Is it ok to turn off the pump for a few hours for a 10 gallon?

Question

I have a pump that sits about an inch over the top of the water and it runs down into the water creating air bubbles for the fish. Is it ok to turn the pump off at night? My 5 year old says the water splashing sound bothers her at night.

Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

If you have to many fish in the tank no it's not. Your better off moving it.

Answer 2

i had a similar problem sleeping at night when i first got my tank. i have a walmart tank- the water level is about an inch and a half from lid , and the filter dumps the water creating quite a splash and a stong current under it. - i actually rigged my tank using some plastic cut from a soda bottle and some hot glue - now the water runs down the plastic into the water - still have the current but not the splashing. - perhaps you can find a way to rig it similar to that, or buy a quieter less splashy one.
As far as oxygenating the water, my fish really seem to like the bubbler i put in - it sends a nice curtain of bubbles up the back of the tank - looks really cool 2. i would NOT suggest raising the level of the water, as i have learned a lot of fish like to try and jump out - even if you have a lid - they hit the lid, and that cant be good for them - leaving the water an inch below the top or 2, is recommended.
as a last resort, u might consider taking the tank out of the room. i do have a question for you though - do you use this tank as a nightlight for her? - Just wondering, because fish need a "night" - for optimal health. so if you leave the light on at night - consider turning it off during the day - maybe covering the sides.

Answer 3

No, you don't want to do that. The filter doesn't just clean by filtering out visible particulates in the floss or sponge. In the filter of an established aquarium, helpful bacteria grow that break down the dissolved chemical wastes from the fish. These bacteria need circulation and oxygen to survive. What is going to happen is that you will kill off this helpful bacteria and make the tank unstable and have problems with ammonia and nitrite which can stress and kill the fish. You will have "new tank syndrome" every day! Filters should run 24/7. Try a quieter filter (maybe a simple box or sponge filter would work if it is not too heavy a fish load) or move the tank to another room. Otherwise, you might lose all of your fish eventually. Another tip is that when you clean the filter, only change part of the carbon or floss or rinse the sponge and leave the old carbon in for another week. This way you keep a supply of the good bacteria in the filter a all times.

Answer 4

it should be fine if you turn it off at night only. Fish are less active and the oxygen requirement are less. But a better opinion would be to fill the tank all the way to the pump so it will not make a sound. There will still be oxygen for the fish as long as the water at top is moving., that is all that is required to put oxygen in the water.

done worry about benefical bacteria, they live in the gravel anyway, and the is no reason to worry, just have it on during the day.

Answer 5

My aquarium is located right outside my bedroom door, in my living room. The only time my air pump is noisey is when it "vibrates" over to the wall of the cabinet or falls off the shelf. I usually keep it in my cabinet about an inch or so away from the edge and the wall. Otherwise it's really quiet. As for the filter making noise, usually just topping off the tank will bring the water level up far enough to cover up the noise of the filter.

Answer 6

Not recommended. Just raise the water level so that there isn't much of a splash. Unless you have the heat very high, or are very overstocked, there should be enough oxygen in the water for the fish. Even a slight surface disturbance (such as ripples where the water simply flows into the tank) creates oxygen.

Answer 7

I wouldn't recommend turning off any tank filter system at all. As a matter of fact, us fish experts, use redundant filtering systems in case one were to fail while we were away or something. You might want to try buying a different filter system, one that doesn't make as much noise.. Also, most fish tanks are underwatered.. you might want to add an inch or so of water to your tank and that way the flow from the filter hits the water at a higher level thus decreasing that "splashing" sound she hears. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

fish can only survive so long without air bubbles in the tank if you turn it off all night then there is a great chance that the fish will die. it sounds like you might have a pump that is too powerful try getting one that is weaker and it maybe will be a little quieter i have a 30 gallon tank and my air pump is a 115 volt. also there are these tubes that you can get at any local pet store or even at walmart, that you can put at the bottom of your tank that releases air bubbles, i don't know if that is what you have or not but you can turn the amount of bubbles that are coming through. so at night time you can turn them to almost off and hopefully that will work. the one i have is blue and it is about 12 inches long(there are little ones too) that i got at walmart it was only like10 dollars. i hope this is helpful to you

Answer 9

I wouldn't turn it off, the filtration is important. Make sure the water level is all the way up to the top of the tank. Filters are more noisy when the tank isn't full enough.

Answer 10

I have had the same problem from my wife concerning the air pump for our 10g aquarium. I see no problem with having the air pump turned off at night just don't forget to turn it back on.

Answer 11

I would get a new pump. Go to any fish store and they should have the pump that you need.