Do I Really Need An Airpump?

[theking]

I have a 29G tank with a Petco 30gallon air pump that is very loud. I was wondering if it is possible in anyway to go without having an airpump in my tank? ATM I have 1 Blue Gourami female and 2x marigold sword females.. I plan on adding 5x Black Neon Tetras and another blue gourami male..

 

[snazy]

If the filter is agitating the surface enough, then you don't need an air pump. I've got two tanks without and one tank with an air pump

 

[theking]

What do you mean by agitating? meaning it produces bubbles when the water from the filter goes back into the aquarium?

 

[RyanV]

I have a 29G tank with a Petco 30gallon air pump that is very loud. I was wondering if it is possible in anyway to go without having an airpump in my tank? ATM I have 1 Blue Gourami female and 2x marigold sword females.. I plan on adding 5x Black Neon Tetras and another blue gourami male..

Sounds like you didn't get the best air pump to me I have a topfin 170 gallon air pump with 4 outlets and doesn't hardly make a sound.

Is it needed? No. It can look nice though and moves the water around.

 

[RyanV]

What do you mean by agitating? meaning it produces bubbles when the water from the filter goes back into the aquarium?

Your filter also aerates oxygen into the water. The air pumps also do this by adding oxygen directly into the water.

 

[theking]

So the fish will not die if I do not use the airpump all the time correct? it only bothers me when it is at night, it makes the same noise as my AC and makes it quite hard to sleep.. and yes I only now realize I made a big mistake buying that pump, this is what happens when you go to the store without conducting research before going. My aqueon filter is super quiet you cant heat it at all

 

[RyanV]

No they will be just fine without one If it's just the noise at night bothering you, get a timer.

 

[theking]

Alright thank you very much. I thought they needed that airpump in order to live, well too late to return it

 

[Fishyglenn]

Alright thank you very much. I thought they needed that airpump in order to live, well too late to return it

You could sell it on this site someone will buy it!

 

[shantanu]

well, as RyanV said, you need an airpump to aerate (add) oxygen in water. Fish need oxygen in water to survive.
If your filter is adding bubbles to the water, it will be fine to not to have airpump or to have it switched off at night.
One more trick you could do is: (I have done this at my home, as even I faced the same prob) :
Put a folded thick sheet of cloth between the air pump and your tabletop contact.
This will greatly reduce the sound of the air pump and you can get a good sleep !!

 

[fluttermoth]

Oxygen exchange happens at the water surface. As long as the water is being moved about then there will be enough oxygen in the tank.

The filter doesn't need to be putting actual bubbles into the water; as long as it's making the surface ripple, then that's good enough. The bubbles don't directly put oxygen into the water; their surface area is too small and they're not in contact with the water for long enough to oxygenate it. All they do is help with water movement by moving water from the bottom of the tank to the surface, but if your tank is properly filtered then the filter will be doing that job on it's own.

It is very, very rare to not have enough oxygen in the water, although some medications can have that effect; most times, if the fish seem to be gasping for air, it's not due to lack of oxygen but something (ammonia and nitrite both do this) that's preventing the fish from absorbing it.

I run eight tanks, all healthy, and not a single one of them has any bubbles of any kind, neither from the filter or an air pump.

 

[JohnHuff]

And you may get used to the sound of the pump!