Any disadvantage with an Aquarium with air pump,but no filter?

Question

I have a 16 gallon(16 liter) aquarium with an air pump, but, I do not have a filter.Is there any problem with that?I have 4 fishes(2 small sharks & 2 mollies) since 6 months but they are still healthy.How do I maintain the aquarium without filter for good results.I have an air pump.

Answer 1

You should really get a filter.  The air pump is just so they can breath in the water, a filter will help clean it.  Otherwise you should clean it a lot more often by hand.  The water will get dirty and it could cause problems for your fish.

Answer 2

You really need a filter - this is more important that an air pump. The filter will cultivate bacteria that remove toxins from the water which are produced by fish waste. Mollies particularly are messy and make lots of waste! Without a filter, the fish will slowly be poisoned, so get one asap. A really good little one is called an Eheim aquaball - the smallest one will be fine for your tank, and it will only cost you are £15.

On another note - your tank is really small. You should think about upgrading to a bigger tank if you can, what kind of sharks have you got? Some species grow really big.  

Answer 3

The pump does nothing for the water quality. As for the fish being healthy, they don't keel over to make a point and chances are they are in some degree of suffering.

For good results you invest in a filter in which good bacteria will grow and eat up and convert toxic ammonia to less toxic nitrate. Without this these levels will build up, water changes just dilute it.