Aquarium Pump Selection
Choosing the correct Aquarium Air Pump for your tank
is very important for the health of your fish.
Your aquarium is a closed, unique ecosystem. Supplying oxygen to the fish is one of the two most important things in recreating nature in your aquarium. Clean, continuously flowing water is the other. Your aquarium pump is vital to operating your filtration system and creating continuously flowing water to oxygenate your system.
The necessity to aerate your aquarium has been known for some time. Fish need oxygen, dissolved in the water, to survive. In the wild, fish are provided with ample oxygen through the action of waves and wind on the water surface, together with rapids and rocks in the stream.
Life in an aquarium is extremely different however, as there is no wind or surf to disrupt the surface. Also, the surface area of an aquarium is limited to the dimensions of your tank creating even more restrictions to surface movement. Picking the best air pump for your aquarium will create the necessary water surface movement to get oxygen into your tank.
Don’t believe the myth that adding natural plants to your aquarium will replace the need for additional aeration. What happens with natural plants is the plants consume carbon dioxide during the hours of daylight for the food-building process called photosynthesis, a by product of this process is oxygen. During the daylight hours this process generates much more oxygen than the vegetation needs for respiration and the extra is released. Through the night, the vegetation has to respire and consume oxygen and discharge carbon dioxide. When the fish tank is not kept lit for prolonged times, the plants will use more oxygen than they discharge and actually limit supply of oxygen to the tank.
Another myth involves the way the oxygen is introduced to the water. The usual understanding is that aeration happens when the air from the air pump, emitted as bubbles through a diffusion stone dissolves in to the water while it rises. This isn’t correct. The air bubbles breaking the surface of the water facilitates the entry of oxygen along with the escape of carbon dioxide. That is why a flowing top filtration system works extremely well for aeration just as effectively as an air pump, both achieve the same purpose of agitating the surface water.
A good aquarium pump keeps the water flowing, which is important for the air inside the tank to circulate and to allow the water to flow to the filter and remove contaminants.
Two types of aquarium air pumps
Aquarium pumps can be either internal or external. Internal or submersible pumps – as the name suggests – are mounted inside the tank and encased with water-resistant materials. They are usually placed close to the surface and are sometimes integrated with aquarium filters. External pumps are placed outside the tank and a small hose connects to the aquarium, delivering pressure to the water. These are usually used for small tanks that have limited space inside the aquarium.
Pump size and turnover
The size of the aquarium usually determines the size of the pump. Powerful pumps can generate a lot of heat and can raise the water’s temperature to unsafe levels. This is why you should fit your tank for the right size of pump. Naturally, larger aquariums will require larger pumps. Some may even require two pumps for one tank. For a continuous supply of clean water and air, pumps with a high turnover rate are desired. Covered tanks usually require higher turnover rates than open aquariums.