is an air pump essential?

[boldtogether]

I prefer the venturi type aeration method. I put mini valves on the airline to turn them off if need be.
One thing not mentioned very often regarding the use of aeration...air pumps or otherwise...the very annoying reality of saltcreep and mineral deposits. Aerating the water will dramatically accelerate its formation. Saltcreep is very much a part of owning a saltwater tank and if you add salt to your freshwater tank, adding air really increases evaporation. Evaporation is one way to cool a tank as well.
Years ago I tried an experiment to see if I could cool a tank with the addition of air....to my surprise, the simple addition of air into the water column cooled the tank. Later, I realized that it was probably due to evaporation being accelerated by the air being added. Anyway, most people regard adding air as a way to simply move water and increase surface area to be exposed to the atmosphere. ...but many just think it looks cool...and I agree.

 

[jwh]

Use on my large tank with two gholf ball sized airstones, effective keeping water aerated especially during hot summer months

 

[perdeep007]

thank you all for replies, can i essentially use any air pump? any recommended ones? 125 gallon 6 ft long with a 30 gallon sump filter. i dont not have much surface agitation as my returns are directly into the tank that create small bubbles but not alot. I was thinking of doing a lighted led strip at the bottom. too tacky?

 

[skjl47]

thank you all for replies, can i essentially use any air pump? any recommended ones? 125 gallon 6 ft long with a 30 gallon sump filter. i dont not have much surface agitation as my returns are directly into the tank that create small bubbles but not alot. I was thinking of doing a lighted led strip at the bottom. too tacky?

Hello; pretty much any air pump can work. Some will depend on what effect you seek. A strong air pump will likely need to have some excess air bleed off. The other main considerations, for me, are price and noise. My current air pump is in my basement with a long tube thru the floor, so it can be cheap and noisy.

I will also suggest more valves than you at first will think necessary. Quality counts here in terms of fine air control. If you want lots of bubbles fine control is not so much of an issue. If you want to run separate bubblers to perhaps create a visual display then fine control can be of help.

Over the decades an air pump has saved many a tank from serious problems. Another thing I like to do is run the air pump from a different electric outlet (circuit breaker) than my other tank equipment. This has been of particular value when using a GFI outlet for my tank equipment as the one I used would trip fairly often.

Run an airpowered sponge filter in a tank or two and you have instant beneficial bacteria on an easy to move structure.

While I can and have run tanks without air, I try not to. I run a bubbler in every tank when possible.

Good luck

 

[skjl47]

thank you all for replies, can i essentially use any air pump? any recommended ones? 125 gallon 6 ft long with a 30 gallon sump filter. i dont not have much surface agitation as my returns are directly into the tank that create small bubbles but not alot. I was thinking of doing a lighted led strip at the bottom. too tacky?

Hello; Run it if you like it. We, so far, get to run our tanks any way we want. Tank decor is a personal thing. Please yourself.

 

[celebrist]

They're also useful for creating updraft currents in dead spots... useful on larger tanks.. and much cheaper to operate than a pump.

This is one main reason I run them in my big tank, I use sponge filters and HOBs in my smaller ones

 

[boldtogether]

If noise is a concern, the best air pump so far, and I have had quite a few over the years, is the Rena Air 400...almost silent....good air and dual controls.
If air is what you feel like then go for it...try it out on the cheap, see if you like it and then invest. Remember, whatever you decide, "to air or not to aer" is a long fought debate much like salt addition...

 

[DN328]

thank you all for replies, can i essentially use any air pump? any recommended ones? 125 gallon 6 ft long with a 30 gallon sump filter. i dont not have much surface agitation as my returns are directly into the tank that create small bubbles but not alot. I was thinking of doing a lighted led strip at the bottom. too tacky?

Depending how your tank is set-up and your return pipe / tubes, you could have the return come just a bit under the water level of your tank. Connect loc-lines at the ends and direct out torwards the water surface. This way, the water still returns as needed from the sump, in addition it's creating surface agitation. Again, short of seeing your set-up, this should be a quick fix for you.

 

[wild bill]

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet but you are getting aeration through your sump. The water is picking up oxygen while it goes to your sump just like a water fall. So you may not need the air pump if you don't want it. But this is all up to you now.

 

[Wailua Boy]

I think air pumps and air driven filters have their place, for raising fry and for species that don't appreciate current they can be useful. For larger species water driven pumps/venturis maybe more efficient. I thought I had heard fluming water pumps were more efficient than airstones at increasing O2.