# power heads vs air pump



## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

can someone please tell me if it is more beneficial to use a power head as opposed to an air pump? i currently have an air pump with air stone in my tank and the fish love to play in the bubbles. i figure the oxigynation combined with the entertainment of the bubbles is killing two birds with one stone. is a power head better than an air pump? if so why?


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

The air bubbles aren't really oxygenating your tank, they're creating surface turbulence which promotes gas exchange with the atmosphere. You could achieve a similar effect with a spraybar on your filter return, or even just the "waterfall" of your HOB style filter if you didn't top off the water to the brim. A powerhead could be pointed at the surface to achieve that as well.

Basically it boils down to which do you want? Bubbles or Current (or both)? Unless you're running a canister filter and have a very smooth water surface, they're both probably superfluous when it comes to oxygen levels or filtration, so just do whatever makes you (and your fish!) happy.

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

the fish seem to enjoy swimming in the current of a powerhead, also a powerhead can be used to aim at the substrate to keep the poo suspended to be picked up by the filter intake. IMO air pumps are noisy and the bubbles arent all that great looking, I say Powerhead hands down. BTW Virginia here.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

cool, thanks alot guys. thats some good information. 
im in burke, va. got any good secret lfs in the area? i usually go to wallys in annandale, super petz in annandale of centreville aquarium. any im missing?


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## beaker99 (Apr 15, 2007)

Learn how to use the venturi feature of your power head and have both. Current and bubbles. And if the power head gets noisy due to the venturi action make a muffler to eliminate the noise. Good luck.


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