A buoyant force pump and surge apparatus is disclosed. A material which is buoyant relative to a non-solid material is used to cause a movable surface to move thereby causing the non-solid material to be pumped in surges. One use of the device is to create water surges in aquariums through the use of conventional low pressure, low volume air pumps and without the need for mechanical pumps or control electronics. A second use of the device is to move non-solid material in hazardous conditions.