Do I absolutely need an air pump for my Guppies?

Question

I want to buy guppies and have limited money. I bought everything except Air pumps, I read online somewhere that you don't need them. Also do I need to buy a vaccum to clean the gravel? I don't have too much gravel, probably about 1/2 cup a gravel. (i will clean the tank every week).
Should I buy an algae eater in the tank to help keep it cleaner?
I am only buying 2 females in 1 ten gallon tank, and im buying 3 males for another 10 gallon tank. (I plan on breeding them)
oh, the most important question i have is, What kind of lighting do I need??? I have a UV/Florescent light bulb, will that work? I also am going to use a 15 watt light bulb that came with the fish tank? Will it harm them??? Thanks.

Answer 1

Use a plain florescent bulb rather then a UV and I prefer florescent bulbs to incandescent as both will be more likely to promote algae growth. You are better of with a gravel siphon rather then an air pump (they are much cheaper at wal-mart). Gravel can be very important as it will provide a greater surface are for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. I like to keep at least 3 inches. You can use marbles or something from the dollar store. I would also suggest buying fake silk plants for the time being (it will also increase surface area in your tank), plastic ones will damage tail but I have bought some silk ivy at wal mart (from the craft department) for a dollar a bunch. I weighted them down with rocks and rubber bands and they look really nice.
An air pump does more then add oxygen (which you don't have to worry about with only a few fish), it also help with the circulation in the tank and maintaining the water pH. You should check the temperature of the tanks at various locations to make sure that there is enough circulation. When you are ready to buy a pump, you only need one and you can buy more tubing, and a do-hicky that will divide the tubes and regulate how much air goes through each one.
Algae eater aren't necessary until you have an algae problem (they will also increase the bio-load on your tank).
A

Answer 2

You don't need an air pump. The only thing the air pump is for, is to cause a disturbance at the surface so the water can be airrated. The filter should cause enough of a disturbance. I have a 30gal. goldfish tank set up that way. What kind of filter do you have? A gravel vacuum is a good idea, but it can wait if you need to. I am assuming this is a brand new, never been used before tank and you need to cycle it. Otherwise you will get what is called "New tank syndrome" and your fish will die. An easy way to cycle your tank is to get a handful of gravel for a friends already established tank, if you can. There is beneficial bacteria that grows in the gravel and helps break down uneaten food and fish waste. I would get a little more gravel, enough to cover the floor so the bacteria has room to grow. The light that came with your tank will be fine. The wattage of light isn't too important if you aren't growing real plants. As for the algea eater, you should get one eventually. I would get 3 corydora catfish to put in you tank before the algea eater. They are wonderful for a community tank like your plan. They will go around and eat everything they can get their barbels on. They stay really small, under 2", and come in all sorts of variations like leopard, panda, emerald and albino just to name a few. Something else I recommend, since this is a setup, get a water testing kit for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, ect. High ammonia levels are deadly to your fish. That's what the bacteria in the gravel is for, to turn the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. I know this is a lot of information all at once, but you'll get the hang of it. Research on google, it's a good way to learn lots about fish keeping. I almost forgot, if you haven't aquired a water heater, you will need one. Guppies like warm water, 70-85 F. And water dechlorinator, to remove the chlorine that is in tap water. When you do breed, you will need plants and breeding grass for the babies to hide in so the other guppies don't eat them.

Answer 3

Ditto the previous post. Air pumps aren't a requirement. Usually they're for those that want a bubble screen/wand, or a moving ornament in their tank. The filter will do the same thing, even better than an air pump. You may be able to get away with a small algae eater, a rubber lip pleco only gets to about 4 inches I believe. Hold off on getting it though, until the tank has time to build up a little algae for him to eat, and be sure to get some algae wafers. Don't get the Chinese algae eaters, they end up getting very aggressive and stop eating algae. As far as the lighting, just be careful, I've noticed on my smaller tanks they throw off a lot of heat, and not much water to absorb it, my daughter cooked her fish by leaving the light on overnight..........

Answer 4

Do Guppies Need Air

Answer 5

since you have a ten gallon tank it may be best because the water will grow algae faster and get dirtier. it is also better for the fish because it provides more oxygen to then. i have fish and a low budget. this way you don't have to clean the tank so often and waist so much money on the water treatment you have to give it before you put the fish back in.it is very expensive if you don't because they may get sick and the medication cost a lot of money.