Is a water pump necessary?
2 posts
-
deanmachine - Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:48 pm
Is a water pump necessary?
I have a 120 gal tank with a Rena XP4 filter and Rena 400 air pump with two 14" airstones - standard community fish. I have read some things which suggest that for larger tanks you need a water pump, but am not sure if this applies with the type of filter I will be running. Any advice?
-
Peterkarig3210 - Posts: 1980
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am
How many fish do you have, what kind are they, and how much food do you put in the tank daily?
If the tank is heavily stocked I'd get another rena xp4. You can also get a powerhead and stick a sponge filter over the intake. most powerheads have an air entrainment (venturi) feature that helps create more current.
Tecnically any filter or powerhead is a water pump, so I don't exactly know what you are thinking.
I think the xp4 is rated to filter 170 gallons. I like to have a LOT of extra filtration and double or even quadruple the filtration for the tanks I have. Powerheads with sponge filters count as filtration, and so does a sponge over the xp4's intake.
Current is another issue, and it is the main way that oxygen is introduced into the tank, especially current near the surface.
You just have to be careful to not have too much current for some kinds of fish with large cumbersome fins because it can tire these fish out., but in general most fish like to have at least some current as it gives them a place to excersize and it helps keep particles of waste from settling on the bottom so they can be sucked into the filters.
If the tank is heavily stocked I'd get another rena xp4. You can also get a powerhead and stick a sponge filter over the intake. most powerheads have an air entrainment (venturi) feature that helps create more current.
Tecnically any filter or powerhead is a water pump, so I don't exactly know what you are thinking.
I think the xp4 is rated to filter 170 gallons. I like to have a LOT of extra filtration and double or even quadruple the filtration for the tanks I have. Powerheads with sponge filters count as filtration, and so does a sponge over the xp4's intake.
Current is another issue, and it is the main way that oxygen is introduced into the tank, especially current near the surface.
You just have to be careful to not have too much current for some kinds of fish with large cumbersome fins because it can tire these fish out., but in general most fish like to have at least some current as it gives them a place to excersize and it helps keep particles of waste from settling on the bottom so they can be sucked into the filters.