advice re high output air pumps

[killiguy]

Hi All

Ive recently increased my tank numbers to about 80 and am looking at a high volume pump to service them all.Virtually all are 18 inches deep or less and Im looking at running 100 or so sponge/UG/box filters.

Questions are:

A brand of good reliable and quite pump,Ive been recommended Sakuragawa Hiblow.

Others Ive seen on the online shops include Hailea which I can get cheep,

Kamair,Resun and LP40and Airtec from AOA.

Output?I thought 100l/min to allow for expansion

How to set it up,Im no handyman so I was thinking about irrigation poly pipe if so what diameter.

Is a loop or figure of 8 best to reduce back pressure and anything else I can do to extend diaphragm life.

Sorry of all the questions thanks in advance

Doug

[Colfish]

hi Doug

for absolute value for $'s, quietness and longevity, go for Hiblow. they just "keep on keeping on"

i've had one for 5 yrs and not had to do anything to it. i bought a spare diaphram at the same time, i'm sure it will perish before i need to use it.

i have a 50mm pipe around the room [top of wall] with drop offs to each bank of tanks'

you can drill a hole in the hard plastic to fit an air line tap to adjust the flow for each tank.

i had previously used poly pipe but i found it lost to much air due to the slip fit joins

do the the job right and you'll only do it once, cutting corners and cheap pumps will give endless trouble.

have fun; Colin

[killiguy]

Thanks Colin

Ive found the Sakuragawa web site.Did you get your Hiblow though an online retaler or LFS

[johns]

Hi All

Ive recently increased my tank numbers to about 80 and am looking at a high volume pump to service them all.Virtually all are 18 inches deep or less and Im looking at running 100 or so sponge/UG/box filters.

Questions are:

A brand of good reliable and quite pump,Ive been recommended Sakuragawa Hiblow.

Others Ive seen on the online shops include Hailea which I can get cheep,

Kamair,Resun and LP40and Airtec from AOA.

Output?I thought 100l/min to allow for expansion

How to set it up,Im no handyman so I was thinking about irrigation poly pipe if so what diameter.

Is a loop or figure of 8 best to reduce back pressure and anything else I can do to extend diaphragm life.

Sorry of all the questions thanks in advance

Doug

Hi Doug

I used to run a 90l/min pump on 50 tanks with 2 sponge filters per tank but found there was not enough air to to add extra air stones if needed or to expand on this. I have now gone to a 180l/min blower and air to spare.

John

[Josh]

I agree with what Colin has said. Get a hiblow. I have always bought them second hand, when I can get them, and they still out perform all the others. Cheap will be good for a while, but Hiblows just keep on being good.

I would go for a bigger pump then what you need. Something like 150lph would be better.

I was running 13 tanks, all 18inch deep, with four air stones in each tank on a 40lph pump and that was about its limit.

Josh.

[DFishkeeper]

Hi Doug,

I use the Airtech air pumps in my fishroom, they're a quality pump made in the UK for outdoor pond use, they're used a lot by commercial koi farms. They're reliable, quiet, go for ever and pump an awful lot of air. As they're made for pond use, they will still pump most of their capacity up to a metre depth, eg the 130lpm model pumps 110lpm at 1 metre depth. These pumps have no problems handling lots of tanks and/or deep tanks. They're not cheap to buy, but as mentioned above, when you take a long term view, they are better value as they won't let you down. You can get them from Ben at AOA. The manufacturer is evolutionaqua in the UK if you want to check out their website, I also use one of their nexus filters in my fishroom.

Cheers,

another Doug

[killiguy]

Thanks for all that advice.

What do people use to deliver the air? It sounds like polypipe may leak at the joins.It is an easy product to work with esp for people with 10 thumbs like me.Any advice

[DFishkeeper]

I use 19mm polypipe in a loop and have never been aware of any leaking at the joins. You can buy a heavier duty polypipe at Bunnings that has a thicker wall, will last longer and is easier to work with. I use irrigation taps that pop straight into the polypipe after you make a little hole with the yellow pointy thing they sell at Bunnings for that purpose, the thread on both ends holds them in the polypipe and also holds your airline tube on the tap. That way you can just tap into the polypipe at the point nearest your tank and you have an individual tap to regulate the flow to each tank.

Cheers, Doug