How much air does my 29 gallon tank need? HELP?

Question

I have a 29 gallon tank and just installed an under gravel filter. Is that enough air for the fish or should I be providing more air for them. All of the guppies are sort of going to the top and it seems like they might need more air. The bottom feeders are sort of just laying around on the bottom and they look stressed. I tested the PH of the water and it is fine.

Answer 1

IMO I would take out the undergravel filter and put in a regular hob(hang on the back) filter. Undergravel filter's are junk, and will end causing you more problems. Food & poop get stuck underneath it, and it'll raise your ammonia levels because you can't clean under there- unless you dismantle the entire tank and remove the substrate-which is a big mess in itself much less with all the poop/food floating around that was stuck underneath the filter. With the hob filter, that'll be enough to "aerate" the water and allow the gas exchanges, no need for an air stone, those are more for decoration.

Also, don't worry about the ph, most fish now a days can adjust to any type of ph for the most part, the thing you need to worry about is the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. You need to test those more so than the ph. Should be ammonia 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm, and nitrates less than 20 ppm. Buy a test kit for those.

Answer 2

The air you pump into the tank isn't where the water gets it's oxygen. That air is just to keep the water moving, and most of the gas exchange takes place at the surface. If you have your filter going right, there'll be enough oxygen in the water.
Some fish stay at the surface if the water temperature isn't right.
Undergravel filters are great if you keep everything balanced perfectly. That means water has to circulate through all of the gravel with no dead spots, you have to feed the fish exactly the right amount so not too much winds up in the gravel, you need a balance of swimmers and bottom feeders. In other words, it ain't easy. The bacteria in the gravel take care of the excess food and waste if everything is just right.

Answer 3

Have you also tested the ammonia levels in you water? If you just put in a new under gravel filter and you cleaned everything in your tank when you did its possible you have lost some of the bio balance in the tank and have an ammonia build up. If its a brand new tank it may not have cycled yet wish can cause huge build ups of nitrates nitrites and ammonia. A cycling tank can be very stressful on your fish and may kill some of them. Guppies are pretty delicate and like everything to be just right. Fish appearing to gasp at the top of the tank for air and/or acting lethargic can all be signs of ammonia poisoning. Can't hurt to check.

Answer 4

How long have you had the tank running? If you just put water and a filter in it then that is probably why the fish are at the surface. The nitrogen cycle has not completed then. If you know all this I guess I sound stupid. Though, surface agitaion will help the oxygen exchange at the surface and anything that will help that(ie. filters and airstone) is beneficial. Also if you have a glass hood that is air tight that could cause problems.

Answer 5

get a heater with thermostat. you additionally can get a clip on clear out with an adjustable pass from amazon. they dont want an air pump yet airpumps help shop water circulated and shop your tank air purifier because of fact it kicks up the crud and your clear out can assemble it. superb now my betta is enjoying in his air curtain like he's surfing it. he can try this for an hour at a time. that guy that announces bettas are no longer lively is incorrect. my fish swim around continually of their 5 and 10 gallon tanks.

Answer 6

I would get a simple air stone and pump, wal-mart carries them cheeply. The under gravel filters really are not the best filters out there, if you can get one that hangs on the back it'll keep the tank cleaner and keep it aireated. So either a pump and air stone or a better filter.