Air Pump

[lewiboy]

Hi Guys,

I am a total newbie to this, had my tank for about 3 months now, was just wondering does my airstone/pump need to be on perminantly, as the buzzing noise it makes is starting to do my head in

 

[ebrcknrdg]

Hi Guys,

I am a total newbie to this, had my tank for about 3 months now, was just wondering does my airstone/pump need to be on perminantly, as the buzzing noise it makes is starting to do my head in

if you have real plants then put the pump on at night as this is when use the oxygen up in the tank so the fish will benefit from the extra air supply

 

[*Fishkies*]

No not always. Certain people this forum do not leave theirs on all the time as for me I leave mine on all the time because they are quiet, and you just get used to it after a while. You can turn the air pump on for the day or just for the night which ever you prefer. However depending on what you have in your tank and stocking you may need to run it differently.

 

[Spank]

I don't even have an air pump on my tank, as long as you have enough surface agitation your water will be oxygenated

 

[england]

no i only leave mine on in the day when iam at work.....goes off in evening...
but make sure either pumps above the tank<as mine is>
or has a one way valve<also mine has>
because when u turn it off the water travels back up the pipe ad if its long enough itll be all over the floor...

 

[rdd1952]

Most people don't use them at all. I have used them for cycling and run one in a tank to keep a surface film broken up. If you have live plants you really don't want them because it increases the oxygen in the water. The plants actually eed the CO2 that is driven out.

If you do want to run one, look into a better pump. As general rule, the cheaper, the noiser. The pumps I have are Renas and, although more expensive, they are dead quiet. You could lay it on the pillow beside your head and it wouldn't wake you up.

 

[fourthtimelucky]

I have a hang-on air pump that makes a lot more noise if it gets knocked so that it is vibrating against the tank lid! Maybe try putting something underneath it (ie a rubber/foam mat) so that the pump unit is not touching any other surfaces, to damp down the vibrations? It can make a big difference.

 

[backley420]

as long as something is breaking up the surface water(such as a filter) you don't need one

 

[Lord Spooky]

well some fish dont even need air stones like bettas because they can breath air from the surface. What kind of fish do you have in the tank?

 

[Chubbywubs]

Depends on your fish and filter. If your filter generate bubbles, this should be more than enough, if you see your fish gasping for air at the top of tank (always hanging around at the top) then your need to turn the air filter back on.

Try putting like a cloth or something underneath your airfilter as it might not be the pump its self, rather it just bouncing on the surface you have it on (this was my problem)


I keep my on 24/7 as well as having my filter generate bubbles. Mainly because my fish need oxygen more than i do it seems, and are only ever happy when theres lots of bubbles to try and eat.. (stupid fish )

 

[intsikto]

use an Overhead filter.. very quit!!..

 

[augustaranger]

Please explain more about not using an air pump with live plants. I have a new 20 gal. with an Aquaclear 50 filter and a bubble wall. I want to add live plants. Just never knew that extra O2 would be bad for plants.

 

[rdd1952]

Plants use CO2 and produce oxygen. When you have an airstone running, you are increasing the amount of O2 in the water while driving out CO2 meaning the plants have very little CO2 to use do they never really do well. In a planted tank, the plants will generally produce plenty of oxygen so an airstone isn't necessary.

 

[Chubbywubs]

Its not bad as such, providing you supply them with enough CO2, but you would be wasting your money buying an airfilter or using an airfilter if you have plants. Just becareful what plants and what fish you have, as some fish will eat certain plants.





Also am i correct in thinking that when adding CO2 to a tank, you should add it to the substrate rather than the water, as it could cause water problems and health problems to the fish? Or is it harmless to fish?


I've just began reading my books on keeping tropical fish and plants and im pretty sure they mentioned something along those lines.

 

[rdd1952]

Its not bad as such, providing you supply them with enough CO2

Actually, using both an air pump and CO2 unjection would be a total waste as they would be working completely agains each other.

Also am i correct in thinking that when adding CO2 to a tank, you should add it to the substrate rather than the water, as it could cause water problems and health problems to the fish? Or is it harmless to fish?

You don't add it to the substrate. You need a bubble ladder or diffuser to help mix the CO2 with the water. The bubble ladder keeps the bubbles in the water for as long as possible. Simply having the CO2 go into the substrate and then float to the top wouldn't allow the bubbles to be in the water long enough to do any good. It may even add more O2 to the water than CO2 since the disturbance created when the bubbles hit the surface and break actually adds O2 to the water.