Is An Air Pump Required?

[JackSpadesSI]

Is an air pump required for a freshwater tank (30g long)? I think I'll pass if it is just a matter of aesthetics. My filtration is a Fluval 305.

This tank isn't set up yet (it will be in about a week) so I'm not sure how much surface agitation that filter will provide. I've never used a canister filter before.

The fish will be community fish and the plants will be fake.

Please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Viper]

It really depends on the depth of the tank and the amount of surface agitation. How deep is your tank?

 

[JackSpadesSI]

The tank is 36x12x16 from the outside. Obviously, the water line will be less than 16". As I haven't filled it yet, I'm not sure on the exact water height.

 

[SteveChiller]

I dont like airpumps, they get noisey after a while. I just use my outake from my fluval 205 and have it agitate the surface of the water. I also have a powehead doing the same thing on the other side of the tank.

 

[Viper]

As Steve is alluding to, sufficient surface agitation should create enough gas exchange to provide enough oxygen for your fish.

 

[BigJim]

You really don't need an air pump if you have some surface agitation. I don't run one on any of my tanks.

 

[fishdok]

I always find that my fish are alot more active when the air pump is on , but i say if you have more than 5 fish you should have an air pump

 

[pleco_fan]

I always find that my fish are alot more active when the air pump is on , but i say if you have more than 5 fish you should have an air pump

i agree i now have 3 plecos ranging from 4months old to 2 1/2 yrs old, 2 barbs, 2 clowns, silver shark aand a kribensis and without the pump i found that the fish were acting kinda sedated constantly and that the water quality wasnt as good without as it keeps a good flow going to make sure your filter catches the excess food n **** etc lol ive got a 5 inch air stone and they love it. the plecs tend to breathe from the bubbles instead of the surface which plecs usually do.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Is it NEEDED? No.

Is it beneficial? Yes.

I recommend an air pump on every freshwater tank. They do increase aeration (even if you already have 'good enough'). They can also save your entire stock one day if something bad happens. Equipment fails and the last thing you want is to come home to a tank of dead fish because the Fluval stopped running and you had nothing else to aerate. This is especially true if there is only one filter running, you have no redundancy.

 

[James_in_MN]

Is it NEEDED? No.

Is it beneficial? Yes.

I recommend an air pump on every freshwater tank. They do increase aeration (even if you already have 'good enough'). They can also save your entire stock one day if something bad happens. Equipment fails and the last thing you want is to come home to a tank of dead fish because the Fluval stopped running and you had nothing else to aerate. This is especially true if there is only one filter running, you have no redundancy.

In the case of equipment failure, wouldn't it be better if you had two filters running that could each individually handle the bio-load of the tank rather than a filter and an air pump?

 

[Fishguy2727]

That depends on the filter being used. This person is using a Fluval 305, no need for more filtration. If someone is underfiltered I will definitely suggest more filtration before an air pump.

Remember though that if you have two filters the bacteria will be split between them. So if one fails you will still have a problem since the filtration only has the bacteria for half the current bioload.

If there is enough filtration I would always add an air pump. I have seen them save entire tanks.

 

[doogle]

i would ALWAYS recommend a second filter , espeacally with large bioloads, or for justin( justin case)

 

[JackSpadesSI]

Ok, I guess I'm getting an air pump. My LFS carries the Tetra Whisper air pumps - are they decent or should I look for something else?

Should I get the "up to 40 gallons" or "up to 60 gallons" version for my 30 Long? The cost difference isn't an issue, but I'm not sure if (unlike filtration) going overboard would be a bad thing.

 

[Fishguy2727]

My favorite are the Azoo 9500 from drsfostersmith. They are around $18, but can be about $13 when on sale. They are quiet and strong. They have two outputs. Great amount of air.

If you want to be really safe and have the money buy a battery backup air pump. These are usually more like $60 but automatically stay on in a power outage, which can obviously save your livestock, even when triple filtration can't.

 

[Cdepriest6009]

Ok, I guess I'm getting an air pump. My LFS carries the Tetra Whisper air pumps - are they decent or should I look for something else?

Should I get the "up to 40 gallons" or "up to 60 gallons" version for my 30 Long? The cost difference isn't an issue, but I'm not sure if (unlike filtration) going overboard would be a bad thing.

I have the up to 30 gallon whisper for my 25 tall and it does a wonderful job I have the flow rate cut down alot cause my fish disliked the amount that it was putting out with it at full blast. I also have the whisper for up to 10 on my wifes tank. We have never had any problems with them and the filter makes more noise than they do if it wasn't for the bubbles I wouldn't know they were running.

 

[fishguy1]

I also don't use air pumps, but I do have 2 canisters on each of the 4 foot tanks and each one could sustain the tank as james in MN mentioned.