I have just inherited a oscar and tank and had to get a new air pump. It is a quite a bit louder, and this may seem like a stupid question - does constant noise like a noisy air pump stress out an oscar fish??

I can't answer for the Oscar Fish (but I'll bet noise and vibration do annoy fish) but I know for a fact that air pump noise bothers ME very much, so much so that I stopped using air pumps a long time ago.

Besides, with the proper filtration (I won't mention specifics here) you can get good oxygenated water returning to tank from the filter without the need for airstones etc.

No, noise won't bother them, any vibration might be a bit annoying to them though. Some of those air pumps are very noisy. I actually bought a new one not long ago because my old one was so loud it sounded like a chainsaw. If you stand there on some cloth, or something padded, sometimes that can reduce the noise a little. The worst thing to do is rest them on a hard surface.

Regarding the noise, I have tested my Oscars by shouting as loud as I can and they don't flinch at all.

YEA YEA YEA, They just held their fingers in their ears while you were yelling...

Oscarfishlover wrote:


was u shouting under water ?.... cause if u wasn't it don't count

I wouldn't dare put my face in the water, my Oscars would have away with my nose it's funny how they say you shouldn't make a lot of noise when fishing. I swear that why Oscars can hear me. I sometimes creep up around the corner and shout this to see if they do you hear. I'm sure they could hear me they would jump. I think it's more vibrations that frighten fish. Probably would make a difference making a noise underwater actually.

If you think about it, what IS noise except a "vibration" right?

One vibration caused by your voice box received as a vibration to the ears. So, vibration is very much a part of noise. I think that vibrations easily carry through a body of water and prolonged exposure surely annoys fish, if not becomes detrimental to their health, even if only via increased stress.

I would keep the air pump off the same surface that the aquarium is sitting on to reduce the noise and vibration anyway. Put it on another shelf or under the aquarium, but do something to get it directly away. Just my opinion.

(Ever see film footage of a deep sea diver banging on something under water to attract either Dolphins or Sharks? That vibration travels far under water and the fish come to investigate.)

I stoped using an airpump some years ago because of the annoying noise. I super-agitate the water surface with a spray-bar at each end of the tanks which oxygenates the water pretty good. You can tell if your not oxygenating properly by the water surface getting a white film (I believe it's protein film) to it. If the water is pretty clear at the surface it's a pretty safe bet your oxygenated well. (just my opinion).
Pesche

Pesche wrote:


You are correct that a good amount of oxygenation occurs right at the surface of the water itself and "spraybars" are an excellent method to agitate the water surface to encourage the exchange of gasses, bad for good. You are also correct that the film that accumulates at the surface hinders the exchange. Water is also oxygenated by filtration too but the best type of filter to introduce oxygen back into the water is a bio-wheel filter because the wheel is exposed to room air whereas underwater filters types are not. Spraybars make for an excellent substitute for those seeking to get away from air pumps and air stones.

I dont think an oscar will be annoyed by air pump vibration. As jake said noise is vibration. But an oscar will be aware of a large vibration( ie made from a large predatory fish or animal). A small vibration from an air pump will not register as danger if at all. Also if it was worrying to an oscar they would be driven mad by those who have air pumps. Personally i dont think it makes any difference to them. I think they just dont hear or feel it



As for the vibration that an air pump does produce, if the oscar is aware of it he/she will get used to it. My nan and grandad used to have a railway line at the bottom of their garden (and the trains used to run when it was bedtime). Whenever i stayed there the first night was really hard to sleep but after that you got used to the noise and didnt even hear it after spending a couple of days there. I reckon it is the same with oscars and an air pump. Another way of looking at it is if you had a radio on low volume(real low) it wouldnt take long before it didnt interfere with your life