# Do i need an air pump or not?



## dillon0990

I have been reading so many mixed opinions on whether or not a cichlid tank needs and air stone. Can someone give me a straight answer?


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## GaFishMan1181

You dont need an air stone. You do need a filter of some type though.


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## dillon0990

thank you, the filter i have is on a 55 gal and it is rated at 330gph. is that plenty of filtration?


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## RRasco

That's plenty of flow for a 55, but depending on what types/quantity of filter media you are using will determine if there is 'enough' filtration. Assuming this is an established tank, do you have any ammonia or nitrites? No? Is the water clean of excessive particulates? Yes? Then you have adequate filtration.

There is never a reason to 'need' an air pump. Depending on your type of filtration, of course. Sponge filters require air pumps or power heads. :wink:


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## JoelRHale

My gf has an air curtain in her 55 and she likes it and the fish like to swim through it. It's not necessary but if you're not a slave to a natural aquascape like me it can be an interesting addition.


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## duds

JoelRHale said:


> My gf has an air curtain in her 55 and she likes it and the fish like to swim through it. It's not necessary but if you're not a slave to a natural aquascape like me it can be an interesting addition.


Agreed. I had an air curtain in an old tank and my tetras loved going back and forth through it like it was a carnival ride, pausing before swimming into it as if they were summoning up the courage. It was pretty entertaining to watch.

I think the only real benefit behind having an air stone is if your filter doesn't provide surface agitation over the whole tank you can add an air stone or bubble wand to keep the surface moving, allowing oxygen to dissolve into the water. Most tanks have enough surface agitation from the filters to not allow for any dead spots.


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## PfunMo

Sometimes peoploe are confused by thinking the air bubbles some way get air into the water. They do that some but just keeping the surface water changed out will do the same. No airstone "required" but they do have some uses. I have airstones for when I'm hatching brine shrimp and rather than disconnect them I swing them to a large tank and it does move some water.


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## dillon0990

i have one of the hang on filters and it does disturb the surface on one side but not the other.I have found to set up an air stone with the pump and all it will cost roughly 30 bucks. I really dont want it in the tank so what if i spend the extra 20 bucks for another filter on the other side of the tank? can there be too much filtration? that would be 660 gph in a 55 gallon tank but it would cause the surface to be disturbed on both sides.


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## JoelRHale

I have ~1300gph in my 75 and it does not seem too much. I have many fish that are ~1" and they have zero trouble with any current issues.


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## dillon0990

I bought this aquarium in a kit. the kit came with the tetra whisper 60. from what *** read its not the best nor the worst filter. Whats your guys opinion? is it junk? it seems fairly quiet and seems like its flowing ok. *** read that the aquaclear 110 is a really good filter. Has anyone on here used one of them? i just want to know my fish will have enough filtration. the tetra does say 330 gph but theres a difference between saying and doing lol. i can buy another brand new one for 30 bucks for the other side of the tank. should i buy another of the whisper or buy one of the aquaclear that can be used up to 110 gallon aquariums for 60 bucks? or wait to see how my fish like what is already there and stick with one filter and no air stone. i feel kinda lost if you cant tell!!


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## JoelRHale

The Whisper 60 is a decent filter. You might want to improvise better filter media, like pot scrubbers or a foam block. You don't really need carbon filters and foam blocks/pot scrubbers are rinse and reusable!

I've used the Whisper 60 and it's good. Right now, 500gph of my 1300 is an AC110, but it is *very* loud. If the tank is in your bedroom or you really value silence, the Whisper 60 is better. But even better is a canister. That XP3 is quieter than an air pump!

330gph sounds like a lot but it really isn't, I bet it is doing the job. 330gph turns your tank over 6 times an hour, that is in the recommended range for adequate filtration, there is no real need to spend more money unless you notice your filter unable to handle your bioload. But if your bioload is taken care of you don't need to worry. :thumb:


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## dillon0990

thank you i just want to do this all right. IF the ac110 is loud i better not use it cause it is in my bedroom. the whisper is fairly quiet. i had one on my last tank and it lasted 2 years. i would like a canister but they are more than im willing to spend at the moment. i still think the whisper doesn't really agitate the whole surface of the tank enough though. the whispers are cheap on amazon. only like 30 bucks mayb for that cheap its worth just throwing another one on that way id double the filtration plus not need an air stone.


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## JoelRHale

My tank is in my basement and the only time I can't here the 110 is when the central AC unit kicks on, and even then I can pick it out of the noise, if that gives you an idea.

Instead of getting another 60, comb craigslist. I'm sure others have great stories of sweet deals they've grabbed, about a month and a half ago I got a 55, two whisper 60s, ac110, heater, and air pump for $20. You'll be amazed what kind of deals you can find when people want to get out of a hobby or, sadly in my example's case, need drugs!

If you don't have fish, you really don't need to worry about additional filtration yet. It's easy to get carried away throwing money at a new hobby. If it turns out that you don't need anymore filtration, then that's $30-60 you were committed to spending that can go directly towards fish.

Have you decided on what kind of cichlid you would want to keep? A Mbuna community tank of 15-20 fish will most likely require more filtration compared to a breeding pair of convicts would do just fine. It's all about bioload!


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## dillon0990

yeah im wanting about 20 fish. im planing on doing three species. im deciding on rusty, yellow labs, blue zebra, red zebra, or saulosi. what 3 would you think would work together the best? i know i shouldnt probably use both red and blue zebra. i also like the red peacock's. well really i wish i could keep one of every species cause its so hard to choose haha. is it a bad idea to have more than 3 species?


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## JoelRHale

If this is your first cichlid tank, and especially if this is your first tank ever, it would be best to go conservative with 3 species and shoot for 15 adult fish.

Of the ones you listed, I like the rusties, saulosi, and blue zebra. That would be a good mix. There's really no 100% right choice for stocking though, as there are a lot of grey areas. But those 3 would seem to me to have a low chance of crossbreeding or conspecific aggression. Plus with two of those being dimorphic you will get 5 different colors of fish. I'm not sure if blue zebra is dimorphic, I know red zebras can be. Maybe a more knowledgeable person on the subject will pipe up. Another option to blue zebra would be Cyno. sp. Hara which I do know is dimorphic.


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## dillon0990

well about 7 years ago i started a tank and had 4 oscar. i had them for almost 3 years. i loved oscar's but im looking for more color this time. plus id like a bigger tank for oscar's. the three you said seem like a good mix of color. i think thats probably the 3 ill end up going with. i really appreciate your help. i was looking online for the foam blocks to exchange the carbon filters in the whisper but only could find them for like the aquaclear filters. do you think those would also be able to be used in the whisper? i just got my tank all filled today it needs some more decoration but ill get some pics up soon and get some opinions on what i should add.


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## JoelRHale

No problem about helping out, it is a forum and that's why they're here! I get so much out of this place I try to help out when I can. Just go to the dollar store and by chemical free foam scouring blocks or nylon pot scrubbers. Either way you get 6 for $1. Cheap and effective!

As for decorations, mbuna like rocks but you can do whatever, they aren't hard to keep happy. You can click and look at my tank to see what I did. And also peruse the tank section. Select the option "Malawi Mbuna" to look through them.


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## dillon0990

your tank looks really nice. mine is still pretty plain. i just posted a pic of it in another thread


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## awilson0001

try running without air. you can tell if the fish are breathing too heavy,and add air.
on my 125, i have a rena xp3 and an emperor 280 hob, plus 3 power heads. only 20 africans, but i also have 6 clown loaches and bristlenose plecos. they all breath fine, but my fire eel, probably from his size, was breathing heavy.
i added air and he barely moves his mouth now.
so you probably do not need it in most cases.


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## smitty

What is the reason for the air stone if it is for oxygenation then no. As long as water is moving thru the filters it is oxygenated. An air stone will saturated even more if that is what you want. But do you have to have an air stone no.


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## awilson0001

i was told by a few sources that air enters the water not by it moving through filters or current, but by the surface breaking through waves, splashing, air bubbles poppng and so forth.

not start an arguement but it is a good place to know if filters alone without surface movement puts air in the water.


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## dillon0990

yeah ill just wait and see how the fish react first. i just set up my tank yesterday so i have like 2 weeks before i can even add fish. the waiting is already killing me!!


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## JoelRHale

We all know the frustrations of the waiting game!! Trust me, waiting is much better than 50% wc's every or every other day for a week or two until your tank settles!


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## dillon0990

yeah when you put it that way waiting sounds like a better option lol


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## Luckie06106

dillon0990 said:


> I have been reading so many mixed opinions on whether or not a cichlid tank needs and air stone. Can someone give me a straight answer?





smitty said:


> What is the reason for the air stone if it is for oxygenation then no. As long as water is moving thru the filters it is oxygenated. An air stone will saturated even more if that is what you want. But do you have to have an air stone no.


Do convict cichlids need a air bubbles?


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## Rockfella

dillon0990 said:


> thank you, the filter i have is on a 55 gal and it is rated at 330gph. is that plenty of filtration?


I doubt it. Filters are rated with empty media. Experts believe real GPH to be half of "rated" GPH. A cichlid tank needs x10 times turnover. 55x10 : 550. You may need 2 of these '550 GPH" filters. A lot depends on fish load/feeding amount frequency. I might be wrong though.


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## DJRansome

I agree you want between 8X and 10X GPH.


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## hamilleliane

Luckie06106 said:


> Do convict cichlids need a air bubbles?


Cichlids don't actually need air stones, but they definitely need oxygen to grow. You can use an air pump to provide air bubbles to them.


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## DJRansome

Most of the air exchange with air stones comes from surface disruption as opposed to the bubbles traveling through the water column. Thus a vigorous water return from your filter achieves the same objective without the extra pump, stone, decor, and noise of bubbles bursting at the surface.


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