Oxygen situation

[Wy Renegade]

If I kept the water level below the filter, the water would become aerated enough with some plants, right?

the splashing of water in that tank is going to be way louder than any air pump you could run if you try this method. As Jeta already pointed out, Air pumps don't really oxygenate the water to any significant degree. If you're relying on an air pump for airation in this day and age, you are not running the right filter system on your tank. Most of the airation in your tank comes from the diffusion of oxygen out of the air into the water, this is aided by movement. All the air pump does is disrupt the surface of the water so that oxygen can bond with the water molecules. The exact same process you get from movement with a filter system. The air pump is not adding anything but very minimal oxygen directly to the water.

 

[greenterrortigeroscar]

I don't use canisters.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Doesn't require a canister. If you have a good HOB filter properly rated for your tank size or oversized, it will be sufficient as well. Adding a powerhead inside the tank rather than a airstone will also increase movement and provide oxygenation.

 

[greenterrortigeroscar]

So I don't need to use an air pump, I just need to keep a level between the water level and filter

 

[Wy Renegade]

??? No, you don't need to use an air pump IF you have adequate or better filtration going on in your tank. That doesn't mean a cheapo brand filter from Walmart. If you're running a good hang-on-back filter, the water movement along with the water going into the tank when the tank is filled to appropriate level is sufficient to add enough oxygen to your tank, provided it is not getting too hot and you are not overstocking. All this goes out the window if you have too many fish, or if you're not regulating the temperature of the tank water. It also goes out the window if your movement shuts down as somebody else pointed out earlier in the thread. That is why many people run more than one filter.

 

[greenterrortigeroscar]

Will plants produce enough oxygen for a 10 gallon?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Will plants produce enough oxygen for a 10 gallon?

Have you read the replies you gotten in your thread since the beginning? The answer is no, plants will not provide enough oxygen on their own to supply the needs of an aquarium. Think about it this way, plants only produce oxygen during the daylight hours - at night their oxygen production shuts down and they themselves start using oxygen. So at night, not only do you not have any oxygen being produced with the fish using up what little is still dissolved into the water, but now you also the plants competing for oxygen as well. Without movement to allow oxygen to be absorbed into the water column. Plants are not going to keep up with the oxygen demand of any except the very lowest oxygen demanding fish. Additionally, the warmer the tank becomes, the less oxygen it will hold. So in short, warm temperatures and no water movement = dead fish, plants or not.

 

[greenterrortigeroscar]

Thank you, my tank current is strong, so it should be no problem.