but compare quality and the two year warranty against other brands.
Offers These Fine Features:

Custom sizes and fittings available
Self-weighting when used with typical tubing lengths
2 Year Warranty
Very Clog Resistant
Minimal Cleaning & Maintenance
Long-Life
 

toddnbecka

Members
Pick up a couple packs of single inline airline valves. Much better than tying knots in your airlines, and easier to regulate too. Manifolds are more trouble than they're worth IMO.
 
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