air pump ?

[Bonne46]

I was just wondering, what is the purpose of a air pump? Is it just simply for a decoration purpose to have something in your tank to blow bubbles, or is there something else you can use them for?

 

[jrawebb83]

It helps with surface tension and exchanging gases between the air and water. It can also help with temperature. And bubbles are an added aesthetic plus.

Maybe someone can enlighten me on this though. Is there any real reason to rate pumps by tank size? I mean I have a pump on my 30G that is supposed to be for "up to 10G" and it works like a charm. I think that this is just a sales tactic personally.