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hetsu

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Hi!! I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the fish-keeping hobby (at least in doing a good job at it; I had some pretty pathetic tanks as a kid when I didn't know any better).
Right now, I'm trying to find a timer that will do two timings at once, because I only want to buy two separate timers as a last resort. I would like it to turn my lights on and off (I had cyano a couple weeks ago and I want to keep it away), and also turn my air pump on and off for a shorter amount of time, because I have a betta and some floating plants in a 5 gal Fluval spec, so I don't want there to be more current on top of the water than there needs to be.
Does a timer like this exist? Thanks!
 
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I would have simply turned off the air pump. With floating plants and a Betta, you really do not need any filter. But that is up to you.
 
Hi Byron! Thanks for the reply.
I actually didn't originally have an airstone when I set up this tank, but I went out and got one because it kept forming a film at the top, even with the floating plants, and I wanted to make sure my girl Lucy had room to breathe.
 
Hi Byron! Thanks for the reply.
I actually didn't originally have an airstone when I set up this tank, but I went out and got one because it kept forming a film at the top, even with the floating plants, and I wanted to make sure my girl Lucy had room to breathe.

OK. I would try to keep the air stone on permanently though, maybe turn down the air flow?
 
How would I do that? Would I need a pump that has a feature like that or is there a way to lower it otherwise? I'm using a Tetra Whisper (for up to 10 gallons), and just a standard air stone. Nothing fancy.
 
How would I do that? Would I need a pump that has a feature like that or is there a way to lower it otherwise? I'm using a Tetra Whisper (for up to 10 gallons), and just a standard air stone. Nothing fancy.

Most pumps do not have an adjuster, but it is easily solved. You use a two-way gang valve and have one line going to the air stone and another just as a bleeder. By adjusting the valves you control how much air goes to the air stone, and all the rest is bled into the air. This is advisable for all air pumps anyway, as they are less likely to malfunction (wear out) if they can produce maximum air flow continually.

I will post a photo below of a group of gang valves, these I have found reliable.
 

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Most pumps do not have an adjuster, but it is easily solved. You use a two-way gang valve and have one line going to the air stone and another just as a bleeder. By adjusting the valves you control how much air goes to the air stone, and all the rest is bled into the air. This is advisable for all air pumps anyway, as they are less likely to malfunction (wear out) if they can produce maximum air flow continually.

I will post a photo below of a group of gang valves, these I have found reliable.
Wow! I think I actually saw a gang valve in my mom's fish stuff, so I'll definitely try that. Thanks for the advice! :)
 

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