Air Pumps

[CACAdmin]

I have a question about air pumps. I admit, I know next to nothing about them. I understand pumps and powerheads (They're rated at GPH). How are air pumps rated? How does one decide what size to get?

[OldMan]

Most air pumps are rated, when they have a rating at all, in terms of air flow rate at a given pressure. The most useful such ratings that I have found estimate how many typical air stones you can run on a pump at 2 or 3 different depths of water. For most of us that makes it easy to pick out the right one since we know how deep our tanks are and what we want the air pump to do. I have also seen it in SCFH at pressures expressed in standard units. The trouble for me is I don't know how much air I need in those units.
Almost all manufacturers also say things about tank size which means nothing to me because a single air stone may be all I want in a 90 gallon tank so how can I relate that to a particular pump. I have been buying the Rena brand and find that I truly use the capacity of one rated for a 20 or 30 gallon tank on my 120. I don't know what assumptions they are making, maybe it is that you will run all your filtration on your air system.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for the info.

:Think:So I wonder if there are any equivalency charts out there which show:

x amt. of pressure at standard units=x airstones at x tank depth
Off to do a search to see if I can find any. :Research:

[OldMan]

Good luck at your search. I hope you find something because I never have.

[Very Scalare]

I have a Rena Air 50 (rated for 10-20 gal) running a box filter in my 47gal tank. It does the job nicely but the best feature is that I can't hear it run.

[thegrandpoohbah]

If you like quiet then get a Whisper. I've used them all and nothing else comes close.

[CACAdmin]

Good luck at your search. I hope you find something because I never have.
Nothing so far but one would think it would be in the best interests of air pump manufacturers (for aquarium use) to provide consumers with that sort of information (rather than a consumer purchasing a pump with which they are not happy... not because there is anything wrong with the pump but it simply did not meet their requirements.

[OldMan]

My silent Rena 200A is running 3 air stones in my 120 near the bottom of the tank and is also running a single air stone at the bottom of my 29. It is not adjusted anywhere near maximum air flow so I don't know, in real world terms, how many more air stones it could run. It has been on my tank and silent for over 3 years so I have had no need to compare it to the whispers. Their suspended design looks like it should be quiet but I won't give up one that I know for one that I don't know.

[_Aaron_]

If you like quiet then get a Whisper. I've used them all and nothing else comes close.


I second that with the whispers.

[hp10BII]

I don't think I've ever seen a chart as to the optimum size of air pump to buy. I'm thinking personal preference, some prefer a lighter stream of air through a filter or airstone, some heavier. If I need to drive a number of devices, I use a gang valve to adjust pressure so I usually overbuy what I need. I like the pumps that have their own air pressure adjustment too. My preference is to go by the manufacturer's chart, then go up to the next larger size (or 2), that's what I do with filters too.

My favourite pump is an old German WISA I inherited, but I like all my Rena's.

[hp10BII]

When I get my act together and put my smaller tanks in a rack, I'm thinking of ordering from Jehmco for one of their air pumps:

http://www.jehmco.com/html/diaphragm_air_pumps.html

[Lisachromis]

http://www.firsttankguide.net/airpump.php

[OldMan]

Based on the ratings in the jehmco site, it looks like they think an air tap would need about 1 lpm of capacity at almost 3 ft of water depth. That would be a very deep tank so probably the 1 lpm would run 2 or 3 air stones at a more reasonable depth. It sort of gives me a way to relate the lpm ratings to the air stone ratings. That post itself is very helpful because of the conversion implicit in their ratings system.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for the link, Lisa. Although it doesn't give specifics as to ratings, it does bring up the issue of the size of airstone (larger providing more resistance to the air pump) which I hadn't really considered. (I use an airpump is to operate box filters and airstones as and when needed.)

hp10BII, I agree with OldMan. The info on the Jehmco site is more definitive than most I have seen. Thanks!

[GaryofMontreal]

I have a Jehmco pump - and it's the best aquarium related purchase I have ever made. It is dead quiet, and it runs 15 five gallon tanks, 8 ten gallons, 7 fifteen gallons, 9 twenty gallons and my brine shrimp hatchery. I have air to spare, although at that load, it doesn't work well below twelve inches from the surface. That's a quibble though, as it's also the first model up from the base model - far from the most powerful. If you need a lot of air, they are fantastic. I used diaphragm types from Germany before, and they didn't last in spite of their being expensive. The linear piston pumps cost, but they last and they work consistently.

[Surfcity]

Allo!

I never had any good success with air pumps and that's going back like 20 years ago in a 15 gallon tank. It was either the pump or airstone that failed after so many hours. So I just stuck with power filters. :smile:

[madattiver]

I have been running a Jehmco pump for the last two years on 30 tanks.. Very.. very quiet and has lots of air to spair. Its the best investment in my fishroom by far.

[liam]

was looking at some air pumps at the pet store today as mine is loud. on the back of the box on the rena air pumps is a chart that shows aquarium depths, number of air devices desired and corresponding rena air models.

[Katalyst]

I thought I'd bump this up. My Medo air pump isn't cutting it, along with being very noisy and uses more wattage then I'd like.

Because of this I am looking into some of Jehmco's Linear Piston Air pumps. I'm sitting in between the LPH 60 & the LPH 80. Neither is going to put me in the good books with the other half, but I'd rather have too much air then not enough. For those of you who have linear pistons which models do you have & how many spongefilters/air stones is it currently running?