Air Pump

[TrooperVinny]

I was wondering if I should hook up an air pump in my tank. It's a 29 gallon freshwater community tank. Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks

 

[@ombomb]

The main use of an air pump is to create surface agitation to oxygenate the water. If your filter is causing plenty of ripples on the surface, there's no real reason to other than if you like the bubbles.

 

[chishnfips]

I dont bother with one, I use a fluval filter which oxyginates the water aswell.

Other than that I find air pumps flipping noisy unless you get a good one.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi TrooperVinny

IMHO, an air pump is an inexpensive piece of equipment that everyone should own.

It can be used with an airstone to increase the oxygen level in the water, but has other uses as well. You can set it up to run a box filter, filled with filter floss, which can be put into a smaller tank to make it immediately cycled. This is useful if you need to quarantine new fish or medicate ones that might become ill.

If you have one and an empty box filter, you can save all your beneficial bacteria if your HOB stops working.

An air pump can also be attached to a sponge filter and cycled for use with small fry, if the need arises.

 

[andywg]

Air pumps are practically useless for oxygenating the water.

They only help oxygenation through the surface agitation (as has been mentioned) as the bubble is in contact with the water for far too short a time to allow any gas to dissolve accross the surface of the bubble before the bubble hits the surface and the air is released into the air. A power head would be far better or (if possible) changing the angle of the filter output to create more surface agitation.

They can be useful for running sponge filters, but other than that they are not very necessary.

 

[fishing4exotics]

Air pumps are practically useless for oxygenating the water.

Air pumps are not useless. The bubbles purpose is not to dissolved in the water. The purpose of the bubbles is to create circulation in the water. To bring up water to the surface. Where the water absorbs the oxygen.

Aerating our fish tank is necessary for higher temps, some types of medication, just in case your filter stops working, overcrowded tank, etc....All conditions that need extra circulation.

 

[andywg]

Air pumps are practically useless for oxygenating the water.

Air pumps are not useless. The bubbles purpose is not to dissolved in the water. The purpose of the bubbles is to create circulation in the water. To bring up water to the surface. Where the water absorbs the oxygen.

Aerating our fish tank is necessary for higher temps, some types of medication, just in case your filter stops working, overcrowded tank, etc....All conditions that need extra circulation.

The fish do more to circulate the water than a small stream of bubbles. The water at the top of the tank will always be more oxygenated than that at the bottom. They help slightly with surface agitation. That is almost always the limiting factor on oxygen levels in a tank, the ability for water to release CO2 and absorb O2 which can only happen at the surface, by increasing the surface area then the exchange can take place over a larger area, just because the water is from the bottom will do very little to the levels.

 

[fishing4exotics]

The fish do more to circulate the water than a small stream of bubbles. The water at the top of the tank will always be more oxygenated than that at the bottom. They help slightly with surface agitation. That is almost always the limiting factor on oxygen levels in a tank, the ability for water to release CO2 and absorb O2 which can only happen at the surface, by increasing the surface area then the exchange can take place over a larger area, just because the water is from the bottom will do very little to the levels.

Where do you get this information. I don't see how the fish in your tank can create the same circulation as an airstone in the tank. Taking water from the bottom to the surface will create surface agitation. This will bring the Co2 saturated water to the surface. Where Co2 is exchanged with oxygen. The surface of the water is where the gas exchange takes place ( you stated that yourself and are contradicting your statement ). Then the current pulls the oxygen rich water back to the bottom of the tank. How can you argue that this is wrong?

I think you are stating facts for the sake of trying to be "right". I don't see any logic to your argument. This is counter productive to spreading good information, IMO.

 

[andywg]

The statement on fish circulating water in a tank better than air stones comes from "Fishlopedia" written by Dr Peter Burgess.

Consider the size of a fish moving through the water, then consider the size and mass of a bubble moving through the water, which is going to move more water to pass through it? The bubbles will pass up through the water column and will carry very little water in front of it.

And where on earth did I contradict myself? I have stated all along that surface exchange can only take place at the surface, the only way to increase this is to incerase the surface area (i.e. ripples) or to actually force the surface to break (have water trickling from above the surfaace into the water).

I stated that the limiting factor for oxygen levels in a tank is almost always going to be the level of gas exchange, just because the water is from the bottom does not mean suddenly lots more oxygen can pass through the membrane at the water's surface if the surface area allows no further gas exchange.

 

[fishing4exotics]

You make stuff up as you go don't you? Can't argue with someone like that They just make up more stuff so they can be "RIGHT!"

 

[woodjm79]

You make stuff up as you go don't you? Can't argue with someone like that They just make up more stuff so they can be "RIGHT!"

i would have to say that after reading this i have to laugh inside...
im sure that a fish swimming does .."some" good... but if it did more then air bubbles then why in the world not just put the fish ina bowl and hope they swim alot .... this is too funny!
go with the air .. it cant hurt and only make ur tank better!

 

[Chri$]

I agree go with an airpump, i just got one, rena are a good make, prob one of the quieter ones i never heard. They look good as well as other benifits.

 

[TrooperVinny]

Well, while everyone was posting their opinion about the air pump, I figured the only logical thing I could do was get an air pump and form my own opinion. I hooked it up to a large decoration in the center of my tank and think it looks good. Whats nice is that the bubbles start half way up the rock so there is still some un-disturbed water on the bottom half of the tank. All in all, I don't think the fish give a hoot either way but i like it. Thanks for all the different views on the subject.

 

[CFC]

In the older days of fishkeeping when small air driven box filters were standard filtration and undergravel systems were state of the art an airstone was considered a essential piece of equipment to circulate water in the aquarium and add extra surface disturbance to increase aeration, now days with modern power filters and pumps which turn the tanks entire volume over 5-10 times every hour there is no longer the same need for a airstone in the tank.
Small air pumps are usefull for running sponge or undergravel filters on breeding, fry or hospital tanks, they also are handy to have incase of a filter failure to keep your tank aerated for a couple of hours while you get the filter fixed or replaced. Running an airstone in a tank with modern power filtration, whether internal or external actually does very little to benefit the tank other than add a pretty stream of bubbles if thats the kind of thing you like.

 

[PlecMama]

I have airstones in my tanks and a bubble wall in one. Whether they do any good or not is obviously still up for debate, but the fish like them, they spend no end of time surfing to the top and back (like they do in the filter currents).

The other thing they are good for it the old manual type vacs, just take off the airstone, plug in your vac and go. I love my little plastic hooverthing, it does a great job.

I'm glad you got the airstone, they look pretty and you feel like you have done something nice for your fish even if the fish couldn't give a squat.