Best And Quitest Air Pump

[fish.com1]

Hi all,

A the title says i am looking for an air pump to sit outside the tank and power a sponge filter for my new shrimp tank. The pump needs to be suitable for a 35 litre tank, so one suitable for anything up to 40 or 50 litres would be good. I have heard the rena ones are good, does anyone have any reccomendatiuons?

Thanks guys

 

[dcarmor927]

i have a tetra whisper one that is rated for up to 60 gallons, you could obviously do with a smaller one...this is maybe the best size for you

http/www.luxurybedding.com/show_product/...;utm_term=36691

I haven't had any problems with mine and its quiet as can be, i just keep it underneath my tank on a shelf, works great...good luck

 

[Nick16]

tetratec are noisy, go for rena. my spare is a rena air 50 and is great. quieter than my aps150.

 

[Schmill]

tetratec are noisy, go for rena. my spare is a rena air 50 and is great. quieter than my aps150.

Surely that stands to reason though?
The Rena 50 is shifting 50L of air per hour, and the APS150 is shifting 150L per hour, hardly a fair comparison surely?

I run an APS100 on my 60L tank, and an APS400 on my 300L tank, and yeah, they make a noise, but I wouldn't say they are NOISEY as such. Also I have found if anything they seem to quieten down after running for a few days. Not sure why, but perhaps it is as the rubber of the diaphrams softens.

Also FISH.COM1, if you are sitting your airpump beside your tank, (or indeed anywhere below the the level of the surface of the water), you MUST fit a 'check-valve' inline as well. This is a one way valve that will allow the air to pump into the tank, but will stop the water syphoning back out of the tank and into your airpump should the pump ever get switched off, (or you have a powercut). For some crazy reason pump manufacturers seem only to happy to supply flowcontrol valves with the pumps, but never include checkvalves (They only cost a quid, or a couple depending where you go and what you get, but they can save a LOT of hassle!)

The APS50 is the smallest that TetraTec do, and that is rated for a 10-60L aquarium (not sure how they arrive at this figure), so it should be fine and not too noisey. Just bear in mind that all airpumps will generate SOME noise

 

[Nick16]

no, i mean unbeareably noisy. i have had issues with tetratecs airpumps as the arm inside bangs against something and makes a racket. i remember reading a post about it on here where others have said the same things. i know it is shifting more air but even when i had a bigger rena the TT still made more noise.

 

[fish.com1]

Thanks for all your replys.

I think i am going to go for the rena, because i haven't heard any bad things about them. Do i need a special check valve to fit the rena one, or should most ones do?

Thanks

 

[fish.com1]

Anyone?

 

[Nick16]

any will do mate. the £50p ons or 4 for £1 on ebay inc postage.

 

[fish.com1]

any will do mate. the £50p ons or 4 for £1 on ebay inc postage.

cheers

 

[Truck]

rena = good

 

[Schmill]

Just be sure to check the 'check-valves' a few times before you put your faith in them. I ended up having to put two in series in my latest tank setup, as when I used just one, (and it didn't matter which one), there was wnough back pressure to seep past the valve

 

[three-fingers]

I loved my rena, very quiet and reliable. Although over time (6 or 7 years) the connector bits that the airline connects to melted somehow until they got blocked.

I've seen a few tetratecs returned because they are simply too noisy. Sera's are just as quiet as renas, but cheaper, not sure how reliable.

 

[Schmill]

Interesting, I find my Tetratecs reasonably quiet, but if there is a quieter pump out there I am interested, (just wish someone had offered this info before I bought my latest pump - lol)
Anyhoo, not to worry... I wonder how much TetraTec pumps will go for on E-Bay...

 

[fish.com1]

If i put the air pump above the tank will i need a check valve?