By Jamie Boyle
Do goldfish need an aquarium air pump? Yes and no really. If you want your goldfish to live a long healthy life then go with an air pump. Having an air pump in the aquarium or goldfish bowl helps in so many ways. It creates gas exchange and helps add oxygen to the water. Some people believe that goldfish will live just fine without an air pump and that may be so. For instance if you have an aquarium and have a filter running this helps add oxygen to the water. The water flowing in forces oxygen into the water increasing the oxygen level that fish need.
Goldfish need oxygen too. For instance on hot sunny days in goldfish ponds you may see your fish coming to the surface gasping for air. This happens especially when you have green algae blooms. 
What you need to do is add oxygen quickly to the water. Spray a hose directly into the water will help increase the oxygen level. In warm hot sunny days the oxygen level is low as the temperature of the water is high. In cold water is where you see an abundance of oxygen available. There is more oxygen in cold water then there is warm water. So in reference to aquarium air pumps they are highly beneficial to a properly functional goldfish tank.
Goldfish need plenty of oxygen and an aquarium air pump is highly recommended as it helps reduce stress too. As we all know with stress can come sickness and diseases so it is always best to take all necessary steps to keeping goldfish healthy. I mentioned about a goldfish pond in the summer just to explain a little more on this subject. As far as goldfish bowls and aquariums are concerned it is to your best option to go and equip your fish tank with an air pump. The agitation that happens at the surface of the water will add oxygen to your fish tank. This will create a healthier home for your fish and will reduce stress. If people are planning on having good luck taking care of goldfish then I would suggest not to go and try and keep them in a goldfish bowl. It’s just too small and in order to have great luck with fish keeping I would get all the proper equipment needed such as air pump, filter and aquarium gravel. With basically everything in life things need oxygen to live and goldfish are much the same. Also beneficial bacteria in your filter need oxygen to live and reproduce. Air pumps can help in so many ways in keeping an aquarium healthy. I hope this helps give you more of an idea on why people should really have an air pump in their fish tank. Your goldfish will like you for it and you will have better luck with your overall experience in fish keeping. Having an air pump in your goldfish aquarium is absolutely necessary towards optimum fish health.