Airstones Drive Me Crazy!

[deftuch]

how the hell do you get an air stone quiet! there so bloody loud it drives me crazy! ive had a million different airstone and pumps, they all seem to sound like thunder or rice bloody crispys! help?

 

[nmonks]

So don't use one!

Contrary to what many newcomers to the hobby assume, you don't need an airstone. All an airstone does is lift water form the bottom up to the top, allowing that water to absorb oxygen. A properly working filter of adequate size should do this too. There may be an argument for encouraging a bit of "rippling" at the surface to maximise the surface area at the top of the tank, but again, a filter can do this if the outflow of water is set at or just below the waterline.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Tuxyu3]

Maybe they like the effect it has and want it for aesthetic reasons?

Is is touching anything (the pump)?

 

[deftuch]

Maybe they like the effect it has and want it for aesthetic reasons?

Is is touching anything (the pump)?

im no newbie i can assure you. i just have heavily stocked tanks. its not touching anything. only way i can get them quiet is to bury then but then the bubbles are too big, i dont have enough substrate in my mbuna tank which i plan to heavily overstock. airstones creat water movement at the surface allowing oxygen to enter the tank. surely the little ripples from the filter output wont be enough for an overstocked tank?

 

[seeley82]

this sounds good lol

 

[Mikey1]

must be the brand you are using....

i can barely even hear my air pumps and air stones

 

[nmonks]

im no newbie i can assure you.

Ah, didn't mean to imply you were. Forgive me. Rather, it's a commonly held idea, and consequently often expressed by newcomers to the hobby, who seem resistant to remove airstones without really understanding what they do. The key thing is that airstones *don't* force oxygen into the water in any substantial amount, so the idea fish suffocate if you remove them is generally not true. If the tank is poorly filtered (or at least, water circulation is rather poor) then an airstone may be the only thing moving deoxygenated water from the bottom up to the top where it can be oxygenated. But that's more about poor water circulation generally, rather than the value of airstones, and a decent canister filter or even powerhead will work at least as well, if not better.

i just have heavily stocked tanks. its not touching anything. only way i can get them quiet is to bury then but then the bubbles are too big, i dont have enough substrate in my mbuna tank which i plan to heavily overstock. airstones creat water movement at the surface allowing oxygen to enter the tank. surely the little ripples from the filter output wont be enough for an overstocked tank?

Try it. My 180-litre "dustbin" tank is hardly textbook in terms of stocking -- a 20 cm Royal Plec, a 15 cm Sleeper Goby, a couple of 15 cm Hujeta Gar, an Anostomus, a Garra, and a trio of Dwarf Upside-Down Cats. So heavily stocked (though admittedly I feed fish sparingly, rather less than my fish would like, I suspect). Filtration is via an Eheim 2217 with a spray bar, plus a small internal or a Fluval 105 depending on whether either of those is being used for something else. So long as the filter isn't clogged and the spray bar ripples the water, no problems at all.

In any case, a powerhead would be infinitely better than an airstone, and even a small internal filter (like an Eheim Aquaball) would shift a heck of a lot more water per hour than the average airstone!

Cheers, Neale

 

[zain611]

Have you tried reducing air pressure?

 

[Electric Warrior]

Yeah, what about a powerhead? Koralia's are super quiet.

 

[SouthernCross]

My pump is one you can adjust the flow up and down, although I've noticed not all are designed like that.

As a bit of an aside, My LFS informed me when buying a new pump that they should always be kept above the water line or you run the risk of your tank draining - I had a bit of a whoops moment as I have kept mine in the cabinet below the tank for the last 7 years with no problems! Is it really true??

 

[nmonks]

Yes, it is true. If the pump fails, there is a risk water will siphon backwards down the air hose and onto the floor.

However, you can buy something called an aquarium check valve that prevents this, and if you use one, you can put the air pump wherever you want.

Cheers, Neale

 

[SouthernCross]

Thanks Neale

 

[deftuch]

Yes, it is true. If the pump fails, there is a risk water will siphon backwards down the air hose and onto the floor.

However, you can buy something called an aquarium check valve that prevents this, and if you use one, you can put the air pump wherever you want.

Cheers, Neale

i have a check valve and a pressure valve on my air lines. my air stones seem to whistle, crackle and pop lol! ived used a one foot airstone, a 4 inch airstone and the typical cylindrical airstone too! i have a bow front tank so maybe there is some physics behind it to. i.e the sound waves are amplified :L

 

[nmonks]

There are three sources of sound from air pumps: the bubbles, the mechanics inside the pump, and vibrations between the pump and the table (or whatever) it's sitting on.

If the pump is vibrating, try dangling it by its wire. If it is quieter like that, then place the pump somewhere it can't vibrate against anything else (indeed, some pumps can be suspended in mid air with a bit of string). Some sound deadening material placed under the pump could work too, but bear in mind that fluffy fabrics might cause a pump to overheat if they block the airways built into the pump.

The mechanics inside do need maintenance, which is one reason air pumps are far less commonly used nowadays than they were in the past through to the early 80s. The diaphragm needs replacing (potentially every year, though often not) and the mechanical bits need lubricating. Often they moving parts are held in place with small nuts, screws or plastic tabs, and if they work loose, the pump becomes nosier than otherwise. As for the air bubbles, there's not much you can do about that!

Cheers, Neale

 

[deftuch]

There are three sources of sound from air pumps: the bubbles, the mechanics inside the pump, and vibrations between the pump and the table (or whatever) it's sitting on.

If the pump is vibrating, try dangling it by its wire. If it is quieter like that, then place the pump somewhere it can't vibrate against anything else (indeed, some pumps can be suspended in mid air with a bit of string). Some sound deadening material placed under the pump could work too, but bear in mind that fluffy fabrics might cause a pump to overheat if they block the airways built into the pump.

The mechanics inside do need maintenance, which is one reason air pumps are far less commonly used nowadays than they were in the past through to the early 80s. The diaphragm needs replacing (potentially every year, though often not) and the mechanical bits need lubricating. Often they moving parts are held in place with small nuts, screws or plastic tabs, and if they work loose, the pump becomes nosier than otherwise. As for the air bubbles, there's not much you can do about that!

Cheers, Neale

thats some great info there cheers, its not the pump noise im worried about lol. i must be doing sutn wrong. does no one else get the whistle noises, the cracking noises ect?