Flexible Bubble Bar
A curtain of bubbles instead of one noisy stream.
A wide curtain of fine bubbles across the aquarium rather than one column. It looks better, it agitates more of the surface, and it is quieter than a single stone working hard.
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- 17.8 cm, 25.4 cm or 35.6 cm lengths
- Suction cups moulded into the strip
- Bends to follow a curved back wall
- Pulls apart for cleaning when it clogs
- 1 cm diameter, tucks behind planting
Size: 7 in / 17.8 cm
Why you'll love it
Made for happy, healthy pets
A wall of bubbles moves more water
One stone makes a narrow column. A bar spread across the back lifts water along its whole length, which turns over the surface far more evenly and looks considerably better lit from behind.
Fine bubbles are quieter
Big bubbles surface with an audible plop. A diffusing strip breaks the same air into much smaller bubbles, which is the difference between a tank you notice in a quiet room and one you do not.
It needs a pump, and the pump decides the result
The bar has no motor. Bubble density is set entirely by the wattage of the air pump feeding it. A bar this long on an undersized pump will bubble from one end only.
Good fit if
- Even surface agitation across a wide tank
- The visual effect of a bubble wall behind planting
- Curved or bowed back panels, since the strip bends
- Quieter aeration than a single hard-working air stone
Look elsewhere if
- You do not already own an air pump, which is separate
- You need to drive a sponge filter, which wants a single line
- You want something that never needs cleaning
Wide beats concentrated
Gas exchange happens at the water surface, and what bubbles actually do is disturb it. A single stone in a corner disturbs one patch, so a wide tank ends up well agitated at one end and static at the other. Spreading the same air along a strip moves a much larger area of surface.
It is quieter as well, which is not obvious. The same volume of air through one small stone produces larger, faster bubbles bursting in one place; through a long strip it comes out as finer bubbles over a wide area, and the sound is a diffuse hiss rather than a concentrated churn.
Fitting it behind planting
At a centimetre in diameter it tucks behind background plants or a piece of hardscape, so what you see is the bubble curtain rather than the tube producing it. The moulded suction cups hold it to the back glass without any additional fixing, and the strip bends to follow a bowed or curved panel.
Match the length to the tank rather than buying the longest. A bar much shorter than the tank leaves the same dead ends you were trying to avoid, and one longer than the panel has to curl round at the ends, which restricts the flow at exactly the point it is bent.
Air supply
A long bar needs more air than a single stone to produce an even curtain along its whole length, so a very small pump may only manage the near end. If you are running one alongside a sponge filter, check the pump has the capacity for both rather than assuming.
A flow valve on the line is worth adding either way. It lets you tune the density of the curtain, turn the noise down in the evening, and balance the bar against anything else running from the same pump without throttling the pump itself.
In the box
Everything you need
- 1 flexible bubble bar with suction cups
How it works
Simple, from basket to doorstep
- 1
Browse
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- 2
Order
Check out securely with card, PayPal or one-tap Apple Pay & Google Pay. Free delivery over £45.
- 3
Delivered
Fast, tracked dispatch straight to your door, and a happier pet before you know it.
The details
Specifications
- Lengths
- 17.8 cm, 25.4 cm, 35.6 cm
- Diameter
- 1 cm
- Mounting
- Integral suction cups
- Requires
- Air pump, sold separately
- Note
- 7 and 10 inch no longer ship with connectors
Size guide
| Length | Suits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17.8 cm | Nano and small tanks | Fits behind a small piece of hardscape |
| 25.4 cm | Standard 60 cm tanks | The usual choice for a community setup |
| 35.6 cm | Wide and long tanks | Needs a pump with enough output for the length |
Match the bar to the width of the panel it sits against. Too short leaves dead ends; too long has to bend round at the ends, which restricts flow exactly where it is kinked.
Unclogging it
Bubble bars clog. Mineral deposits from hard water and biofilm both build up in the fine pores, and the symptom is bubbles from one end only. Pull the strip apart, rinse it thoroughly, and soak it in a weak vinegar solution to dissolve limescale if you are in a hard water area.
Rinse it very thoroughly afterwards and let it dry before refitting, since any acid residue should not go back into the tank. Every couple of months is a sensible interval, and a bar that no longer produces evenly after cleaning has reached the end of its life.
Good questions
Before you buy
The 14 inch does. The supplier has revised the 7 and 10 inch and they no longer ship with an accessory connector, so you may need a spare barb if your airline does not push straight on.
Almost always an underpowered pump. A long bar needs more air than a single stone; either shorten the run or fit a pump with more output.
Pull it apart and rinse in tank water. Limescale and biofilm block the pores over months, which shows up as patchy bubbling.
Check the listing, as the 7 and 10 inch versions no longer ship with one. A standard airline connector is inexpensive and worth having spare in any case.
The pores at the far end have clogged with limescale or biofilm, or the pump does not have the output for the length. Clean it first, and check the pump capacity if that does not fix it.
Pull it apart, rinse it, and soak in a weak vinegar solution to shift limescale. Rinse very thoroughly and dry it before it goes back in the tank.
Last reviewed 30 August 2026