Topic: I just setup my first molly tank and I love these fish. Do I need an air pump in my aquarium? I have a small filter that I bought at walmart (hopefully works well). Do I also need one of these pumps that runs air into the water? I see a lot of fish tanks have them so I was wondering.
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Posted by Megan V: Having an air pump in your aquarium is always a good idea. There are multiple aspects of how air pumps help your aquarium’s water. When bubbles float to the surface of the water it creates surface agitation which in turn boosts oxygen levels in the water. Here is a top rated Hydrofarm Air Pump that has great reviews.
Another added benefit you can add to your tank is using the air to push air through another filter known as a sponge filter. This is a SUPER effective way to add another filter on top of your other regular filter. So you essentially are having three added benefits – 1. Adding bubbles & Surface Agitation 2. Adding Another Filter (Sponge Filter) 3. Backup Filter if Either Fail **Here is a top rated sponge filter to use on your air pump.
Posted by Mike J: I agree with the top poster! If your going to have an air pump you might as well have a sponge filter on it because that’s how they work. Some people use an air stone on the pump.. but thats sort of useless compared to a sponge filter. Sponges in the aquarium world are amazing filter usage. The little sponges like above can filter a lot more water than you think. And if you use it on top of your regular filter… it just adds that much more filtration!
Posted by James B: Just bought an air pump and fish seem so much happier not gasping for air and playing in the bubbles. Unfortunately oh hates it and says it’s far too loud and to return for something else. Any suggestions please? It’s a boyu I have now as it was the one in the fish shop and got to admit it is VERY LOUD!
Put it in a towel or thick felt it something to absorb the noise? Mine has little padded feet.
Uh oh…I literally JUST bought one too lol haven’t set it up yet, I hope it’s not too loud…
Reckon I’ll be replacing this as mister has complained all night and he normally doesn’t care. It’s in our kitchen, if it were in the front room it really would disturb the tv.
Just set mine up & it’s super quiet…but I’m typically not that lucky, I’ve had issues with every other aspect of fish keeping lol It is a submersible or external pump?
If external you can try to isolate it in a small box covered internally with styrofoam panels. Just be sure that any air intake is free. If it is a submersible one there’s not much you can do, but those are not supposed to be loud.
Posted by Jessica H: Guys I don’t have an air pump is this a bad thing?
The air pump helps to oxygenate water. Without it you must perform daily water changes or the water will get depleted from oxygen in some time. Some filters provides the function. If you see your fish keep swimming on top of your tank gasping air from surface, means that the water is poor in oxygen.
Your Filter will also help to oxygenate your water put it at a height so the water outlet disturb’s the water surface.
Oxygen diffuses into the water by the surface of the tank being agitated. So if your filter makes all the top of your water ripple it’s ok. Air bubbles work to help ripple the surface. If you place a spray bar from a filter under the surface and angle it upwards it spray he water out toward the surface and ripples the water.
Posted by Lacey M: Decided to set up a fry nursery. Have an air stone but no filter. With daily water changes will this be ok? Or should I get a tiny sponge filter?
Oh following this 🙂 my balloon mollys r breeding like rabbits at the moment. May have to give them their own tank too lol With daily water changes it should be just fine.
I would highly recommend feeding about 1-2 hours before wc, that way waste won’t sit in the tank.
Thankyou 🙂 seems like a good idea. So far they eat everything lol
We have fry dropping all over the place. I have many hiding spots in my main tank, but it was stressing my partner haha so we took a few out and are gunna see how we go at raising them, and my mum wants some lol. So far live bearers are fun.
I actually had a batch drop, I put in a large (4x) dose of kordon fish protector (also helps calm) and the adults seem to be completely ignoring the fry. May think about trying it out, but results vary, so.
My daughter (4) loves looking at the babies and seeing how much theyve grown when she comes back from her dads..
What size is this? What is the price range on the set up? All my females, aside from maybe one, are pregnant but not dropping fry yet…I’d like to do something small like this.
This is a spare 32 litre tank I had. I’ve got a small Aqua one air pump and a tiny air stone. Live plants from the tank and a 25 watt heater. Depends on how cheap you can get a tank for, the air pump tubing and stone maybe $20 Australian, in store, heater was $15 online. I have 5 fry in the main tank still with many hiding places and they seem to be doing fine so far.
After losing 80% of 2 fry batches to other fish appetite, we set up a 10G tank as nursery for my guppy and molly fry. We equiped it with a sponge filter and heater to keep water conditions but the filter required to be modified (covered with a mesh in the intake) to prevent fry to be sucked in and die ( we lost some before doing that change).
Yea that’s what I was worried about. I hear most people do sponge filters for fry to avoid this. But maybe when they’re a little bigger than 2 days old. I feel like at this point daily water changes and prime will be ok until their bigger and can swim stronger. Maybe another week or two?
You will be better off with a sponge filter but if you don’t mind doing daily water changes keep it as you are. Let the water get to room temperature before adding though.
Yep I always make sure the temp, and ph of the new water is the same 😊 I’ll go out and get a sponge filter soon. I currently have 5 tanks running and do a water change on at least someone every day as have sick betas. I enjoy it
Posted by Alisha S: Okay does anyone else have a bully molly. I have a male molly that has now recently decided to terrorize the tank. I am pretty sure he is the one that killed my bristlenose 2 weeks ago. He killed the other male molly last night and there are 8 females in the tank so the ratio was right. And I took the male to the pet store as I had only had him a week. And I got a female to replace him because I thought maybe he just didn’t like other males. And I just caught him attacking the new female. He is now in fishy jail (my breeding net) until I figure out what to do. Any one else have one with an issue and what your solution was?
**Admin Posted- This is the wrong place to ask. Visit our page on bullying fish and aggression.
