Is there any alternative for a air pump in an aquarium?

Question

I just have a small container with a few small fishes, can plants substitute for the air pump? If not are there another way?

Answer 1

i pray for the fish that you are planning on getting a larger tank for them soon..... the GENERAL rule is 1" of fish to 1 gallon of water, therefore, if you have 3 small 1" fish, that you should have at minimum a 3 gallon tank, with filter, bubbler, and heater if necessary. now, the major exception to that rule, is GOLDFISH. if you have even one goldfish, then you need at MINIMUM a 10 gallon tank, because goldfish need at least 10 gallons PER fish, up to 5-7 years of age, and 15-20 gallons after that. The can get to be HUGE heavy fish, and produce a lot of waste, and can grow very large, up to 12" each. if you put them in too small of a tank, then you can stunt them, and they will die because they have not enough room to move, and they dirty the water very quickly.

if you have tropical fish (or goldfish), then you should have a bubbler, a filter, and an air pump, and you have to keep the water for tropicals between around 74-78 degrees, depending on the fish. if necessary, get a heater. Bubblers cause the excess bacteria from the bottom of the tank to come to the surface of the water, and helps keep the fish healthier, as well as oxygenating the water.

the only fish that can live without a bubbler is a betta, because bettas breathe the oxygen from the water, and breathe the air from the surface as well. African dwarf frogs do this also.

please, please get the fish a bigger home, and at least get them a filter going to break the surface of the water.

Answer 2

Don't need one if you have a big enough surface area and you keep it clean. After all how many lakes or ponds have air filters?
I have had cold water fish for decades and never used an air pump (or a filter). I have a regular rectangular tank so there is lots of surface area, plenty of LIVE plants (not plastic ones) and regularly remove muck of the floor by syphoning off with a narrow gauge plastic tube (like the ones that they put on the pumps and filters- the tubing can be brought at petshops or hardware stores).
Syphoning off the muck every fortnight reduces the water level and I then add some fresh water to replace i. As I do the "vacuuming" I shuffle it in the gravel to disturb anything that has settled but you cant get it all but the remnants will decay providing food for the plants. You can buy oxygen tablets at pet shops- I have never used them but apparently they are a bit like aspirin to look at and when they dissolve in the water they release oxygen. As far as I'm concerned- the more you fuss over things the harder they become to manage so I stick to nice plain and simple method of letting nature do its thing ( and no my fish don't die young, the various goldfish have all lived to at least 12 yo I don't know about the danios etc as I have only had them 3 years or so at the moment and the Bettas only 12 months.

Answer 3

how small is your container? you can get really small filters. or you can change the water frequently. i keep bettas in 2 1/2 gallons with a hagen elite mini filter -- it was 10 dollars at the pet store. it is really quiet and doesn't have an outside air pump -- its just one unit. i keep it turned all the way down because its really powerful and bettas don't like a lot of water movement. they are made for small tanks -- like 1-5 gallons. There are few different kinds of filter for small containters.

If you really don't want a filter I would recommend changing the water out every week. What kind of fish do you have and how small is it?

To change the water you should add 3 things --

a decholorinater -- there are lots of them
a beneficial bacteria -- brand names are like stress zyme and cycle
melafix -- i can't recommend this enough. its a mild anti bacterial that is really good for fish.

Plants are another good option for keeping your fish healthy but they can't do all the work alone. Good choices would be java fern or java moss. Fish don't eat them and you can just tie them on to rock or wood so they are easy to move around. they don't require any special fertilizer or lighting either.

Answer 4

Death is one alternative.

You could rig up a water bubbler (like a fountain) that would agitate the surface to drive oxygen into it.

Oxygen requirements depend on the type of fish you have in the container. The champions of "little oxygen" are bettas and gouramis. These types of fish get the oxygen exclusively from the water's surface and require no air pump. Bettas ("fighting fish") should be kept separately or you will eventually have only one. They are pretty, though. They require very little area.

You might also consider a "paradise fish", a type of gourami. Both of these can be found at PetsMart, and probably larger box stores. Look for males because they tend to be far more colorful than the females. They require more space than bettas.

I doubt you could stuff enough plants in a "small container" to provide enough oxygen and still give enough room for the fish to swim.

Answer 5

You say "small container" , how large is small? Generally speaking you have to have: 1. air flow through the water, 2. water movement or 3. a very large water surface to water volume to maintain an oxygen exchange capable of sustaining life in a closed environment. Having plants will generally help while it is daylight or the tank lights are on, but when there is not enough or the right kind of light, many of the plants will actually take oxygen from the water. Sort of a reverse process.

Answer 6

An air pump does not put air into the water , it agitates the surface of the water and oxygen transfer happens. Any external filter can do this. I think plants in an aquarium give off both oxygen and carbon dioxide , much like plants out of water. I have an air pump in my aquarium , but just for "looks".

Answer 7

Just how big is this 'small container'? What I picture by that, I can't imagine there being room for plants and fish.

As already mentioned, tanks with filters that move the water surface don't usually need air pumps, but I get the impression you don't have a filter either?

Perhaps the best solution, if I'm not entirely off track here, is to get yourself a proper little aquarium for your fishes.

Answer 8

Depends on the fish but my bettas ,live just fine without a pump.

Answer 9

If you have a good filter, it should be able to agitate the water enough that you won't need an air pump. I have three 30 gallon tanks and I don't have a pump in any of them