Air Pump During Cycling?

[huckFIN]

During the fishless cycle do you need to have both the filter and the airpump running? I'm 99% certain you do with the filter but not sure about the airpump.
Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere on the forum but I couldn't find it.

 

[millie1]

hiya -mines on! havent been told otherwise!

looks pretty seeing as i cant have fish init atm lol!!!

 

[tennis4you]

Air pump is not necessary to a tank. You can cycle without it as far as I am concerned. You are correct that the filter needs to be running though.

 

[minxfishy]

Yup filter needs to be on always.

Air pumps are by choice, you dont need it, but it can help oxygenate the water at higher temps used to cycle. Done cycles with them and without them, havent noticed them making much difference though

 

[huckFIN]

Thanks for the replies people.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree, a filter must be on for fishless cycling because the bacterial colonies need plenty of water flow for both their ammonia food and their oxygen. In fact, the initial biofilms in the filter media are no different than on all the other surfaces in the tank but because of the water flow, the biofilms in this location grow and become colonies, able to process large amounts of ammonia and nitrite.

Air pumps and their associated airstones and other devices are purely decorative except that they can help provide surface movement like a spraybar. Surface movement promotion by an airstone is not quite as effective as that from a spraybar usually.

~~waterdrop~~