Who here uses air pumps?

[arminkropp]

Just wondering if its needed for a SW setup?
I have 2 battery powered for back-up in case of power failure, but none in the tank otherwise.
If i do need one why?

thx

[BDAWG]

You would if you were running a protein skimmer. It's a good idea to get a protein skimmer, they remove alot of bad things out of the water (nitrites, nitrate, etc.).

[DaveBeaty]

I run a Whisper 10-30 with dual stones in my undergravel filter in my fish-only tank.

Did I just use the UGF word? 8O Come on boys, give me the heat. I want the heat

[JG]

I use pumps and airstones in both of my tanks. My 30 gallon has always had it and my daughters 20 gallon just recently had one put in.

1. My family likes the way they look.

2. I read somewhere that the bubbles help carry phosphates out of the system. My 30 gal has never had a cyano problem ( due to phosphates) but my daughter's tank had a huge cyano problem until we put the pump and airstone in. May be just coincidence, but we continue it anyway.

[midiman]

You would if you were running a protein skimmer

My skimmer doesn't use an airstone (AquaC Urchin), and neither does the author's, as he is using a Remora, as it says in his tank listing.

My water is aerated by the fall into my sump - when I built the sump I made the water enter into a "splash chamber" so that it aerates upon entry. It will then flow through a fuge with Chaetomorpha I personally don't like the look of bubblers - not natural - but most people seem to, so I have one in my 90 gal FW to turn on when company comes (and at night, because my tank is heavily planted, and plants breathe at night, too). In my 55 gal cichlid tank I have one on all the time, because those guys are big, active, and produce lots of waste - I want my bacteria to be stoked for that big load.

If you have adequate surface agitation and water movement you should be ok with gas exchange, but of course there are many other variables (bio load, macroalgae in sump or other refugium, etc.) which contribute to gas exchange.

Someone posted that bubbles have the potential to irritate certain inverts, but I'm not sure of this, so you may want to search it.

And then there is the infamous thread about the "farting clown trigger", which seemed to pass bubbles from its, well, you know... There was some discussion about whether a fish could ingest bubbles, or whether it simply ate Mexican food that night - a Mexican turbo snail, perhaps?

Good luck! Keep us posted on how you're doing, with or without bubbles.

[BDAWG]

Well I obviously didn't see that midiman. Let me rephrase my comment for you...You would need one for certain types of protein skimmers.

[midiman]

Well I obviously didn't see that midiman. Let me rephrase my comment for you...You would need one for certain types of protein skimmers.

Happy now?

Ouch!

No offense intended, there, dawg. I think you took my comment personally, when it was not intended as such - I was merely pointing out that the reason I knew he had an AquaC was that he included it in his listing.

I apologize if my post offended you - I certainly could not assume that you knew how an AquaC skimmer worked!

Good luck with your tank(s). Hope to trade ideas with you in the future.

[Clown Monarch]

My skimmer in the wet/dry creates all kinds of aeration, and with the powerheads there's no need for air-pumps - unless you like the way the bubbles look of course.

I used them in my FW tanks because I liked them, but I don't like them with SW.

[BDAWG]

Originally Posted by midiman

Ouch!

No offense intended, there, dawg. I think you took my comment personally, when it was not intended as such - I was merely pointing out that the reason I knew he had an AquaC was that he included it in his listing.

I apologize if my post offended you - I certainly could not assume that you knew how an AquaC skimmer worked!

Good luck with your tank(s). Hope to trade ideas with you in the future.

Sorry man. It's tough to tell tone of voice over the internet. Sometimes I can't tell if people are just making a statement or if they're trying to be know-it-all a**holes.

I apologize if I offended you too.

[greatgman]

for sw air pumps are not eally needed
except for powering skimmers
the bubbles they produce just add to the salt creep factor