Oxygenation

[HappyGuppy]

While researching more about sponges, and fine tuning my cryptic tank setup, I learned something interesting.

For years I've been a heavily planted low tech tank guy, so didn't need anything to oxygenate my tank as the plants provided ample oxygen to the tank.  Now with my saltwater tanks I believed that the chaeto & macros oxygenated water (they still do, but it isn't the only source of oxygenation).

I used to believe that air pumps oxygenated the tank (if you use one) by the bubbles, but apparently the bubbles ***DO NOT*** add oxygen to the water.  Apparently it is the disturbance of the tank surface that assists with the oxygen exchange at the surface.  I learned that power heads, koralia, HOB, whatever, that disturbs and stirs the water surface, is the cause of most oxygen exchange for the tank.

I moved my power heads / koralia to disturb the water surface a lot more, and do believe that there is now more oxygen in the tank.  For me the biggest proof of that is in my sponge tank that I heavily dose carbon causing a bacterial bloom (for filter feeding food) which should deplete oxygen and produce plenty CO2.  The little animals in the tank seem to be active, thus there must be enough oxygen in the tank (BTW, this tank is dark and I have no chaeto or macros/plants to produce oxygen in the tank).

So is this understanding that I've expressed above correct?  Does a tank with a powerhead / koralia disturbing the water surface indeed provide sufficient oxygen exchange for the tank inhabitants?

Does this information presented here help anyone else?  Or is this just "common knowledge" that I simply somehow missed out on?