# Do I need an air pump in my 35 gallon tall tank?



## RugerRedhawk (Sep 6, 2012)

I have a marineland bio-wheel 200 hang on back filter. It's a 35 gallon hexagon tank. I have an old air pump that seems to push some air, but when I hooked it up to my air stone that came with my decoration it did not seem to have the power to work with the air stone. 

I guess my first question is if I need to use an air stone. Secondly if so, do I need a new pump? It's a Tetra AP80. If I blow really hard into the tubing bubbles come out of the stone. I have a check valve, and also I left the tubing in a full 6 foot length, not sure that effects anything. If I take the hose off of the stone it does spit out big bubbles into the tank.

Just for the record right now I have 2 mollies, 2 platties, and some fry

Thanks.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

There is no *need* for airstones, bubblers, etc. in any aquarium if the filtration is sufficient for the tank and the fish load is not beyond the balance between water volume, filtration, etc. There will be a good exchange of gasses at the surface. Live plants increase this too. So that leaves them solely for decorative effect, if you want that, but not with live plants. If you have live plants, I would not use any such device as it drives off CO2.

Byron.


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## RugerRedhawk (Sep 6, 2012)

Thanks, I thought that was the case, but see them so commonly sold I wanted to be sure. My filter is rated for 50 gallons, so it should be plenty for my 35 tall tank, especially since I'm nowhere near capacity fish-wise and probably won't be for quite a while.


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## AbbeysDad (Mar 28, 2011)

Of course Byron is correct. The interesting thing about air pumps is they don't really put air/oxygen in the water, but rather the bubble breaking the surface causes an exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Sooooo as long as you have surface water movement from your filter (or other) you would have sufficient Co2/O2 exchange without any air stone or bubblers.


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