Air Stone in a Saltwater Mixed Reef??

I was not aware, I will have to check his thread out. thanks!

 

Idea totally stolen. Thanks.

 

I've done it once and the mess and salt creep was a disaster. That said, I really want to do it again.

Air bubbles are a ridiculously power efficient way to get a lot of movement. Done right, you could even make it lovely and random. The bubbles don't promote a whole lot of gas exchange, but the surface movement sure does.

This all matters because I'd like to try some day to build a reef tank with power requirements so low that it could run for a month off the battery backups I could stack reasonably inside the cabinet. The month is arbitrary, but the idea of an unstoppable tank really makes me happy.

Think skimmerless sumpless plenum reef with solar tube and Radions for light and air pumps properly shielded to avoid spray for movement.

 

By using an open ended air line and not an air stone you get the water movement but not near so much creep.

 

+1

Switched to the open line for my UGF before powerheads were available. The only noticeable difference was far less salt creep.

 

Gee whiz Bill, you must be getting close to my category.
Did you start with tanks made of metal frames and window putty holding the glass in like I did?

 

YES! exactly what I was going to post. Works like a charm! And helps keep nuisance algae growth off the chaeto

 

Ah yes, the good ol' days... stainless steel-framed tank, air-pump-driven corner box filter, and don't forget the tubular incandescent lighting. lol. Used that for FW a few years before SW became available in my area.

 

You Old Fish Farts.;D8)

 

Actually, I never saw stainless for a lot of years. My tanks were all steel painted black.
I guess you aren't as old as I thought.