How do you oxygenate your water, is it enough ?

[427HISS]

If you know the oxygen level of the the ocean levels, let rocks me know.

Ok,
I'll admit I don't understand this below, I just know how to measure my tanks using test kits. The oceans must be hugely.... oxygenated, so wouldn't we need to saturate our tanks ? I mean when I've watched shows when divers are filming the reefs, sometimes there's so many oxygen bubbles you can't see. I'm not meaning constantly. Most reefs are so close to shores that when waves hit the rocks, the amount of oxygen being created has to be astounding.

So, how do we create enough for life in our tanks, yet still being able to see our fish & corals. Lol

Is there a point that they are distributed ?
Do we need oxygen reactors ?

Does a property sized skimmer produced enough ?

 

[TokenReefer]

Does a property sized skimmer produced enough ?

I think it does

 

[PigDaddyF15E]

I don't have any way to measure the oxygen in the water but I'll tell you what I have. I have a skimmer...and since it's full of bubbles...I believe it putting enough oxygen in the water. In addition...I have both of my returns, which are about 1.5 inches below the water level, aimed upwards so it's creating some movement of the surface. In addition to all that, I'm using a mesh top on my tank so there is some natural exchange between the surface and the air in my room.

If these things weren't enough..you'd see fish up near the surface "gulping' for air...which you don't really see posts about that in this forum.

Are we matching the oxygen saturation in the ocean? I don't know...but we aren't "asphixiating" fish/corals that I know of.

 

[Nano sapiens]

The surface skimming overflow/drop down is considered the number one oxygenator that's typically used on a reef aquarium. A skimmer certainly can help raise oxygen levels if low. Open top with flow breaking the surface is another good contributor to oxygenation as this action increases the surface area and hence the amount of oxygen that can enter the water.

Surprisingly, just an air stone and a pump is enough to keep a system sufficiently oxygenated and was the original method used by Lee Chin Eng and his 'Nature System' back in the '60s (originally used to keep saltwater fish in good health). Today people often use this old school method with a battery power source during a power outage to keep the animals alive until the power comes back on.

 

[Uncle99]

Refuge, lit with chaeto and fast water movement

 

[Cantusaurus]

If you have a good amount of surface agitation that will help greatly with gas exchange. But skimmers for sure add oxygen since they are creating a lot of microbubbles and causing gas exchange.
Also air stones too, but I don't like using them since they tend to cause a lot of little salt water condensation, and then salt crepe forms.
There are ways to measure Oxygen levels, but most people don't. Oxygen levels should be fine in a system allowing gas exchange. Also you don't want to overdose bacterias, that can cause low Oxygen levels (that is why skimmers are always recommended to be used to aerate the water).

I would just also test pH and check if that is in line (check it when lights are off and when lights are at peak).
But also having good Oxygen levels in your home is another key thing, if the area around your tank has super stale air then not a lot of oxygen will be able to make it into the water. So opening windows and a fan in the room the tank is in can help circulate things.

Also refugiums help (macroalgae), and corals too a bit once you have a lot of those (since they both produce Oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis)