One Last Question

[Beth_Laubenthal]

Is it necessary to have an air pump? I'm talking for my 10 gallon tank whose filter is pretty strong (made for gold fish). I have an air pump that is made for up to 20 gallons pumping air into my three tanks (betta (1 gallon), my 5 gallon and my 10 gallon). I am taking my betta off the air pump as he does not seem to like it. I would like to take my 10 gallon off of it (so I could move the tank to a better area of the apartment), but I am unsure about it. I have mollies, platys, ghost shrimp and otos in it. A bit over stocked, but I keep an eye on the water chemistry and do changes at least once a week, sometimes 2.

Just wondering.

 

[KittyKat]

As long as there is enough surface movement, an air pump is not needed.

 

[Beth_Laubenthal]

As long as there is enough surface movement, an air pump is not needed.

So, the current my filter produces (you can see ripples on half of the water surface), is that enough? Can you give me more examples of what would be appropriate or sufficient surface movement?

If I can do it, I only want the air pump on my 5 gallon where I have the filter buffered (it's my nursery tank).

 

[Cazgar]

As long as your filter breaks the surface of the water, that should be ok for aeration.
Mine is in one corner & sends ripples over approx half the tank & my fish have never shown any signs they need any more oxygen

 

[KittyKat]

So, the current my filter produces (you can see ripples on half of the water surface), is that enough? Can you give me more examples of what would be appropriate or sufficient surface movement?

In essence, yes. In more detail, the current is the rate of flow of water around the tank (I would say), but only the amount of ripples across the surface matter. The only example I can give you is that if the water surface is still, that is not enough for any fish that is not a labyrinth or similar. Once one gets into higher stock territory, it really does depend on the number of fish are the amount of surface movement. Suffice to say, more surface movement or more aggressive surface movement does allow for higher stocking.

If you want to remove the airpump, the best time to do this is when you can observe the tank over a few days for most of the time. So for example, try switching the airpump off on a Saturday morning when you plan to spend the weekend at home. Do observe the rate of movement of the fishes' gills before switching the pump off so that you know what you're comparing against, and also make note whether any of them spend much time towards the top of the tank as it is.

 

[OldMan47]

The real situation is simple enough to state. As long as you have enough flow to prevent stratification at the surface of your tank, oxygen will reach the maximum equilibrium value in your tank. If you can see any ripples on the surface of your tank, you have at least that much, and maybe more, flow at the surface. That means that you should be far more concerned about other factors, not surface oxygenation.