Rol&Jas Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Hi, Currently I use internal power filters in my cichlid tanks and also provide air to my tanks from a Hailea ACO - 9906 air pump. I am going to keep predominantly catfishes and Tanganyikan egglayers now and want to use only air driven sponge filters in those tanks. My current air pump is not strong enough, it's capacity is 120L/min. Can you recommend stronger air pumps which are also very silent? Thank you Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve24cro Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Actually if i can add a related question to your post, i also need an air pump too run a 4 ft air curtain, i need a air pump that will have sufficient output/pressure to run it easily, and i also want to run 2 - 3 air filters at same time. What output would i need to look at as a minimum? Just thought my query was related to this post, if anyone can help with both posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Roland That size air pump should be able to run 90-100 airstones depending on depth, how many are you running? I run my whole room on a 60LPM air pump and I have 40 stones running + all my Floaties have air in them. Steve I dont know how to work out how much air is needed to run a air curtain but I would be aiming for something between 10 and 15 LPM. Maybe someone who has a air curtain that long could answer it better. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rol&Jas Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 Thanks Josh. In my old house I think the pump worked better than how it is working now. Somehow it doesn't seem to pump a strong amount of air now. The depth for my bigger tanks are 45-50cm and some of the air stones hardly release any bubbles. Cheers Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bijengum Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Sounds like it is not operating at high enough pressure. The quoted volume can sometimes be misleading as it needs a high enough pressure to push the air out at the depth below water. Thanks Josh. In my old house I think the pump worked better than how it is working now. Somehow it doesn't seem to pump a strong amount of air now. The depth for my bigger tanks are 45-50cm and some of the air stones hardly release any bubbles. Cheers Roland ← Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Thanks Josh. In my old house I think the pump worked better than how it is working now. Somehow it doesn't seem to pump a strong amount of air now. The depth for my bigger tanks are 45-50cm and some of the air stones hardly release any bubbles. Cheers Roland ← It sounds like the pump needs new diaphrams Roland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10050460 Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 whats an air curtain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARAUDER Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Think of a hose like airstone. Instad of getting one small column of bubbles, you get one long sheet of bubbles. There's a pic of one here: http://www.cichlid.com.au/prod45.htm Should also say they can be solid. Either a really long airstone or a plastic trough with airstone material covering the top of the trough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 I think also that the diaphrams may need replacing Roland. Have you tried cleaning the airstones out - easiest way is connect them to a bicycle pump and blast out the crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10050460 Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 thanks marauder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 If you are still using the old blue ones Roland ditch them and get some of the plastic reusable ones. The stones might just be blocked and that is restricting air flow Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 If you are still using the old blue ones Roland ditch them and get some of the plastic reusable ones. The stones might just be blocked and that is restricting air flow Josh ← Yep my plastic ones need cleaning every year or so. The amount of air they put out after cleaning always surprises me Also look for leaks Roland. How do you get the air from your pump to all the tanks? I use black poly pipe and it's not very efficient at all. I'd get a lot more from my pump if I went for a proper sealed pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 All related I guess; the best airstone I have come accross is one sold by Aquasonic called "Sweetwater". They come with a "two year cleanability warrenty", and a bit of a price tag. From 4cm to 30cm. They are cleaned off with an acid bath - to produce "like new performance". I've had some going in my tanks for .....5 years with no need to clean. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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