How to setup air pump & air stone in fish tank:

Air pump & air stone can aerate water which adds oxygen. Fish & plants need oxygen. If there is not enough oxygen in the aquarium, then fish will be in stress. Majority of air pumps come with a single outlet so they don’t need any assembly. Latest air pumps are available with multiple outlets & if you have an air pump with 2 outlets & you want to setup 1 air stone in aquarium then I am going to describe its assembly in this tutorial.


How to setup air pump & air stone in aquarium


Do tanks need air pumps? The answer depends on the type of aquarium. It is based on aquarium, plants & fish. My aquarium has no gravel so most of the oxygenation happens inside the filter. It means that air bubbles do not oxygenate water, the oxygen is added due to disturbance created on the water surface. So air stone & air pump can help in generating more oxygen.


Step by step tutorial about setting up air pump & air stone in fish tank:

In this video I will discuss how you can install an air pump & air stone in a fish tank. It is an easy process, because you will require an air pump, air tube & air stone to finish air pump installation.


Connect air pump to air stone
Connect air pump to air stone


Adding an air stone is very simple, but first it is suggested to connect both outlets to one air stone. I have explained it in this tutorial. After setup is finished then just connect one end of the air tube to the air stone & second end of the air tube to the air pump & turn the power on.


Step 1: How to connect air pump to air stone:


Air pump & twin outlets
Air pump & twin outlets


The pump I am using in this tutorial is Aqua One Precision 9500 with twin outlets & 400 L/H capacity [1]. Each outlet has a capacity of 200 L/H [2]. The air pump has three air flow settings: low, medium & high. The power of the air pump is 5.2 Watt which means it is cheap to run. 



Connect both air tubes to air pump
Connect both air tubes to air pump


I am only attaching one air stone to the air pump therefore I am going to convert both outlets into a single outlet. I have cut 2 short pieces of air tube. One end of both air tubes is attached to the T shape connector [1], & other end of both air tubes will be connected to each of the air pump outlets [2]. 



Connect air pump to air stone using air tube
Connect air pump to air stone using air tube


I am using a medium sized air stone for creating bubbles [1]. The only thing left now is to connect the air tube to the T shape connector. Now everything is connected & it is time to setup air pump & air stone in aquarium [2]. 



Step 2: Setup air pump & air stone in aquarium:



Install air pump & air stone in fish tank
Install air pump & air stone in fish tank


This was a quick demonstration & now I am going to setup air stone & air pump in my actual aquarium. Air stone will be positioned where it is now. Setting up air stone & air pump in my aquarium is complete now. 



Air pump is generating bubbles
Air pump is generating bubbles


I have used a structure to hide the air stone & this gives a beautiful look to my aquarium & also the fish enjoy swimming through the holes in the structure. There is significant difference in air bubbles when I change the setting in air pump & you would have noticed it too. 



Overhead SUMP filter
Overhead SUMP filter


Also the tank would need an overhead SUMP filter for filtration. I have also uploaded a tutorial on how to setup filter media in an overhead SUMP filter that you can visit here: How to setup filter media in aquarium top filter


Ask question or give feedback:

I hope you have learned how to setup an air pump & air stone to oxygenate the aquarium water. If you have difficulty in understanding this tutorial then you can watch the video for more explanation. Also you can ask questions or give feedback in the comment section at the end of this post & I will reply you ASAP.


Pros & cons of air pump & air stone:

Air pumps & air stones are used to oxygenate water & in bare bottom fish tanks most of the oxygenation happens inside the filter. In such aquariums it is suggested to use an air pump & air stone to oxygenate water. Also it is an inexpensive way to oxygenate water because air pump & air stone are cheap & they consume less power. Apart from oxygenation air bubbles rising from the bottom of the tank looks attractive. Some air stones do not look good in aquarium because of their large size like the one I am using so you would hide such stone in structure like I did. Also setting up air stone requires some connections that will be visible so this method can oxygenate water but it looks messy.

2 Comments

  1. Hi what did you use to clip the rigid air tube into the corner? I would love to recreate this!

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    Replies
    1. Hey mate, they are small clips to hold wires and stuff and keep them tidy. I bought them from local hardware store. Might not be easy to find.
      However, airline suction cups can be easily purchased from aquarium shop or on ebay and Amazon. Does the same job but would be hard to attach it near corners.

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