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How do you know when to add oxygen (an air pump/bubbler) to your tank?

I have a 20 gal tank with 8 panda cories and 9 harlequin rasboras, and all artificial plants. I do a 10-15% water change/gravel vac every 7-10 days, and keep my nitrates below 5 ppm. I use a Whisper 20 filter, the kind that has a "waterfall" to put the water back in. I always see bubbles in the current under the waterfall.

My husband kept fish when he was a kid and always had a bubbler in the tank. He asked if I was supposed to have one, saying that he thought that my fish might not be getting enough air now that I'm getting closer to fully stocked. I'm still pretty new at this, so I told him I would ask you guys.

Do I need one?

Kathy

If your water surface is being broken by a HOB filter, then you should have enough O2 in the water. There would be no harm in having a bubble wand or something like it in the tank.



Dan

How far does the water fall from the filter to the tank? The more disturbance to the surface of the water means more oxygen in the water. Since you have all fake plants you do not have to worry about a lack of CO2. It does not sound like to me you need a bubbler, but they can be pretty and are nice to have if your filter breaks , just in case to keep the water circulating!

Add airstones along your back wall, there is no harm in the extra oxygen, and as said above, then if your pump goes out you always have that....also it makes a great background--heidi/:'

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I would say the choice to add extra bubbles is all yours. I have a Whisper HOB (Hang On Back) filter that I've had running for many years with no problems. If the filter stops working it's most likely because the power's out - in which case the air pump would be no use either!

If for any reason your fish start hanging around the surface of the water, gasping for air, just drop the water level slightly. This will increase the surface agitation from the filter and effectively add bubbles.

By the way, the only reason your fish would act like this is if there's something wrong (eg temperature or chemical spike in the tank) so you should be fixing the thing that's wrong at the same time as treating the symptoms.

Personally I find that the noise from an air pump cancels out any positive aesthetic value from having the pretty bubbles, so I choose not to have one.

Thanks, guys! I really didn't think I needed one (waterfall goes anywhere from 1 inch to a couple inches, depending on how much water has evaporated from the tank since the last gravel vac, and there are tons of bubbles when it's a couple inches) but he's asked me three different times, so he's obviously worried about the fishies, LOL. That's a good thing, though. He won't admit it, but I think he's enjoying them as much as I am ... he didn't even protest when I mentioned maybe setting our old 10 gal up somewhere else, so he could get the "more colorful" fish he was hoping for.

Kathy

Just watch the fish, they'll tell ya when or if you need one. If you see them near the surface "gasping" then you may need one but if not, they'll be fine. btw what size tank? jw cause when I planted my 10 and took the bubbler out, the fishies were at the top in just a few hours. then I put it back in and all was well in minutes.

I agree, the fish will tell you what they need, and since you have the HOB running that way you're likely to have more than enough.

Personally I like the look of bubble wands, but HATE the sound of the air pump and bubbles breaking on the surface.

I have HOB's on all my tanks with the outflow barly causing a splash in the tank. All tanks have a few live plants and stocked somewhat on the light side. Never had a fish gasp for air @the surface.

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness
I need to calculate,what creates my own madness...
and I am waiting for disaster"

I'm glad your hubby is taking an interest in the fish - it's fun to share.

My husband kept fish when he was a kid and always had a bubbler in the tank.

When I kept fish as a kid, the only filter we had was one of those little submersed filters that was run by the air pump. In that case the air pump was the only source of air and filtration, so in a setup like that it was essential. I'm guessing your hubby's childhood tank (bowl?) was the same - and like mine it probably had several goldfish!