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i have a filer and heater do i need 1?

i have a 15g

55 gallon 1 rtbsm, 2 khuli loaches,2 gold rams 1m1f,1 leapord highfin pleco,6 black phantoms
2 odessa barbs ,1 tire track eel,2 green severums

No, you don't strictly need an air pump (unless your filter needs one to work, but if your filter has it's own plug, then it doesn't.)

Air pumps used to be used all the time for filters and oxygenation of the water, but modern filters don't require them, and research has shown that most home aquaria simply doesn't need additional aeration, so now air pumps are largely for decorative use only to power a bubble wall or air-action ornament or stuff like that.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

He said pretty much all there is to it. Decoration only.

Chris

You don't have to have one, but I have found that my fish really enjoy having an airstone. They like to play around in/with the bubbles. Also, a while back my shark got a case of ick and would only hang out in the stream of bubbles from the airstone. He would come up to eat and then go right back. Maybe he was trying to wash off the yuckkies, I don't know. All is well now, the shark is fine, but he still likes to play in the bubbles.

- Meow -

The principle of aerators unless they are of a venturi design, is to disturb the water surface thusly increasing oxygen exchange at the surface, so an airstone is useful , although tanks with filters and spray bars that already disturb the water may have no real need of them. It also depends on your stocking levels, the temperature of the water, and if you intend on using chemical additives to treat nitrate levels and ph. Some meds will also use a lot of oxygen as they start to react. Sometimes even in heavily planted tanks where oxygen is depleted by night, and an airstone can help the fish through the darker hours.

You might not actually need one, but why not up the oxygen a bit , especially if you have sensitive fish. It certainly doesnt hurt, and can be of benefit. I think a lot of betta keepers find them unecessary, but ive seen the vast improvement in the health of too many fish that have been rescued and placed into tanks with excellent oxygen exchange to ignore the benefits.If nothing else an airstone can create lots of bottom to top water movement and keeps everything circulating nicely, and that certainly helps nutrients and waste find the filter inlets, and keeps the water carrying precious oxygen moving.

I would say that an air pump is not necessary. However, the first time I ever added an air pump to my aquarium, there was an overnight difference in my water. Perhaps, my filter wasn't strong enough at the time, but it definitely helped. The water lost a lot of its greenish tint. I would recommend a bubbler and air pump of some sort; I have one on every one of my set-ups ('cept saltwater, but that's a different story entirely), and I kind of don't feel right not having one.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I occassionally get fed up with the noise of my air pump and decide that the fish can live without a bubble curtain, but after a couple of hours without it some of my fish seem to start 'gasping' at the surface more and generally seem more lethargic. Needless to say I put the airstones back in the gravel and return to life as normal.
It could be me just being paranoid but I wouldn't risk not having one now. Also my silvertip tetras love swimming verically down into the bubbles, like a swimming machine!

Are we talking filter or air pump here. Yes, you need a filter to keep the tank clean. You don't necessarily need a heater, but it is a good idea.

Most of my tanks don't have heaters and for awhile had no filters. Take it from me, temp regulation becomes a lot harder, (especially for my Mbuna) and water changes are needed much more frequently. The only time I would suggest no heater is when you can heat the house to about 80 degrees ferinhieght ALL THE TIME If you have the heater and the filter already use them.

Inky