Leaving the tank air pump 24/7

[Dragonfly_M3]

One of my friends said keeping the air pump full time or during whole daytime isn’t good for most species of fish as they get used to the constant supply of O2 and when a sudden power outage comes in (a full day one) the fish would lack the O2 they depend on daily and die, so to keep the pump on for one hr or so.

Most of the time I just kept the pump on for the whole day and offed at night

I have heard about fish dying during long power outages too, is it due to lack of constant O2 supply like my friend said or die to lack of good circulation in the tank to help bacteria grow?

Also, I ve kept a tank without much air pump supply and just for a n hour or so , sometimes even not onning the pump at all, and yet the fish didn’t die (was moderately stocked) I’m not sure why too. So what my friend said seemed a bit sense to me.

so I thought of posting it here and for your opinions.

Thank you

 

[Randles]

That's incorrect. As you've already discovered air pumps are not essential 99% of the time. As long as there is good movement on the surface of the water the inhabitants will have all the oxygen they need, unless majorly overstocked.

 

[tlindsey]

As long as there is good movement on the surface of the water the inhabitants will have all the oxygen they need, unless majorly overstocked

+1

 

[FJB]

Another incorrect issue is that air pumps do not inject O2 into the water. What they blow is air, which isa mixture of gases, of course including oxygen. The “oxigenation” produced by air pumps comes with the upward movement of deeper tank water towards the surface, where gas exchange (between atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide) can occur. The blowing of air causes a constant upwards and back downwards movement which in turn results in oxygenation.

 

[Dragonfly_M3]

So keeping the pump on for only a few hours per day would be enough right

also what type of essential bacteria does the circulation of the air pump help to grow, And how?

 

[FJB]

The circulation due to the air pump does not by itself help any type of bacteria in particular. By providing some oxygenation, it would help any aerobic bacteria, including beneficial but also any others. Its role in biological filtration is very small by itself, unless the air from the pump (carrying water) passes through some sort of media (sponges or others), in which case it is aiding the processing of ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. But if it is just an airline bubbling into the water, its role in filtration (biological and otherwise) is minimal.

 

[duanes]

Fish do not get "used" to one thing or the other, and put up with it, just because we want them to.
Certain fish have evolved to live in highly oxygenated water, some haven't.
I keep generally rheophillic species that require lots of oxygen all the time.
Many tetras, barbs, and cichlids like Geophagines, come from riffles, or constantly fast flowing rivers, and there are those that live in lakes with tidal zones where constant wave movement provide oxygen saturated environments.
Of course there are some swamp fish (some Anabantids, and killifish) or those that come from rice paddy's, and ponds that don't require high oxygen, some that have developed the ability to use atmospheric oxyegen.
One size (one environment) does not fit all, and temporarily turning off air for some may work, while others may suffer negative health effects.
So if this off/on thing is your aim, you may want to choose the species you keep carefully. I would suggest some species of Bettas, or gouramis, that can gulp air from the surface.
And if you combine a lack of oxygen and a lax water change schedule that allows deleterious substances like nitrate to build up, it is a possibility that after a night of no movement, with species that require constant O2, your entire tank may wake up dead.
Because of the fish I keep, the flow of my tank runs (as in the video below) 24/7
Flow

 

[fishguy1978]

Are you only running an air pump for filtration? Or is it supplemental? If it is your primary or only men's of filtration then yes it needs to be on 24/7. If it is only an additional means of circulation then it could be on intermittently. Many hobbyists with planted tanks will run an air pump at night to increase the potential oxygen because once lights go out plants stop using CO2 and start using oxygen.

 

[jjohnwm]

There's absolutely no benefit to intermittent air pump use instead of constant use. There may, as explained above, be detrimental effects. And an air pump costs almost nothing to run, compared to other aquarium equipment.

You seem to be leaning towards this on/off thing, but I can't imagine why.

 

[Dragonfly_M3]

And if you combine a lack of oxygen and a lax water change schedule that allows deleterious substances like nitrate to build up, it is a possibility that after a night of no movement, with species that require constant O2, your entire tank may wake up dead

ah right, but in the previous tank (outside) i kept with my silver dollars and 2 wood catfish i used very less O2 supply, and i didnt see any health issue, is it because they are relatively hardy fish. (i did do regular water changes)

Are you only running an air pump for filtration? Or is it supplemental?

its supplemental

Many hobbyists with planted tanks will run an air pump at night to increase the potential oxygen because once lights go out plants stop using CO2 and start using oxygen.

hm that makes sense

You seem to be leaning towards this on/off thing, but I can't imagine why.

yes lol, just wanted to know if it was alright or not, so more electricity could be saved, even if it is a little bit. i used to keep the pump on during the majority of the day and offed at night.