Aquarium Air Pump

Aquarium Air Pump

Is an air pump totally necessary for my aquarium?

I recently purchased an aquarium kit, but an air pump was not included. On the "You may wish to purchase" section of the box, it listed an air pump, and I was just wondering as to whether or not my goldfish are getting enough oxygen with just the filter alone.

Nope, the short answer is that you probably do not need an air pump

Does the surface water of your tank move? Do you have a filter that creates a sort of waterfall (the Aquaclear ones do)? If it does, then you should be fine. If it is an underwater filter, just make sure that the surface of the water moves a lot. If you have an undergravel filter I recommend getting a different type of filter, as those are usually inadequate for a goldfish.

What sized tank do you have? Goldfish are actually very messy fish, and they also get large so the require more oxygen than smaller fish would. The bubbles of the air pump are not actually what oxygenates the water. Instead, it is the surface disruption the bubbles create when they float to the top.

Unless the surface area of your tank is very small (which it could be if it is a small tank to begin with, or if it is one of those hexagonal ones), and the surface isn't agitated enough, then you don't need an air pump. If you want to get one then it won't hurt anything (I find those bubble walls to be kind of cool in goldfish tanks), but you don't need one.

Just make sure that your tank is big enough for goldfish. Fancy ones can easily reach 6" or more, and comets can get twice that size in a home aquarium. As I also said, goldfish are very messy fish. It is actually a common misconception that they are good for beginners- in reality they need lots of space and frequent water changes to thrive.

Don't let that scare you off- it just means you may have to upgrade your tank eventually, and that you may only be able to keep one or two fish.

Fish Tanks & Aquariums : How to Set Up an Aquarium Air Pump

Aquarium Air Pump

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