The flow of my air pump is quite fast. It runs by a control on the actual pump and it is set to the lowest but it’s still quite fast. Will my fish be ok with this? They don’t seem to mind. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.
Could my tank be over oxygenated?
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You can't put too much oxygen in the water with an air pump. Basically water only holds so much dissolved oxygen, nitrogen & carbon dioxide gas. It has these in a reasonably set amount and an air pump producing lots of bubbles will not over oxygenate the water. It will cause excess carbon dioxide to come out and oxygen will replace that but there will still be carbon dioxide and nitrogen in the water.
The air pump can only pump air from the atmosphere into the water so the oxygen in the water will never be higher than the oxygen in the air you are breathing.
Water movement from the air bubbles will not affect most fish because they naturally occur in water where there is some movement.
My tanks had 2, 3 or 4 airstones bubbling away really strongly and the fish were fine and enjoyed the currents. I used a blower, which is like a really big pump. It was suitable for 40+ tanks and I had to bleed air off it because there was so much air it was blowing the airstones around the tank. the airstones had lead fishing sinkers holding them down but they still moved around the tank before I bled some of the extra air out of the system.
The air pump can only pump air from the atmosphere into the water so the oxygen in the water will never be higher than the oxygen in the air you are breathing.
Water movement from the air bubbles will not affect most fish because they naturally occur in water where there is some movement.
My tanks had 2, 3 or 4 airstones bubbling away really strongly and the fish were fine and enjoyed the currents. I used a blower, which is like a really big pump. It was suitable for 40+ tanks and I had to bleed air off it because there was so much air it was blowing the airstones around the tank. the airstones had lead fishing sinkers holding them down but they still moved around the tank before I bled some of the extra air out of the system.
OP
OP
Many thanks for the excellent advice as always. This is helpful, I’m glad by fish will be ok with this. Thank you.
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
As Colin points out air bubbles merely equilibrate the gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide when they break the surface - so there really can never be to much O2. One slight exception is in the planted tank. Plants need CO2 for optimum growth so excess surface movement may reduce CO2 enough to inhibit some plant growth. In general though, a fast air flow is not an issue.
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If you'd like to reduce it further, put a 'T' in the air line with a short tube to a valve, then use the valve to bleed off excess air w/o creating back pressure on the air pump. I do this for several applications (like air bubbles in daphnia bins).
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If you'd like to reduce it further, put a 'T' in the air line with a short tube to a valve, then use the valve to bleed off excess air w/o creating back pressure on the air pump. I do this for several applications (like air bubbles in daphnia bins).
Agree with Colin and AbbeysDad on the Oxygen. What hasn't been dealt with though is the current, and this is important here.
Some fish species have evolved to live in flowing water more than some other species. Some live in very quiet water, such as ponds, swamps and flooded forest. When I had my five-foot tank, and with my four-foot as well now, there is obviously a much stronger current at the end where the filter return is positioned and much less at the oppose end. Over more than a decade I have observed that fish have clear preferences for water movement; when a species remains in the quietest part and rarely ventures into the strong current, except when feeding, it is a pretty clear sign that the species prefer quieter waters. Obviously I have the evidence of research on each species which notes this, but it is always helpful to have concrete evidence that it is indeed the case.
The other thing we sometimes forget is that the flow resulting from the filter is permanent, 24/7. Fish have to use energy to maintain their position in the water, both vertical and horizontal. If the fish is facing a current with no way to get out of it, it will literally wear itself out. Stress will occur, and that means a weaker metabolism and immune system, and possible increased aggression. The larger the tank, in terms of the length, the easier it is to provide quieter refuge places; smaller tanks with a strong filter current may not provide this adequately.
Some fish species have evolved to live in flowing water more than some other species. Some live in very quiet water, such as ponds, swamps and flooded forest. When I had my five-foot tank, and with my four-foot as well now, there is obviously a much stronger current at the end where the filter return is positioned and much less at the oppose end. Over more than a decade I have observed that fish have clear preferences for water movement; when a species remains in the quietest part and rarely ventures into the strong current, except when feeding, it is a pretty clear sign that the species prefer quieter waters. Obviously I have the evidence of research on each species which notes this, but it is always helpful to have concrete evidence that it is indeed the case.
The other thing we sometimes forget is that the flow resulting from the filter is permanent, 24/7. Fish have to use energy to maintain their position in the water, both vertical and horizontal. If the fish is facing a current with no way to get out of it, it will literally wear itself out. Stress will occur, and that means a weaker metabolism and immune system, and possible increased aggression. The larger the tank, in terms of the length, the easier it is to provide quieter refuge places; smaller tanks with a strong filter current may not provide this adequately.
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
Okay, if when flow may be a concern...
Place the air stone mid to deep in a back corner OR insert the air line into the back of your hang on back filter. To reduce filter return flow, make a simple baffle from an empty plastic water bottle by cutting the ends and down the middle. Water Bottle Baffle
Place the air stone mid to deep in a back corner OR insert the air line into the back of your hang on back filter. To reduce filter return flow, make a simple baffle from an empty plastic water bottle by cutting the ends and down the middle. Water Bottle Baffle
OP
OP
The tank measurements are - 51.3 cm x 26 cm x 32.8 cm. The tank is 10g, in terms of length I tried my best to make sure this was sorted during by upgrade as I know how important this is. The ornament I am using is attached in the link - https
/www.ebay.co.uk/i/401136484258?chn=ps&var=670677579909&ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-134428-41853-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fi%252F401136484258%253Fchn%253Dps%2526var%253D670677579909%26itemid%3D670677579909_401136484258%26targetid%3D594652344160%26device%3Dm%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D1006539%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D1700161871%26adgroupid%3D65156512726%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-594652344160%26abcId%3D1140486%26merchantid%3D7310994%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMI_97mgJb54AIVwrTtCh2V3ADUEAQYCCABEgIce_D_BwE%26srcrot%3D710-134428-41853-0%26rvr_id%3D1890550557083%26rvr_ts%3D6ad9716a1690ac8909f28440ffd3240b. The pump came with it. I never got my head around all the pieces that came with it. The fish don’t seem to be stressed they aren’t fighting etc and their male guppies. Thank you for your help.
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The clam shell is not going to cause too much water movement. They usually release a big bubble every few seconds. if you have them bubbling slowly they can release a big bubble once every 20-30 seconds.
If the clam is the only source of air in the tank, then have it bubbling continuously.
If you post a picture of the other bits we can go thru them with you.
If the clam is the only source of air in the tank, then have it bubbling continuously.
If you post a picture of the other bits we can go thru them with you.
OP
OP
The clam shell as shown above releases a lot more than stated. However with an old air pump I agree it just released a few larger bubbles. The one I have currently it at a constant flow. Many thanks for you help.
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