Aquarium Air Pumps Don't Clean Your Fish Bowl

If you look at your local pet store, you'll notice dozens of small aquariums and fish bowls that are "filtered" by an air pump. A first-time aquarist can easily make the mistake of believing that these bubble-making machines somehow eliminate waste or toxins from a fish bowl or a small fish tank. They don't.

An air pump works by forcing air into the water, causing large bubbles to fill the water and then break at the surface. These can look interesting and may provide a modest increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen in your water, but the improvement won't be substantial. Ground-level air is composed almost entirely of nitrogen, and the bubbles pop quickly in your fish bowl, so very little of the air actually makes it to your fishies.

Air pumps do not offer any sort of filtration for an aquarium or small fish tank. They do not remove nitrates, ammonia, particulate matter, algae, nitrite, fish poop or excess food from the water. At best, they simply move it around. Only an actual filter will filter your fish tank.

Fortunately, air pumps are ultimately harmless for most ornamental fish. Some fish who you keep in your fish bowl or small tank will enjoy the fast-moving water, but others will not. The betta, for example-- the king of the fish bowl-- is adapted to live in small, stagnant pools. It will become exhausted in the presence of an air pump and may slump to the bottom of the tank.

Other fish that don't like air pumps include pearl gourami and discus. If you are interested in getting an air pump for your fish bowl or fish tank, confirm that your aquatic friends will benefit from these popular contraptions. Then go about finding a proper filter that will actually do the job of improving your fish tank's water quality.

Your local pet store should have several effective charcoal filters that will work for a small tank.