Powerheads and air pump?

[isoldouttojesus]

Okay here is a newbie question. I have a power head on one of the lift tubes to my ugf; am i suppose to connect it to the airpump with tubing or just put this little rotation thing on the end? Do i even need an airpump on a 55 gallon fish haven? One lift tube has the powerhead and the other has a airstone connected to the airpump by tubing. I also have a bubble wand connected to the air pump by a gang valve. Do I need the air pump if I put a second power head on the other airlift tube?

isoldouttojesus

[Nooboon]

As long as your tank is not overstocked, you don't need the airpump. The bubbles aid in oxygenating the water by causing surface aggitation and creating currents in by carrying water to the surface with them. As long as you have plenty of water movement from other sources (ie powerhead) the pump is redundant though you may like the look of the bubbles.

I would definitely put the powerhead on the other uplift tube as you may find that having one with a PH and one with bubbles may actually be decreasing the filter performance. This is because the PH is so much stronger that it may in fact pull water down the other uplift (against the bubbles) and short curcuit the system. I believe you are better to have both bubbles or both PH than a combination.