Air Pump Needed?

hi. ill be putting fish in my recently cycled tank and was wondering if I needed an airpump and airstone for the 20 gal. all that's being used is a whisper 20 power filter. will that provide enough oxygen?

 

an airstone would be best for any tank.. for a 20g, a bubble wand or long airstone would be excellent.

 

an airstone would be best for any tank.. for a 20g, a bubble wand or long airstone would be excellent.

I think I have an old air pump from my older tanks with an airstone on the end, would that be fine?

 

I think as long as it works and there were no diseases in that tank, why not. What counts is the airstone isn't all clogged up.

 

alright. would my fish be alright for a while without this? or should I deff put it in before the fish?

 

i'd run it before adding fish.. they'll benefit from having it running ahead of time and you can make sure it's free of clogs too.

 

I have a bubble wall set up, with no air stone, will this provide enough oxygen?

 

Hi,

I have a 10 gallon fish only freshwater aquarium. I was wondering if an air pump was a necessity. If so, could anybody suggest one that I could get from Petsmart ? Also, what type of airstone should I get?

Thanks

 

as long as the filter pours water back into the tank and breaks the surface you should be fine but if the filter has a low output then just buy a bubble wand from walmart real cheap. it isn't too complicated but I understand the hesitation.

 

I use both the HOB filter as well as a sponge filter in my 10g. My sponge filter runs on a Tetra Whisper 20 pump. The sponge provides great biofiltration and the pump is silent. The bubbles in the tank are louder. Having a sponge filter or an air pump is NOT a necessity though.

 

Hi,

I have a 10 gallon fish only freshwater aquarium. I was wondering if an air pump was a necessity. If so, could anybody suggest one that I could get from Petsmart ? Also, what type of airstone should I get?

Thanks

I have a ten gallon too. I would recommend an airpump, just because I heard they help and they are just pretty cool. I would suggest the Top Fin and either a strip or a medium size plate like stone. I have a strip, but the stones look cool. I arranged plants around mine, so that the bubbles would look like they are coming from there. My fish really enjoy it. My cory cats like to lay on it and get pushed to the top of the tank and then swim away.

 

Thanks for all the help. I think I'll get a strip for behind my cave made of three rocks. Do you need a check valve for a pump? I've heard about those but don't know what they really are.

 

Thanks for all the help. I think I'll get a strip for behind my cave made of three rocks. Do you need a check valve for a pump? I've heard about those but don't know what they really are.

YES, because if water goes down the tubing, then bad stuff will happen. Get one, my was like 1.00, and it is worth it, cause now I have a smaller chance of any water leaking into the pump.

 

+1 all of you come to think of it you shouuld get one it has improved my tanks clearity and made my fish happier(fresher air)

 

Thank you. I've heard that you have to change the airstone every month. That could get expensive if you used a big bubble wand. Is this true or not?

 

I have an airstone in my 5 gallon quarantine tank. It's runs off the air pump to my 50 gallon tank. The HOB filter does stir the water some, but I think the air bubbles help, and I want to keep/introduce the fish to as close of an environment as the 50 gallon is.

 

+1 all of you come to think of it you shouuld get one it has improved my tanks clearity and made my fish happier(fresher air)

My fish seem happier with it too, but then again I have always had it.

 

Yes get the check valve, its like a dollar and it keeps water out of the pump.

 

So do you have to change the airstone every month?
x

 

Mine love the wall of bubbles. They play around it all day. Do get a check valve, like Walky said, their only about a buck.

So do you have to change the airstone every month?
x

I have never heard that. Over time they will fall apart and/or become clogged with algae. When that happens, replace them but I wouldn't before that happens.

 

I have never heard that. Over time they will fall apart and/or become clogged with algae. When that happens, replace them but I wouldn't before that happens.

I have never ever heard of people having to change their airstone every month, but yes they will fall apart, like everything else in the world does eventually.

 

they also can just wear down if you get the kind that degrades but since you have a filter just get a little wand with ston to match and sit it in the back of the tank(mine is oppisite my filter) or you can slide it into a orniment if you have any that are full of holes. Hope this helps send us some pics of your tank so we know what we are working with

 

Okay I'll do that once I get a chance

 

I have a 75gal with a heater at 80 and Aquaclear70 filter. I also have 8 cichlids (plan on getting more soon) size 3"-4". Is an air pump really necessary? I mean, I read as long as you have some kind of bubbles coming in to the tank an air pump is not really needed. True? I'm not sure if this counts and is the reason I got on ask, but I get bubbles from the water coming out the filter into the tank. Iis that fine or do I need more? How do I know if I need an air pump?

 

I don't think you need more oxygen but your filter is way to small

 

ya I kinda figured that this week when I started doing some reading in the filter section. I going to have to do something about that real soon.

 

I had a similar setup as yours on my very first fish tank. I find that most Hang On Back filters give enough oxygen into the water.

I have upgraded to a canister filter but I still have a air stone going just in case.
any know if a tank running on a canister filter will have enough oxygen in the water?
it would be nice to turn off the air pump to stop the constant buzzing

 

It kinda depends.

What kind of cichlids do you have?

As long as you have an adequate filter (HOB power filters are excellent since they act as bubblers and filters at the same time), I don't think an air pump is necessary. Always good to have one, though, in case you're treating for ich or something.

 

Its true that your HOB is oxygenating the air enough however you can't really go wrong with adding a bubble wand or a sponge filter on the end of an air pump. In addition to oxygenation, a sponge filter provides tons of space for bacteria to grow and a some fish like to play in bubbles so the wands are good for that.

If you are looking for a quiet air pump, the tetra whispers are silent. I have one running on my 10 gallon in my dorm room. Believe me, the bubbles in the tank are louder than the pump.

Also I agree with the above posts that you need a little more filtration. Maybe a canister or multiple HOBs? I don't think the Aqua Clear 110 is even enough for a 75 by itself.

 

Wether or not you need to add an air stone depends on how much surace disturbance you have. The actual bubble from air stones adds very little oxygen to the water. Most oxygen enters the water via surface exchange. The air ston is always bringing new water to the top of the aquarium that means an increase in surface area. The larger the surface area the more oxygen gets into the water. You should get plenty of surface disturbance (ripples) from a HOB but if you feel a need to add more then by all means add an air stone.

As for canisters, they are great for causing surface disturbance because you can control which direction the filter outlet points. I use spray bars personally & have them mounted just blow the waters surface pointing up on a slight angle. That gives me disturbance front to back of the tank & at least half way along it's length. That's a huge increase in surface area.

 

The more fish you add the more oxygen that is going to be required to keep your fish healthy. Water surface area and the number of fish are the two biggest factors in figuring out if you need added oxygenation help. The smaller the surface area of the tank, the fewer the fish that the tank can sustain without help. Live plants in a tank can help remove some of the carbon dioxide and replace oxygen also.

Here are a few examples:
If you have a 10 gallon tank with a HOB filter and only have 3 guppies in it there would be plenty of oxygen exchange on the waters surface area to keep the guppies healthy and happy. Now you add 6 more guppies which gets your tank to the point of being overstocked you will need more oxygen for the fish so you would need to add an air pump and air stone.

If you have a 30 gallon tall hex tank your water surface area is still real small and it wouldn’t be able to exchange enough oxygen to keep those same 9 guppies healthy with out added help. Even though there is 3 times the amount of water the surface area is still about the same as the 10 gallon aquarium.

My point is, if your not going to have a fully stocked or over stocked tank you shouldn’t need an air pump and air stone because the filter and the waters surface area will exchange enough oxygen to sustain life but the closer you get to fully stocking a tank the more oxygen that is going to be required to keep your fish healthy.

I personally have air pumps on all my tanks and run large air stones in them all. The biggest down fall of air pumps is the noise they make. Some pumps make lots of noise and some don’t make as much but they all make noise. Location and age has a lot to do with how much noise some make. Pumps don’t cost very much to purchase and you will not even notice the increase in the electric bill so I don’t look at them as a costly item to add. I would rather keep my water 100% saturated with oxygen than run the risk of it dropping to low and my fish suffering from it.

 

I have a ten gallon with an aqua tech 15 hob filter. Will this create enough surface agitation for the fish or is an airstone needed? I have a bubble wand going just in case. Thanks

 

Is the filter causing bubbles on the surface and at what temperature do you keep the water?

 

My brother had the same setup, and it was just enough to get the water moving along the entire surface. Some extra movement wouldn't hurt though.

 

Lots of smaller bubbles. Maybe I should just get an air stone and stick a sponge over it for more bb? I'm thinking of switching to an aqclear 30 on it?

 

Yeah, if you have the bubbles collecting it's not enough movement.

 

I'm thinking you probably have enough aeration with the filter but adding more won't hurt anything. Keep in mind the warmer the water the less oxygen it'll hold, so if you're running a warmer tank a bubble wand or stone is an excellent idea.

 

Its at about 76F. Air bubbles aren't collecting either.

 

Good morning,

I also believe that the surface water movement created by the filter should provide enough oxygen for your fish. However, if you ever see them gasping at the surface for air, add an air stone immediately.

The addition of an air stone will also help to prevent surface scum should this be an issue. Sometimes there can be dead spots on the surface or no movement in certain areas.

An Aqua Clear 30 should do well for your tank @ 150gph. If the current is too strong it has a flow control knob and too you can place an Aqua Clear sponge into the outflow area if necessary to reduce the flow should the current be too strong for the fish. Use a sponge that is a bit larger than the outflow area so that you have to force it to fit. This will prevent the sponge from floating into the tank.



Ken

 

You have a bubble wand runnning and a good temp.

A fine pored air stone can't hurt but shouldnt be needed with a bubble wand running.

Keep an eye on your buddies for oxygen deficincies.

Also aqua clear filters tend to add a good amount of aeration especially if you put a 30 gallon on that tank.

Hope that helps