Best Airstone for Aquarium in 2023! Let it Bubble
Looking after your aquarium and providing a good, healthy environment for your fish are two essential matters that you must consider.
Trying to find the best airstone for your aquarium should be your ultimate goal, as it helps circulate the water and gradually spread air into the tank, as well as helps reduce the noise produced by the filtration systems of the aquarium.
Determining whether you just want an air stone to do the job, or also want it to add decoration to your aquarium is all up to you.
Air stones come in different sizes, shapes and functions. We’ll be reviewing with you our 5 Best Airstones for Aquarium.
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Table of Contents
Hygger Aquarium Airstone Kit
[amazon box=”B07CN9SG8K”]
The Hygger Aquarium Air Stone Kit is a 2-inch fish tank bubbler that has a 4mm tube. It also comes in a 4-inch size.
Once purchased, you’ll find the package including a control valve, two suction cups, and a check valve.
You can change the bubbles’ size produced by this airstone by simply adjusting the air pump.
- It’s heavy, so it stays put and the fish can’t move it around
- If set to produce microbubbles, generates a lot of movement into the water
- Doesn’t float up because of its heavyweight
- Easily cleaned
- Too visible in the tank, which is annoying if it ruins your aquarium decoration
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Video: “Hygger Aquarium Air Stone”
Pawfly 1.6″ Airstone Bubble for Aquarium
[amazon box=”B01LYLNQWV”]
Pawfly provides a ceramic fish tank air stones diffuser with a hydroponics pump. It comes in either a 4-piece package or an 8-piece one. It’s approximately 1.6 x 0.6″/40 x 15mm in size.
This air stone produces large amounts of tiny bubbles rather than small amounts of larger ones.
- Works with Nano air pumps
- Easily cleaned
- They’re heavy, so they don’t float to the surface
- Durable and made of non-toxic material
- Excellent customer service
- If a splitter is used on one of the air pumps, they don’t produce bubbles equally
- Not all of them have the same air resistance, so they don’t all produce the same amount of bubbles
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Pawfly 4-Inch Airstone Disc Bubble Diffuser with Suction Cups
[amazon box=”B01M9DL67H”]
Another airstone provided by Pawfly. This 4-inch airstone’s most suitable for a fish tank that’s approximately 15.7-39.4 inches in size.
It fits for an inner diameter tube that’s 0.16″ / 4 mm. The Recommended Air Pump Power for it is 6W-8W.
- Easily washed
- Durable
- Comes with 3 easy-mount suction cups
- One month guarantee in case the stone doesn’t work
- Stays well put in the bottom of the tank when secured with suction cups
- Produces a large number of bubbles
- Made of non-toxic material
- The bubbles only come out of a tiny part in the center, despite its 4’’ in size across
- The suction cups are a bit weak
- A bit noisy
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NICREW Multi-Colored LED Aquarium Airstone Disk
[amazon box=”B07F1LRJP7″]
Give your aquarium a disco-feeling to it. With this auto multi-color LED lights changing airstone. This airstone by Nicrew creates beautiful volcano-like bubbles in the fish tank.
The package includes an airstone disk with a suction cup that is 3/16’’ in size, an airline tubing, and a power adapter.
The disk dimensions are 0.7’’ in height and 4’’ in length. It comes in two sizes; a 2-inch size and a 4-inch one.
- Very easy to install
- Besides being a good air diffuser, it makes a good decorating item in the tank
- Produces a large number of volcano bubbles
- You can’t adjust or stop the color-changing lights
- The colored lights are only visible if the room is dark
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Video: “Nicrew multi colored LED fish tank aquarium bubbler”
DXCEL LED Aquarium Air Bubble Light Fish Tank Air Curtain Bubble Stone Disk
[amazon box=”B07D5DVYF5″]
Dxcel here provides a piece of decoration that has 6 color-changing LEDs and an air stone that has a 2’’ diameter. It provides a massive air bubble effect when connected to an air pump.
The design is very well sealed and will sit well at the bottom of your aquarium. This air bubble has an IP68 waterproof rate.
- Durable
- Easily washed
- Produces a huge amount of bubbles
- Easy to set up and use
- Bright lights
- Smaller in size than expected, but that doesn’t affect its performance at all
- You can’t adjust or stop the color-changing lights
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What are the Benefits of Using an Airstone in my Aquarium?
A very popular misconception is that if you’ve got a good filter, you won’t be needing an airstone. Even if you do have a good filter, adding an airstone will circulate the water more effectively.
To say the least is the water circulation that’s created in the tank when the air stone starts functioning. When the bubbles rise to the surface of the water, they increase the water flow as well as the oxygen in the water.
Naturally, the increased circulation prevents the water from being lifeless.
Also, If the airstone used in your aquarium looks good or lights up when connected, it may add a nice sense of decoration to the aquarium. So you could actually add a few more, later on.
How Do I Install my Airstone?
An airstone is absolutely useless without an air pump. So, to start with, you need to get yourself a decent air pump that’s the right size for your airstone.
Usually, you’ll be needing one ranging from 2 to 5 watts. But as often it all depends on both the size of your aquarium and the type of airstone you’re going to use.
Once you’ve settled on an air pump, now soak your airstone in water for at least an hour. Always make sure to check the instructions, as some airstones require longer soaking .
Other equipment you’ll be needing are air tubes and a T-shape connector. Usually, the air pump has 2 outlets. So if you’re only installing one airstone, you’ll need to connect both ends of both air tubes to the air pump using a T-shape connector. This way you’re converting twin outlets into a single outlet.
By now you should have your airstone ready to be connected to the air pump. Simply connect the air tube coming out of the airstone to the T-shape connector that you’ve installed to your air pump.
You could add any decoration to your aquarium to cover your airstone if you prefer, and you’re good to go.
Video: “How To: Setup an Air Pump and Air Stone in an Aquarium”
7 Best Quiet Aquarium Air Pumps for up to 100 gallon and more
Where Do I Put my Airstone?
Airstones are typically placed at the bottom of the aquarium. However, there’s no specific spot for them. It all depends on both the size of your airstone and aquarium.
It’d be best if you place your airstone in the middle of your aquarium’s decoration and plants. By doing so it doesn’t bother your fish while swimming.
Also, make sure to place the airstone away from the filter. As you don’t want the bubbles coming out from the airstone to go right into the filter!
That would make the airstone almost useless.
How Do I Clean my Airstone?
Just like your aquarium needs cleaning, your airstone does as well. Below, I’ll be guiding you on how to clean your air stone in detail in 8 steps.
It’s best advised that you check if your air stone needs cleaning every 2 to 3 months. It’s also recommended that you clean your whole aquarium at the same time as well for best results.
Remove The Airstone From The Aquarium
First of all, turn off, unplug and remove the air stone from the aquarium and out of the water. Take off any rubber end pieces hanging on to the air stone. If some of them seem to be stuck, slowly move them up and down and twist them around until they come off.
Prepare Your Cleaning Solution
Now prepare your cleaning solution: Measure 30 mL of bleach and add to it 270 mL of water. Continue combining this ratio of water and bleach until you have enough liquid solution to clean all of your airstone parts.
Clean the Airstone
Soak in the airstone parts into the bleach solution for 2 to 3 hours. You could soak in with them any tubes you need to clean as well. After waiting for that period, gently move them around to make sure no dirt’s still stuck on any of the pieces.
Rinse and Dry
Now gently rinse the parts you cleaned using warm water, and let them air dry for another 2 to 3 hours. I wouldn’t risk towel drying them, as they might break.
Re-installing The Airstone
Time to re-install your parts together! Gently put 3 drops of silicone on to the edge of the airstone tube. Then install and secure the rubber end pieces that you removed earlier back in place.
Now place the rubber end pieces back on to the tube and squeeze a bit to make sure they’re well placed. Use a damp cloth to remove any extra silicone that comes out. Leave them to dry for the period specified in the instructions on the silicone tube. Repeat the same for all the remaining parts and tubes.
Re-install the air stone back into the tank, plug it in, and you have your almost-new air stone back in action!
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Concluding
Adding an airstone to your aquarium isn’t an absolute necessity, but it makes a remarkable difference.
An airstone adds to the appearance of the aquarium, makes it more lively. The fish will enjoy it. And it also provides a healthier environment to them as it increases the water circulation, which in turn increases the oxygen in the water.
Determining the type and brand of the airstone you’ll purchase is a matter of personal preference. Some people don’t give the appearance of the airstone much importance, and just need it to do the job it’s done for. Others, want it to do both the air circulating and the decoration part.
I personally really like the DXCEL LED Aquarium Air Bubble Light. This airstone has both a good appearance and does a good job. It stays put at the bottom of the tank where you place it and produces a fair amount of bubbles for my fish. I also love the bright lights that come out of it. Overall a contender for the best airstone for aquarium!
