jgoodstein

I've talked to lots of folks and after reading the beginners mistakes thread I am now frightened ( I swear some of you get paid for making me go buy more stuff). My 29 gallon tank does not have an air pump just the filter with the biowheel, I was under the impression that this was sufficient for a 29 gallon tank and that I would not need an air pump and all that extra tubing. But now with the stories of septic pockets of chemicals in the gravel and under oxygenated fish, do i need to run out and get one?

Dino

No, you do not.

Skyline

I agree with Dino, unless you see your fish gasping for air at the top of the aquarium, then save yourself a couple of bucks and invest that money in essential things such as tap water conditioners or fishy food. =). Personally I use one for all my tanks as it creates more oxygen but you don't really need it for most tanks.

I'm pretty sure the water movement from your filter is sufficient enough to agitate the surface of the water to create enough oxygen, but remember that if you have a high temp. tank that also affects the amount of oxygen you would need. (the higher the temp. the higher the oxygen concentration should be).

Dino

Higher temperature water holds less oxygen.
So, the higher the temp, the more likely the fish would benifit from the additional air moved into the water by an air pump.

sirdarksol

A biowheel, in particular, offers plenty of extra surface area for oxygenation of the water.
The biggest challenge for oxygenation would be an extremely tall tank with warm water. My betta's tank has air going into it because the temperature is elevated in there, and my mollies' tank has air going into it because it's a tall, narrow tank. The other two just deal with the extra aeration provided by the filter, and the fish do fine.

lyndatu

Yes, an air pump isn't necessary. Your filter does a great job in providing oxygen and water movement.

Oh and your correct, remember not to use an undergravel filter. It's an aquarium nightmare!

Good luck!