Aquarium Air Pump

Aquarium air pump provide oxygen for aquarium inhabitants to supplement natural oxygen production from the plants. In a well plated aquarium the air pump may not be necessary as plants will supply plenty of it.

Fish also breathe the air from the water surface. A clear sign of lack of oxygen is when fish frequently come to the top for a ‘breath’.

Aquarium air pumps used to be a main filtration aid as a way to move the water using undergravel filter or simple sponge filter. These days the air is injected into the fish tank by the use of various filter attachments.

The most popular is the venture device which sucks in the air through the valve using the strength of the water current produced by the filter pump. The valve adjusts the amount of air getting into the

stream of water and the size of the air bubbles at the same time.

Other solution is to let the water flow coming out of the filter to break the water surface. Spray bars attachments are a very good way to ad more air into your tank.

External ‘open’ type filters using a bio-wheel are a great way to supplement air for fish. Those bio-wheels clarify the water and break the water’s surface producing very tiny air bubbles.

Too much air in a fish tank

Excessive aeration can have negative effects as well. Too much air can raise the pH of the water and affect its hardness.

In planted aquaria air bubbles remove CO2 that the plants need to grow.

Emergency use of air pumps

Lack of oxygen can promote diseases, in certain cases it is advisable to move the fish to a well airrated quarantine tank to stop the disease.

Increasing the water temperature also helps to cure the illness but warmer water releases the oxygen faster so it needs to be aided with air from air pumps.

Air pumps can also be used in a simple sponge filter in breeding tanks as a temporary setup.

In a case of a blackouts handy battery powered air pumps can save the fish from death when used with sponge filter.

Air pump models

There is many aquarium air pumps to choose from on the market, their quality depends on the price. Most of them are very quiet and cheap so if you don’t use them on daily basis it is still good to keep them handy for emergencies.
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