# Can I use an air stone in sand?



## saint fu (Jun 19, 2011)

I am in the process of swapping from a gravel to sand substrate and it just occured to me that I may have an issue with the air stone I use. I had it sitting under the gravel and it worked just fine, will the air bubbles still be able to get through the sand, or should I get one of those wands that stick to the back of the tank? Thanks.


----------



## DKRST (Jan 11, 2011)

The bubbles will work their way up, assuming you don't bury it too deeply. You may end up with fewer, larger bubbles depending on the depth and sand consistency. If your sand is lightweight, the bubbles will quickly uncover the airstone!

On reflection, I think the airstone will uncover itself, so plan on weighting it down and hiding it behind something...


----------



## saint fu (Jun 19, 2011)

i got playsand from home depot and so far so good. thanks for the reply


----------



## saint fu (Jun 19, 2011)

turns out this doesn't work so well. after spending the afternoon rinsing the sand and getting the tank back up, I got nice clear water. I put the stone in and got plenty of bubbles coming up, but I didn't plan on the air stone also sending a bunch of sand particles into the water. when I got up this morning the water was so cloudy I couldn't see the back of the tank. I placed the stone on top of the sand, and I'm hoping the water will clear before I loose any fish.
I guess I'll be shopping for a wand to stick to the back of the tank now.


----------

