Air pump, why do you have it?

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Necessary or just for aesthetics?

  • Necessary for fish health.

    Votes: 2 16.7%
  • Purely for aesthetics.

    Votes: 10 83.3%

  • Total voters
    12

00youknowit00

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
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Location
Montgomery, Texas
So I'm wondering why and if y'all have them. I just took mine out, tired of having it. Don't think its necessary unless the temp is up or if you're really stocked.

So lets hear what y'all have to say about it!
 
I run a 4" round stone and a 12" wand on 2 Rena 300 air pumps. Purely because I like the way it looks.
 
I think they are neat and the two tanks I have had in the past with them, the fish really enjoyed playing in the bubbles. So, entertainment/aesthetics.
 
I have a Whisper brand air pump with a check valve installed to pump air into my Marineland 400 Maxi Jet powerhead. This is so there will be more areation along with the circulation from the Maxi Jet powerhead.
 
I run one with a bubble wand in pretty much all my tanks for added aeration and for looks.
 
I have one but its for my fish, sometimes I turn it on because I think they are gonna drown with out air!!??!!? No jk. I use mine with my led light strip in my Oscar tank. It makes the bubbles blue.
 
I have them for use in emergencies and for added aeration if needed but they just sit unplugged in the cupboard because the noise annoys me.
What brand of air pumps do you use? I have used and currently am using a Whisper brand air pump and it is vey quiet. Maybe if the noise is bugging you then maybe try yo put the air pump on some foam for insulated noise reduction.
 
I have one in my shrimp tank purely for a little water agitation since there's no filter currently running in there.
 
FreshwaterFishJunkie said:
What brand of air pumps do you use? I have used and currently am using a Whisper brand air pump and it is vey quiet. Maybe if the noise is bugging you then maybe try yo put the air pump on some foam for insulated noise reduction.

Thanks. Its the noise of the bubbles themselves that gets me! Lol (maybe I'm just weird :D )
 
I have mine for both of those reasons...even though i probably already have enough aeration without it.

I also have it for a third reason and that is that some of my fish seem to like swimming through the bubbles, so i do it for their entertainment and pleasure as well.
 
My fish dont play in the bubbles :(
I want to take the pump out for mumma.of.two's reason.

But what i have read its the surface agitation that gives air in the water so if you have a water pump at the surface isnt that enough?

What i have also read that its not good to make agitation with the outtake of your filter because the bacteria have already sucked it out.

Edit:
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/choosing-aquarium-equipment5.htm

Hmm surface needs to be broken so wavy isnt enough?
 
I don't have an air pump because I don't need one.

I use a Whisper 10-30 filter on my little tank and I have it lifted so that the water breaks the surface and pushes bubbles way down. I've actually had to move Squidward's house because bubbles were getting into the eye holes and lifting it up. Even if I didn't have it suspended, I think it would provide adequate aeration because it churns the water so aggressively in the back compartment that I can hear it over my fan when I'm sleeping. It's an awesome little filter. I might get some sort of bubble ornament in the future, if I can find one that doesn't look completely stupid, lol. I'd really like one with a tiny, tiny air leak so that only a couple of bubbles are released at once. It would look so much more natural.
 
My fish dont play in the bubbles :(
I want to take the pump out for mumma.of.two's reason.

But what i have read its the surface agitation that gives air in the water so if you have a water pump at the surface isnt that enough?

What i have also read that its not good to make agitation with the outtake of your filter because the bacteria have already sucked it out.

Edit:
Aquarium Aeration and Surface Agitation: Aquarium Fish: Animal Planet

Hmm surface needs to be broken so wavy isnt enough?

What do you mean? The bacteria have already sucked what out?
 
The bacteria in a canister filter also need air to live so when the water comes out it doesnt contain much air anymore or something like that.

I got this from a youtube video from paul talbot but cant find it anymore.
He says you need something to filter AND something to airate.
 
Have one huge air pump to run several tanks, plus a few others that I run sponges and/or HOB's on a tank because there's either lots of residents in the tank or my pet fish who loves to mess with her sponge filter.

Used them in the past for asthetics but now its filteration, gotta tell you though I'm so used to hearing the bubbles all times of the day when I go somewhere its entirely to quiet to sleep
 
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