Super-quiet Pump

[oligopoly]

at the moment i have a basic Rena air pump in my 20gallon tank. it naturally makes a lot of noise. is it possible to get one that is super quiet so i can keep my tank in my bedroom? anyone have a link/rough idea of prices?... thanks!

 

[4ftguppy]

Electric internal filters will be far quieter. no bubbling and usually only a quiet hum

 

[raptorrex]

at the moment i have a basic Rena air pump in my 20gallon tank. it naturally makes a lot of noise. is it possible to get one that is super quiet so i can keep my tank in my bedroom? anyone have a link/rough idea of prices?... thanks!

Tetratec pumps are very quiet, or you could try putting your current pump on a rubber/foam mat!

 

[Pheonix]

at the moment i have a basic Rena air pump in my 20gallon tank. it naturally makes a lot of noise. is it possible to get one that is super quiet so i can keep my tank in my bedroom? anyone have a link/rough idea of prices?... thanks!

Tetratec pumps are very quiet, or you could try putting your current pump on a rubber/foam mat!

id try the rubber mat idea aswell!!!! most pumps can be quite noisey if they are on a dodgy surface, in my old tank after putting it on a matt the noise coming from it went to basically zero

 

[oligopoly]

thanks for the replies, guys. il try a rubber mat first of all!

 

[Boxa]

What I used to do with these type of pumps was get a tea towel, wrap it around the pump and if you have a wood clamp then tighten it up on to the pump and it should cut the noise down, I think it might have even cut the noise down completely..

 

[vic]

Arrange to have the water return from you filter system agitate the surface of the tank water and take the air pump out. The gas interface occurs at the surface and is best enhanced by agitating the surface water in the tank. Add lots of live plants. They put oxygen back into the water as a result of photosynthesis.
Cheers;

 

[andywg]

Add lots of live plants. They put oxygen back into the water as a result of photosynthesis.
Cheers;

However at night they will take oxygen out of the water and replace it with CO2. Relying on plants for extra oxygenation is not a wise thing.

 

[woogrl]

Wow, I had a Rena air pump a couple sizes larger and it was the quietest pump I have ever had. I wonder if it is not defective and their are loose parts or something inside. I sold one to a guy today and he had me plug it in to see how quiet it was and he was impressed. Weird huh I guess all of our definitions of quiet are different.

 

[callum_parsons]

i love the newair ones i my one is in my room and i have to concentrate to hear it.
http/www.fishathome.co.uk/airpumps_newair.htm

 

[vic]

Add lots of live plants. They put oxygen back into the water as a result of photosynthesis.
Cheers;

However at night they will take oxygen out of the water and replace it with CO2. Relying on plants for extra oxygenation is not a wise thing.

Theoretically that seems to make sense however; photosynthesis (plant growth) cannot occur without sun light or some replacement thereof. Therefore plant growth terminates upon darkness and therefore there is no impact on the dissolved gasses in the water column. Your suggestion that plants suddenly start to take in oxygen in the growth process would require a 180 degree change in the growth process! Plants do not use oxygen for growth. The photosynthesis process results in the plants taking in CO2, using the C (carbon) in the growth process and discharging the O (oxygen) into the water column. In fact this can be seen in many CO2 pressurized tank. As the CO2 dissolved in the water column exceeds approximately 25mmp, a lot of plants will develope tiny bubbles on the leaf surfaces. This phenomenon is termed pearling and is a result of the process of photosynthesis. The palnts are off gassing oxygen.
Cheers;

 

[andywg]

Theoretically that seems to make sense however; photosynthesis (plant growth) cannot occur without sun light or some replacement thereof. Therefore plant growth terminates upon darkness and therefore there is no impact on the dissolved gasses in the water column. Your suggestion that plants suddenly start to take in oxygen in the growth process would require a 180 degree change in the growth process! Plants do not use oxygen for growth. The photosynthesis process results in the plants taking in CO2, using the C (carbon) in the growth process and discharging the O (oxygen) into the water column. In fact this can be seen in many CO2 pressurized tank. As the CO2 dissolved in the water column exceeds approximately 25mmp, a lot of plants will develope tiny bubbles on the leaf surfaces. This phenomenon is termed pearling and is a result of the process of photosynthesis. The palnts are off gassing oxygen.
Cheers;

Sadly, it is YOU that is wrong. It is a matter of science, not what "seems to make sense".

From this site

The fact of the matter is that plants use cellular respiration
at night and therefore, act like animals in terms of gas exchange.

Plants generate carbon dioxide by much the same mechanism as animals. They
combine glucose with oxygen in many steps to make carbon dioxide and water,
giving them the energy they need to carry out their life processes.

Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Director
PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois

And it links to more sites covering the respiration of plants at night:

http/www.nytimes.com/learning/students/s...ve/950912a.html
http/www.orst.edu/extension/mg/botany/respire.html
http/www.cbs.umn.edu/class/spring2000/ee...res/10_Feb.html

So I think I can safely re-state: Plants remove oxygen from the water at night.

No personal offence, but I really wish people would research nore before stating something is wrong.

 

[vic]

Theoretically that seems to make sense however; photosynthesis (plant growth) cannot occur without sun light or some replacement thereof. Therefore plant growth terminates upon darkness and therefore there is no impact on the dissolved gasses in the water column. Your suggestion that plants suddenly start to take in oxygen in the growth process would require a 180 degree change in the growth process! Plants do not use oxygen for growth. The photosynthesis process results in the plants taking in CO2, using the C (carbon) in the growth process and discharging the O (oxygen) into the water column. In fact this can be seen in many CO2 pressurized tank. As the CO2 dissolved in the water column exceeds approximately 25mmp, a lot of plants will develope tiny bubbles on the leaf surfaces. This phenomenon is termed pearling and is a result of the process of photosynthesis. The plants are off gassing oxygen.
Cheers;

Sadly, it is YOU that is wrong. It is a matter of science, not what "seems to make sense".

From this site

The fact of the matter is that plants use cellular respiration
at night and therefore, act like animals in terms of gas exchange.

Plants generate carbon dioxide by much the same mechanism as animals. They
combine glucose with oxygen in many steps to make carbon dioxide and water,
giving them the energy they need to carry out their life processes.

Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Director
PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois

And it links to more sites covering the respiration of plants at night:

http/www.nytimes.com/learning/students/s...ve/950912a.html
http/www.orst.edu/extension/mg/botany/respire.html
http/www.cbs.umn.edu/class/spring2000/ee...res/10_Feb.html

So I think I can safely re-state: Plants remove oxygen from the water at night.

No personal offence, but I really wish people would research nore before stating something is wrong.

Well I have read your site attachments. There does not appear to be any quantification of the oxygen uptake of plants when photosynthesis is not occurring. Also, your reference dealt with land based plants as distinct from aquatic plants. I suspect the oxygen uptake is quite small and compensated for many times over by the surface gas exchange process. Enhancing this process by simply agitating the surface will quite handily offset what oxygen is taken up by plant respiration. The idea of a planted tank is to me an aesthetically pleasing concept and I would suggest more closely approximates the environment of most fresh water fishes. The oxygen replenishment by live plants no doubt outweighs the small oxygen uptake of plant respiration. My point was that plants do not use oxygen for growth and that is in fact true. The small oxygen uptake relative to respiration during the period of no photosynthesis is not likely going to have any sort of a detrimental effect on the fishes. There may be some concern if the tank system includes a pressurized CO2 infection system that continues during the lights off cycle of the tank. The continued introduction of CO2 may well cause some distress to the fishes. your point is correct, plants do take up small amounts of oxygen during their dormant (darkness) period.

The following came from one of your referenced sites. I would interpret this as meaning that the risk of oxygen deprivation as a result of plant respiration would be at the worst minor.

. My friend says it is common knowledge in Europe that it is dangerous to sleep with a live plant in the room because it uses up oxygen. Is he right?

. There is a grain of truth in the idea, as green plants do absorb some oxygen for use in respiration, the mirror image of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis can occur only when there is light, so at night plants are net absorbers of oxygen.

However, true danger would result only from an extremely large body of plants in a very tightly closed sleeping chamber with a very limited supply of oxygen. Another breathing person in the room would be a much heavier burden on the oxygen content of the atmosphere than the slow respiratory oxidation of ordinary houseplants.


Cheers;

 

[andywg]

But you DO admit I was right pointing out that plants DO take up oxygen at night.

I never said they take a huge amount, and I never said that they grew in this way. They were statements you have said, not I. I said relying on plants for oxygenation is less than wise, a point I stand by when there are far more effective ways (such as having water poured from above the surface, or a powerhead outlet pointing at the surface).

If you talk to most people who plant tanks they admit that they are not making anything like natural environments for their fish, but an aquascape they themselves like to look at. Investigation of natural habitats reveals something far removed from the heavily planted (particularly Dutch-style) tanks. The aspect of "more natural" setups for fish came up in a discussion on planted tanks a month or so ago and it was agreed that planted tanks are really no more natural than a tank full of bogwood.

Planting aquariums is a matter of personal choice for asthetics where the ability to plant allows (keeping staunt plant eaters, or large fish requiring a far more oygenation than is conducive to plant growth will effectively prevent planting). If you like plants, go for it, but do it because you want the tank planted, not because you want more dissolved oxygen in the water.