Good~~~ 1/2" WATER SURFACE WAVES~~~Bad?

Question

My 2 filter powerheads are creating 1/2" waves that surf from the left side of the tank to the right..

1/2" is the amplitude. meaning from water surface to the peek of the wave..


Is this bad or good????

Answer 1

Good: increases the surface area of the water so you get better absorption of dissolved oxygen into the water

Bad: it may increase your tank's evaporation rate - just top off with water as needed

Your fish will care more about dissolved oxygen than water evaporating, unless this is a saltwater tank - then too much evaporation may cause changes to their salinity.

Answer 2

Depends on what tank is your tank. If its just fish, then no harm...
But if it's a planted tank with CO2, then that's not a very good idea. Water agitation on the surface will cause the CO2(and some other) to be lost. If you wanna keep the CO2 dissolved in your water, then reduce the water agitation.
As for marine tank, waves within the water does best as corals need them...