aquatic_vertebrate

I know close to nothing about pumps! And I was wondering if anyone has time to please explane why a pump is important, what kind is recommended, how to pick out a pump, and what to look for when picking them out... really the basics.

Can any pump go into any size aquarium...?

bruiser

I personally use Hagen Elite and Optima Pumps.. I've heard good things about Tetra Whisper pumps as well..

This link should answer some if not all of your questions..

http://www.firsttankguide.net/airpump.php

michael68

I use my pump to run my air stone.I believe an airstone is a good thing because it creates surface agitation which in turn creates oxygen.You dont want so much agitation that your fish have trouble swimming.The bubbles also bring unwanted gases to the surface such as carbon dioxide.

David C

The surface agitation allows for an increased rate of gaseous exchange. This basically equalizes the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the water with that of the surrounding air. Since our fish consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide, the water's levels of the gases will be "worse off" than the levels in the surrounding air. The gaseous exchange will then lower the CO2 levels and raise the O2 levels back to "good" levels. Of course if you have a planted tank and are injecting CO2, the agitation could reduce the effects. I hope this is easy to read, makes sense in my head

Dave

Cichlidz

I have read the pro and con of bubblers, on stones on UGF bubbles and it doesn't seem to matter what website I am on, some swear by them and others claim they are worthless.

But, because there are two sides to every story and we all see to be reading half the story - we don't know if the bubbler or air stone or UGF was the only type of filter the person had. If so, then only the juicy side of the story was told.

What I have noticed mainly by people who have a lot of tanks or much larger than what I have, one thing sticks out clear. It seems that most big tanker people use the UGF Along With one or two other types of filters also.
So, I am guessing that these people will claim that a Bubbler or Stone or UGF in a wonderful thing to have.

Then I hear about tensions on the water and how if it isn't there, the system works better.

My guess is to go back to nature, what is nature offering those types of fish we are harboring? Some Cichlids come from the Amazon area, so I can only assume their water is rough on the top and fast flowing which other Cichlids come from water that is calm.

Now, I don't know how many people out there have ever tried to swim over a lot of air coming up (bubbles) but it isn't easy. Most humans will sink.
I have read that as the air comes up, it brings water. But if this is so, then how come we humans sink? Shouldn't we come to the top of the surface if those water up claims area real?
I seem to be left with even more I don't know.....

David C

I don't think I understand where you're going cichlidz. I don't know anyone who uses UGF on any size tanks, but I'm sure there are still a few people out there somewhere. I really am just not following your thought process, maybe I've had too many beers.

Dave

Danionins.com

Unfortunately, there's no simple answer to your question about air pumps.

Your air pump choice needs to be based on the size of your tanks. More specifically, the depth on the water in the tanks. This is one area where it gets confusing, at least it used to confuse me!

If you have smaller tanks your main concern is with the volume of air the pump will deliver. If you have larger tanks then you need air pressure (psi) in addition to volume. It takes a lot of air pressure to pump to the bottom of big tanks.

Dennis

ilikefish

Tetra Whisper Air Pumps (blue dome shape) work well and they won't make your head explode from an annoying hummmmmm. Oh and they are durable and affordable (on eBay)