The 10 Best Aquarium Air Stones to Buy in 2024

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 1.2” x 0.8”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: 3⁄16″
• Recommended air pump power: 2-4W
• Jetting volume: not specified
• Includes: 2 air stones, 7ft or 13ft tubing, 6 suction cups, 2 check valves, 2 straight connectors, and 2 T-shape connectors

Sizing & Power

The 2-4W power range covers the vast majority of ‘standard’ air pumps, making this kit suitable for those who already own a pump. Plus, the useful inclusion of T-shape connectors allows you to split the input and use a single pump to operate multiple air stones at once – perfect for those with large tanks, and multi-tank hobbyists. Most air stones don’t come with any tubing or split connectors, putting this product ahead of the competition, with full marks for versatility.

Style & Bubble Effect

This isn’t just an air stone, it’s a complete air pump accessory kit, and aside from the pump itself, it includes everything you need to get started, and at an impressively low cost. The air stones themselves are small and unobtrusive, producing a fine stream of bubbles that’s ideal for smaller aquariums.

Materials & Durability

As it’s a kit, you can be sure that the tubing and connectors will attach perfectly to the stones. This greatly reduces your chance of leaks and loose connections, which is a common problem with DIY setups.

It also makes the ease of setup unrivaled, and this is by far the most beginner-friendly product to make our list. The check valves prevent reverse water flow in the case of a power outage- so their inclusion in this kit is a nice bonus, too. Unfortunately, they do appear more cheaply made than the other components and may fault over time.

The air stones themselves are high quality though. Two are included, which is perfect for getting things up and running, but they won’t last forever. No problem – you can buy a 10x pack of replacement air stones without the additional accessories, and for a remarkably cheap price.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 1.57” x 0.59”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: ⅛”
• Pump power required: not specified (we recommended 2-4W)
• Jetting volume: not specified (average)
• Includes: 10 air stones

Sizing & Power

The small cylinder shape of these air stones means they don’t awkwardly stick out (even in smaller setups) and your eyes are naturally drawn to the bubble effect rather than the stones. That said, the stones are slightly larger than in the Pawfly All-in-One Kit, which helps them to provide a stronger bubble flow.

There’s no official pump power requirement, but we suggest a 2-4W range. Less than 2W and the air stones won’t produce bubbles to their full potential, if your air pump is >4W these stones simply aren’t large enough to keep up.

Style & Bubble Effect

These cylindrical air stones will float unless nestled in the substrate or affixed with suction cups, but as they’re small we find this isn’t much of a problem. Plus, the bubble rate is unlikely to disturb even shy fish – as long as you don’t place the stone in their favorite hiding place!

We also love their deep blue color, it sets them apart from the traditional softer grey tones of the VIVOSUN Air Stone or the Pawfly 1 Inch, and the color blends very well once submerged.

Materials & Durability

Despite their plastic connector, we actually find these little stones to be incredibly durable. Although it’s not unheard of to find an occasional dud stone in the pack, but as each lasts so long, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for the impressive price.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 4” x 2”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: ⅛”
• Pump power required: 4-8W
• Jetting volume: 2.5L/min
• Includes: 2 air stones

Sizing & Power

The aeration provided goes beyond the requirements of a standard aquarium, as they’re specifically designed for hydroponic systems, ponds, and planted aquariums.

While the 4″ length may not seem particularly large, it’s more than double the size of air stones like the Yueton, and as such it requires double the pump power, too. This makes a huge difference to the bubble rate, and the VIVOSUN is likely too much for tanks under 15 gallons. But for larger setups, these stones are truly excellent.

Positively, the weight of these air stones means they’ll stay grounded in your tank without further support, and we find this much easier than attaching/detaching suction cups when the stones need cleaning.

Style & Bubble Effect

It’s a large cylindrical shape that provides powerful water aeration. For those with planted aquariums or hydroponic systems, the strong circulation will also help you extend the life of your nutrient solutions – an indirect saving that’s worth factoring into your pricing considerations. Notably, while the VIVOSUN produces very fine bubbles, the rapid production rate could be disturbing to skittish fish.

PRO-TIP: frequently adding plant nutrition to your aquarium will significantly increase the incidence of air stone clogging. Don’t worry, this is normal and easily rectifiable. We advise fortnightly checks to spot when bubble production starts to drop off. When it does, follow our how to clean and maintain your aquarium air stones guide.

Materials & Durability

We like that this air stone’s connector tip is finished with an epoxy resin glue. Epoxy resin is completely inert to aquatic life and provides a more durable finish than cheap plastic. Expect these to last for several years if properly maintained – outstanding performance for air stone longevity.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): small (2” diameter) or large (4” diameter)
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: ⅛” for 2″ size, ¼” for 4″ size
• Pump power required: 2W+ for small disk, 4W+ for large disk
• Jetting volume: 3L/min
• Includes: 1 air stone, 1 control valve, 1 check valve, 2 suction cups, 1 T-connector, 1 reducer

Sizing & Power

These Hygger disks are one of only two air stones to offer a color choice – the other being the Pawfly 1 Inch. This allows you to better match the disk with your substrate color, creating a more natural-looking tank that keeps your fish, or live plants, as the deserved focal point.

The choice of disk size also means a choice of power, but whichever you opt for – you’ll need to connect the stone to its own pump. You can’t share multiple stones with another airline as with the Pawfly All-in-One Kit or the Wenshall 1.6″.

If multiple air stones are a necessity in your case (as you have a large, or multiple tanks) you’ll need to decide whether the benefits of the Hygger are worth purchasing an additional pump.

Style & Bubble Effect

The air stone itself is a sleek disk shape, with a weighted base. As such the stone sinks naturally and doesn’t require any suction cups, although they’re still included. We like the flat disk-shaped design too, as it makes it unlikely to be knocked over by darting fish, which can be a problem with the TEEMO Groot Air Bubbler.

The output is a strong, rapid bubble stream that will help prevent debris stagnation more effectively than every other stone. This dense bubble production means you’ll need to clean your air stones more frequently – so consider whether you’re willing to add further time to your weekly maintenance.

One unique feature is the inclusion of a handy control valve, allowing you to control the level of bubble diffusion. Such features are reflected in the premium price tag; it’s the most expensive item to make our list.

Materials & Durability

While we prefer the disk design of the Hygger, the inclusion of (essential) air tubes makes the Pawfly All-in-One kit a more complete offering for 2W air pumps. Still, for larger tanks or those with a 4W+ air pump, there’s no other accessory kit that can compete with the Hygger 4″.

Finally, the airline intake attaches at an almost vertical angle. This is preferable when compared to a horizontal intake, or even underside connections (like on the Nicrew Multi-Colored LED Disk), which rest with a slight bend. Over time, this bending can reduce airflow and affect the longevity of the tubing.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 5.5” x 2.8”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: not specified
• Pump power required: 1.5W+
• Jetting volume: not specified (low)
• Includes: 1 air stone built into resin character

Sizing & Power

This air stone requires a (minimum) pump power of only 1.5W, making it ideal for those with small air pumps and for use in <10-gallon nanotanks. There’s no maximum pump power indicated, but we find it’ll max out around 4W. The stone itself doesn’t have the surface area to increase water flow noticeably beyond this point.

Style & Bubble Effect

One of only two ornamental designs to make our top 10 list (the other being a Volcano design) this air stone comes built into a cute Marvel comics Groot character figure.

It’s perfect for younger aquarists, or any hobbyist who prefers a more casual and fun style to their setup. A small wave of bubbles flows from the top of Groot’s head, which looks adorable and will provide sufficient water agitation for most standard-sized tanks.

Materials & Durability

It’s hand-painted with PVC which gives Groot a sharp, polished finish, but you should expect this to slowly fade with constant submersion. It’s light, making it easily removable for cleaning, but if anything it’s a little too light.

In fact, it’s prone to be knocked over by active fish, and will be displaced from the substrate with even mild water flows (don’t place it near your filter). We would like to have seen some extra weight added to the base of the structure to prevent this.

PRO-TIP: If you’re in love with the Groot design but worried about it toppling over, a simple DIY fix is to use aquarium silicone to affix it to the tank floor. The trade-off here is that you won’t be able to remove it for cleaning. Longer term, it’s possible to remove aquarium silicone if you ever want to permanently switch out the ornament.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 1” x 0.6″
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: 3/16″
• Pump power required: 2-4W
• Jetting volume: 0.8L /min
• Includes: 10 grey or 12 blue air stones

Sizing & Power

If you’re struggling for space in a tank that’s pushing capacity, or simply want to avoid the eyesore of a large stone, these bite-sized cylinders should be your go-to.

The blue variation contains a whopping 12 air stones, making it the cheapest ‘cost-per-stone’ price we’ve seen and a close contender for our top budget pick. Ultimately, we still gave Yueton the nod, as for a similar price you get larger and slightly more robust stones.

Just remember that with the small size there’s an inevitable trade-off in output, with 0.8L/m being the maximum flow rate. By comparison, the Hygger Air Stone produces almost 4 times that.

Style & Bubble Effect

These tiny cylindrical stones won’t win any prizes for their aesthetics and you’ll need to secure them with suction cups to keep their position fixed. But when they’re in the tank, you’ll hardly notice them. Note that the bubble flow won’t be sufficient for aquariums that are reliant on increased oxygenation for tank health – such as those with heavily planted tanks, or tanks stocked close to their bioload capacity.

Materials & Durability

Like the VIVOSUN, these stones use epoxy resin on the connector tip surface, for improved durability. Plus, each stone arrives individually packed.

When kept out of water air stones are prone to crumbling with contact; this separate packaging is a great way to ensure they stay intact on their way to you. Still, you’ll need to replace them fairly frequently, but that’s not a big issue considering how many you get.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 4” x 1.5”
• Fits tubing diameter of: 3/16″ or ⅜”
• Pump power required: 4W+
• Jetting volume: 20L /min
• Includes: 1 air stone

Sizing & Power

VIVOSUN is the only other top 10 stone to require such a powerful pump (4W+), perhaps unsurprising as both are designed specifically to add oxygen and lower CO2 in larger hydroponic aquariums and planted tanks.

While we feel that the VIVOSUN is a better all-round offering, if your end goal is a high jetting volume, this is where to spend your money; it’s unrivaled at 20L/m.

Style & Bubble Effect

The Pawfly 4 Inch looks like the top half of a tennis ball with a connector placed vertically through the top. Nothing fancy, but you’ll probably be too mesmerized by the epic bubble production to notice.

Notably, this air stone requires a lengthy pre-soak for maximal bubble production, longer than for any other stone we’ve seen. 3 hours is the recommended soak time given by Pawfly, but we suggest you give it 6. At full production, the bubble rate is a strong stream of fine, dense bubbles.

Materials & Durability

The top vertical inlet connector means it can sit perfectly flat and stable on the base of your tank. Plus, the connector tip is metal, unique amongst products we’ve reviewed. This makes the connector much more durable, but we find that initially, it makes connecting the tubing attachments a little harder.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 1.6” x 0.6” x 0.6”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: 3/16”
• Pump power required: 2W+
• Jetting volume: 2L/m
• Includes: 4 air stones, 2 three-way splitters

Sizing & Power

The inclusion of 2 three-way splitters means you can power all the included air stones from one air pump. In other words, buy these stones and you can aerate four separate tanks simultaneously – very impressive. This makes Wenshall air stones an obvious choice for aquarists with a multi-tank setup, who don’t want to face the financial outlay of buying additional pumps.

Style & Bubble Effect

We consider these ‘cake-shaped’ stones a hybrid design of the various Pawfly cylinders and the larger, disk-shaped Hygger Air Stone. It’s a nice middle ground – heavier and more stable than the former, yet smaller than the latter.

They produce a surprisingly strong bubble rate for their size, too. Unfortunately, they’re loud. Much louder than anything else on our list, in fact. We see these stones as best suited for a multi-tank owner who uses a basement or garage space for their aquariums, rather than those who keep their setup in a main living space.

Materials & Durability

Unfortunately, the level of bubble production appears to vary between stones in a somewhat random way. Our best explanation for this is an inconsistency in the material density. The inconsistency shouldn’t be severe enough to render any stone useless, but there’s little you can do when the air stones are being powered through the same air pump – far from ideal.

Quick Facts

• Size(s): 2″ and 4″ diameter choices
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: 3/16″
• Pump power required: 3W+
• Jetting volume: not specified (low)
• Includes: 1 air stone, suction cup, tubing, power adaptor

Sizing & Power

We like the choice in sizes, but even the bigger stone has a rather weak flow rate. But don’t write this off as a gimmick product – it does offer enough airflow to satisfy the average hobbyist, it just won’t blow your socks off.

Style & Bubble Effect

The bubble production is below average but the lighting effects largely make up for this. An LED base emits 6 colors that change automatically, giving a dazzling underwater light show. It looks incredible in dark rooms and adds a whole new feel to your aquarium after nightfall.

Materials & Durability

The air stone itself is well made and the built-in suction cup mount ensures it won’t be displaced easily. Plus, this stone comes with air tubing, something that only the Pawfly All-in-One Kit and the NICREW Aquarium Volcano can also offer. Still, as the tubing is connected to the bottom of the stone and the stone is designed to sit on the substrate, it can bend and weaken over time.

Unfortunately, the power cord is only 5ft long, and tanks with >10-gallon volume will probably need to run an extension cord. Plus, there’s no on/off switch for the LED lights. It’s unlikely you’ll want them to run all day and so you’ll need to switch them off directly at the outlet. Thankfully, this doesn’t impact the bubble production.

Quick Facts

• Size: 4” x 6”
• Fits internal tubing diameter of: 3/16″
• Pump power required: <2W
• Jetting volume: not specified (low)
• Includes: 1 air stone, volcano exterior, suction cup, tubing, and power adaptor

Sizing & Power

The Nicrew volcano is the only device we reviewed that requires a pump or 2W or under, and this is reflected by its underwhelming bubble production. As the base of the volcano measures just under 6″, we suggest you have at least 7.5″ of free substrate space, or it’ll look cramped. If that’s too much, you may prefer the TEEMO Groot – another decorative stone of a similar height, but that takes up much less space in the substrate.

Style & Bubble Effect

The standard option comes with a singular red-colored LED light to match the unique volcano theme. But if you’d prefer to match the volcanic exterior with the changing color show seen in the NICREW Multi-Colored LED disk, you can spend a little more and buy these together.

PRO-TIP: Place this volcano at the back of your aquarium for the best visual effect. As the volcano is tall and the area above it is distorted by bubbles, placing it close to the front of your tank will cut off a significant amount of viewing space.

Materials & Durability

We like that the air stone isn’t fixed to the ornamental structure. As your aquarium evolves you may wish to change your air stone style, and the fact that they’re not glued together means you could remove the air stone and keep the volcano as a purely decorative piece, or place another stone under the structure. Plus, there’s a small cut-out in the volcano structure that allows the wiring to run through. As the volcano doesn’t sit directly atop the cables, you don’t need to worry about instability when nestled on the substrate, or the wire getting damaged over time.

It also comes with airline tubing, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, there are no setup instructions and the three suction pads on the base are a little weak. You’ll find yourself having to reattach them occasionally – an inconvenience you don’t need to deal with on heavier devices.