Difference Between Air Stone and Air Diffusor

[A340]

Ok, so what is the difference between an air stone and an air diffusor?

You have your traditional green/blue/black air stones that hook up to your air pump and inserted into your tank creating pretty little bubbles and providing oxygen to your fish.

Then you also have the wooden (I believe they are some form of wood) diffusors that are meant for saltwater tanks in which you put them into your protein skimmer, at least according to the instructions on the back.

1) What purpose does the diffusor in the protein skimmer provide?

2) Can you use a wooden diffusor as an air stone for a freshwater tank? Are there any pros or cons?

3) Do diffusors create finer bubbles, more of a mist? Are there any specific air stones/diffusors that create more of a mist rather than bubbles?

[Chrona]

Ok, so what is the difference between an air stone and an air diffusor?

You have your traditional green/blue/black air stones that hook up to your air pump and inserted into your tank creating pretty little bubbles and providing oxygen to your fish.

Then you also have the wooden (I believe they are some form of wood) diffusors that are meant for saltwater tanks in which you put them into your protein skimmer, at least according to the instructions on the back.

1) What purpose does the diffusor in the protein skimmer provide?

2) Can you use a wooden diffusor as an air stone for a freshwater tank? Are there any pros or cons?

3) Do diffusors create finer bubbles, more of a mist? Are there any specific air stones/diffusors that create more of a mist rather than bubbles?

In general, diffusers are finer than airstones. This may result in your filter blowing a cloud of tiny bubbles around your tank, which you may or may not want. The majority of oxygen in the water comes from the surface anyways, as oxygen has a very slow rate of dissolving into water and the bubbles just aren't in the water long enough unless you have a cloud of micro bubbles in your tank. The main way a bubbler puts more oxygen in is by breaking up the surface film and agitating the surface, and the finer bubbles won't do as good of a job with that.

[A340]

Thanks Chrona, makes sense if you think about it.