In my 120 gal. tank I am running a fx5 and a HOB filter. One of my outlets on the fx5 is pointed up to ripple the top of the water. Do you guys think I need a air pump making bubbles in the tank to give the fish adequate oxygen?

You will soon know if your fish start suffering from hypoxia which is basically lack of oxygen, they will open and close their mouthes rapidly, and in very severe cases of lack of oxygen will hang at the surface with their mouths just out of the water again opening and closing the mouth rapidly. If you have your spray bar set properly so it is creating surface agitation then you should oxygenate your tank without the need for any type of air stone. Having said that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding extra oxygen to the water, so if you want to get one of those air stones than go ahead

I am asking this because my Oscar is very lethargic. He is breathing hard but he is at the bottom of the tank. Would he need more oxygen after growing. He is 7in right now. My other fish are perfectly fine. Water is great o ammonia o nitrites 2o nitrares ph 6.2. No signs of disease.

Normally, if you have a problem with water quality than all the fish will be behaving in the same way. Your water quality appears to be okay. I'm assuming that the water coming from your filters is creating surface agitation? I'm not sure what is wrong with your fish. You could try adding extra oxygen and see if that makes any difference. Consider carrying out a 40% water change and see if the fish acts any differently after that

OFL wrote:

i know your the boss but,,, why would she change water if all here perimeters are good???? i say add some air... i heard somewhere that airstones help with algae and keeping your ph down

jcrunk69 wrote:

because there are times someone says his/her water is fine only to find out
not. changing water will not harm the fishes but will do good if you had a wrong
water diagnosis.

i had been using airstone for so long but not any more...i stop
using airstone for almost 3 years now.

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Oxygen naturally goes into the water, the thing that determines the rate is surface area. A rippled surface has a bigger surface are than a still one. This is why we need a rippled surface. All an air stone does is ripple the surface (the bubbles in the water dont add much oxygen to the tank). So if your filter is rippling the surface you dont need an air stone, however if you like the look then you can still add one

agree with del, I have a 10" long airstone and a 6" circular one in my 4x2x2 tank because I love the way it looks, and my babies seem to like the feel of the bubbles on their skin, maybe its like having a fishy jaccuzi lol

T