How Can You Add More Oxygen to Your Fish Tank?

As a fish owner, it’s important that you monitor the oxygen levels in your aquarium to keep your fish happy and healthy. When oxygen levels become too low, there are certain things you can do to fix the situation and prevent negative health consequences for your pet fish. Below, the staff at Aquatic Warehouse, a trusted provider of fish tank supplies, explains some of the ways you can get more oxygen in your aquarium along with a few things to be careful of so you don’t unknowingly decrease oxygen levels.

Make Sure the Water Temperature Doesn’t Rise Too High

Cool water holds far more oxygen than warm water does. If the water in an aquarium becomes too warm, your fish may begin to show the effects of low oxygen levels. To raise oxygen levels back up to a healthy level, avoid using lamps that give off heat or placing your aquarium in direct sunlight. In an emergency, you can uncover the aquarium and fan the surface of the water if the temperature has risen unexpectedly.

Be Careful Not to Overcrowd Your Aquarium

The more fish you put in an aquarium, the less oxygen each of those fish will have access to. In fact, overcrowding is the number one cause of oxygen-related illnesses and deaths in pet fish. No matter the other precautions you take to oxygenate your tank, if there are too many fish, your efforts won’t be sustainable. If you’re dealing with an overcrowded aquarium, carefully rehome your fish into a larger tank or separate the fish into multiple tanks.

Keep Water Moving Constantly

Stagnant water naturally has lower oxygen levels than moving water, so it’s important to get water flowing throughout your aquarium. Without proper water movement, oxygen will remain close to the surface of the water but never reach the bottom of the tank. To remedy this issue, you can add a water filter to your aquarium. A proper-sized filter will keep the water in your tank cleaner and also keep the water moving and circulate the oxygenated water at the surface to the bottom of the tank consistently.

Be Cautious When Using Live Plants in Your Aquarium

Because plants give off oxygen, many fish owners believe adding an abundance of live plants to their aquarium will increase oxygen levels and keep fish healthy. While this is true in some situations, it can have the opposite effect in others. In nature, plants need direct sunlight exposure to produce oxygen. In your aquarium, you must have abundant (usually high-end) lighting if the tank isn’t in a very sunny area of the home, because the plants will use up more oxygen than they give off, putting your fish at risk. Even with high lighting, we recommend using an air stone and pump that comes on with a timer when the light turns off.

Maintaining proper oxygen levels is just one of many considerations when caring for an aquarium. If you need an aquarium dosing pump, nutritious fish food, LED lighting, or other important supplies for your tank, reach out to Aquatic Warehouse. Stop by our store in Kearny Mesa, or give us a call at 858-467-9297.