What to use for surface agitation?

So I have my tank, I think it's around 54 litres/12 gallons, setup for my fire belly newt I have it setup with a biological filter which seems to be working wonders however I think the airstone I am using is killing my java fern :S
What can I use for surface agitation and oxygenation instead of an airstone? I had bought the pump and airstone just for this reason is there anything I can do that can reuse the air pump?

Light filtration is fine but you don't need to oxygenate the water. If your tank is set up correctly for this species ie rammed full of plants there will be plenty of oxygen. If its not full of plants don't worry the oxygen levels will be fine but if you get a big clump of elodea (Canadian pond weed) it will fill the tank up fast.

xxianxx said:

Light filtration is fine but you don't need to oxygenate the water. If your tank is set up correctly for this species ie rammed full of plants there will be plenty of oxygen. If its not full of plants don't worry the oxygen levels will be fine but if you get a big clump of elodea (Canadian pond weed) it will fill the tank up fast.

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Thanks, I have some java fern and some hornwort in there too; was worried about the java fern after I seen it turning a bit black, some leaves going brown and some darn tiny snails eating away at them XD
Glad it's probably just adjusting to the new tank

On a side note I seem to have a bunch of fine white worms, I think they're planaria, around the tank... they seem to have increased in numbers since I last checked. Should I be particularly worried about them and how should I get rid of them if I need to?

Lazmarr said:

Thanks, I have some java fern and some hornwort in there too; was worried about the java fern after I seen it turning a bit black, some leaves going brown and some darn tiny snails eating away at them XD
Glad it's probably just adjusting to the new tank

On a side note I seem to have a bunch of fine white worms, I think they're planaria, around the tank... they seem to have increased in numbers since I last checked. Should I be particularly worried about them and how should I get rid of them if I need to?

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The worms are probably planaria and it's likely that the snails brought them to your axie tank. You shouldn't really have to worry about them though, it doesn't seem that they are harmful at all to axolotls. But they do serve as an indicator of good water quality, so I'm sure your plants are doing fine . The planaria will thrive if theres enough food and waste in the tank so if you would like to get rid of them (or at least get their numbers down) I would just make sure that theres no food or waste floating around in your tank.

Planaria are harmless but may be a sign of dirty conditions, clean the tank and reduce the amount of waste in there. Look at your feeding regime you may be overfeeding.

xxianxx said:

Planaria are harmless but may be a sign of dirty conditions, clean the tank and reduce the amount of waste in there. Look at your feeding regime you may be overfeeding.

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Would a sponge filter be good for surface agitation and light filtration?

I personally prefer to use a small filter for my newts. I like the reptofilters in particular, but depending on the way things are set up it may be too big for the tank, even just the filter without the rock formation. I like those because they have lids to prevent newts from going in them, they are a good height to allow for a decent water level without filling the tank up to the top, and they provide excellent filtration. I have found that the strongest current is produced by the top of the filter, not the bottom. Because of that, I use various objects, including strong fake plants to disperse the water so it is not such a strong current. The nice thing about the filter versus others to is that the water comes out from the top which is what I have my desired water level at. I have the water level filled up to just barely under the top of the part of the filter that expels the water. This creates great surface agitation, and without too much current. I am not sure of the shape or anything of your tank, but I use traditional glass tanks and place the filters perpendicular to the viewing side so the water flows along the long side.