We know that lakes and rivers are the natural habitat for certain strains of fish and other marine living things. These bodies of water have extensive surface areas which allow the maximum requirement of oxygen that makes fish survival possible. Aquariums, on the contrary, have a much limited surface area that restricts movement of the habitants.  Therefore, an alternate means to provide enough oxygen for the marine life is necessary.

Providing sufficient oxygen within a tank is accomplished by an artificial process called aeration. This refers to the means of re-oxygenating the limited amount of water within a tank. Aeration requires a number of materials including an air pump, clamp or regulator, rubber tubing, t-pieces, and diffusers or an airstone.

Air pumps are available in different sizes and shapes. The most popularly used are dyna free, the dragon, and t-pieces, all from Taiwan. Another cheaper but less rugged air pump is from India, and is called the super 555. The UK provides the more pricey whisper, rens and rance air pumps.

You can provide proper aeration in your aquarium, using the above materials, but one steadfast rule is to make sure air pumps are situated above the water level and hooked to a steadily mounted, non-vibrating material. For smaller tanks, you simply attach an aquarium air pump to an airstone through a rubber tube. You are driving air into the water, causing motion, thus providing the needed oxygen for your fish to breathe.

Air pumps can be loud and to some, annoying. A trick to get rid of vibrations and quiet it down is to provide insulation by setting down the air pump on a large sponge. People have gone as far as using cat litter to bury the pump in, using an air tube running from the air inlet to the water's surface. This is a bit extreme, and the large sponge should suffice.