Do I need an aerator?

[Salukie]

I'm starting a little freshwater ten gallon (my first aquarium). It is currently fishless cycling. I'm planing on stocking with neon tetras, cherry shrimp, and maybe a gourami or a couple of female bettas.

I have an air pump with an air stone going in there and it's making bubbles. Lots of bubbles. Lots and LOTS of bubbles. The entire water surface is covered in bubbles. There are bubbles everywhere an I can tell that the thing is creating a pretty strong current in my little tank.

When I disconnect the aerator, the water becomes nice and peaceful. Too peaceful? My filter does not move a lot of water.

Here are my questions:

Bettas do not enjoy a strong current, am I correct? Being labirinth fish, do they need a water surface free of bubbles?

Without an air stone bubbling, how do I know if my plants and fish are getting enough oxygen?

Is an air pump required more for larger aquariums? Do I need to worry about water oxygen levels in my little ten gallon?

Could I put the aerator on a timer like my lights? Say, for an hour in the morning and an hour at night?

If the bubbles are on a timer, would the sudden onset of bubbles stress my fish?

Is there a chance of the water going backwards into and flooding my air pump when the thing is off?

What is everyone's general opinion of the bubbles? Are they essential? Do I need them?

Thanks!!

 

[Fresh2o]

You don't need an aerator. Your filter should provide enough aeration. Btw what kind of filter are you using?
Strong water current is not good for the beta. During the cycling process good aeration is a plus, though.
BTW a check valve will prevent water from going back to the air pump.

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, lots of bubbly questions

1. Correct, bettas don't like strong flow and I would try to keep the surface free of bubbles
2. Your plants don't need oxygen but if your fish are gasping at the surface that means that there isn't enough oxygen in the water
3. Air pumps are almost never required. The only bubbler I run in my house is in my 55g tank because I have a sponge filter.
4. Sure, there isn't any reason you wouldn't be able to. If you do this you need to add a check valve into the airline to prevent a back siphon of water when it gets turned off though.
5. Nope. It might startle them a little bit but not enough to make a difference.
6. See number 4
7. They aren't essential but are useful to have on hand. For example if you are experiencing a heat wave or treating for ich and your tank temperatures rise substantially, less oxygen will be in the water making it harder for fish to breathe. You might need to add the bubbler in those instances.

As long as your tank has decent surface agitation then you don't need to worry about a bubbler. Most HOB filters give good enough agitation and if they don't you could try dropping the water level in the tank by an inch or so.

 

[Salukie]

Thanks for the replies, fresh2o and Mebbid.

I'm using the filter that came with the tank. It's a Tetra Whisper 10. It makes a very slight ripple on the water surface. How do I know if that's enough movement?

The opening of the filter where the water comes out is right at the water level. I agree that lowering the water level would create a little waterfall and improve the water movement, but I'm being a bit vain, and I don't want my water level to be lower than the edge of the aquarium frame. I find it ugly.

What if I rigged the filter so that it's a little higher? Hmm... That might work...

 

[Mebbid]

That would work too. If there's a slight ripple though then that should be sufficient. You know if there's enough oxygen if fish are acting normally. If they are gasping at the surface then there isn't enough

 

[Salukie]

I guess I'll find out more when I actually have fish in the tank. Lol.

So, I guess I'll keep the aerator bubbling while the fishless cycle is cycling, and I'll take it out when I'm ready to add fish.

I'll see if I can rig my filter to sit a little higher too.

Thanks for the advice, guys!

 

[Mebbid]

It's a good plan. Increasing the temp up to 80-85 and increasing aeration helps the bacteria grow faster.

 

[Salukie]

My little heater isn't adjustable. It's stuck at 77 degrees. That being said, we are in the midst of a heat wave here, an the water in my tank is at 80 degrees according to my thermometer. Lol

 

[Mebbid]

My little heater isn't adjustable. It's stuck at 77 degrees. That being said, we are in the midst of a heat wave here, an the water in my tank is at 80 degrees according to my thermometer. Lol

Better than my tanks. They came close to hitting 90 today before I was able to do something about it.

 

[Salukie]

Wowzers!!

 

[Fresh2o]

I'll see if I can rig my filter to sit a little higher too.

You might try placing something thin like a pencil between the tank rim and filter. It might raise the filter up 1/4" or so.

 

[Salukie]

The pencil is a good idea... I was trying to rig something up with Lego bricks. Lol.