View Full Version : Air Pump
justinakabob
07-23-2003, 9:11 PM
I was wondering since my fish tank is in my bed room, I was wondering what is the quietest air pump on the market, preferably a pump with 2 outlets, and what is the approximate cost, and where is the best place to buy
Thank you for you help
Hebdizzle
07-23-2003, 9:16 PM
where in Michigan do you live? West Bloomfield here. (about 20 miles NW of Detroit)
I have always liked Rena's. However, they are also quite expensive. So if you have the bucks I would say go for them.
justinakabob
07-23-2003, 9:22 PM
I live in Monroe (south of Detroit), Ill look up the prices on those, I think my sleeping is rather important :D at least to me it is, eventhough I do love watching my fish
Since you are looking at air pumps, I'm assuming you have under gravel filtration. Penguin has an inexpensive kit for their powerheads that allow you to run reverse flow under gravel filtration. Its more efficiant then running an air pump, and its totally quiet.
second going for powerheads where noise is important.
not even rena pumps are that quiet and that noise can get really annoying!
also if it's bubbles you are after powerheads come with a 'venturi system' that allows the addition of air bubbles to the output (which, of course, is noisy also!).
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 1:14 PM
Rena air pumps and TetraTec air pumps are very quiet. I had a TetraTec 80 in my 10g tank months ago and I never heard anything. Here are the one's with two outputs.
TETRATEC AIR PUMP #150/200(same design, different size)
$18.99/22.99 on Big Al's Online (www.bigalsonline.com)
http://www.bigalsonline.com/product_images/ASWO14911a.gif
RENA AIR PUMP #400
$47.99 on Big Al's Online (www.bigalsonline.com)
http://www.bigalsonline.com/product_images/ASWO8628a.gif
the rena is like mine, (i've had 3 various rena pumps due to noise) and believe me, it is not quiet. ok, maybe it is 'quiet' (for an air pump) but it is not silent.
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 4:16 PM
Contrary to popular opinion there SBA. Maybe you should try the TetraTec. Like I said, the one I had was dead silent, I never heard a thing.
popular opinion? or yours...
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 4:21 PM
No, very very popular opinion. Easily more than half of the people here who have air pumps have a rena and they swear by their silence.
but they are not silent. i don't know what you call silence, but given the way that air pumps work (i.e. vibrating rubber) i fail to see how they can be.
and IME rena pumps are not silent.
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 4:30 PM
Well, maybe it's just yours, but seriously, you should go to the equipment board and ask something like, "what is a quiet air pump" and I guarantee that 8 out of 10 people will say that they are the best and quiet. But like I said, I don't have one so I don't know myself.
i didn't say they weren't good.
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 5:00 PM
I meant to say quiet.
125gJoe
07-24-2003, 7:04 PM
The Rena air pumps are also very quiet.
"Well, maybe it's just yours, but seriously, you should go to the equipment board and ask something like, "what is a good air pump" and I guarantee that 8 out of 10 people will say that they are the best and quiet."
amazing how changing one word after the event can change the meaning so much.
NJ Devils Fan
07-24-2003, 9:59 PM
Thats why after I change it in my origional post I said it in a seperate post. What's your problem? Chill out with the attitude.
NJDF
personally i find it really annoying when somebody changes a post after people have replied to it. (if it stops the reply from making sense that is).
Justinakobob was talking about having an air pump in his bedroom. I, for one would not have a rena or any other air pump in my bedroom. for about three years i had a succession of pumps (rena and others) in the living room. i currently have a rena air pump in the kitchen on a snail breeding tank. i can hear it in this room, which is through a wall. in my book, that is not quiet enough for a bedroom.
i'm not trying to fall out with you, but as you say you've never had one, i'm curious why you think you know more about them than somebody that has had three.
try this little experiment:
1 get an airpump.
2 put it on your pillow
3 try sleeping
I for one have yet to find a silent fish tank. There is always some noise. Buy a decent pump and buy some ear plugs. Makes for better sleeping anyway accordjing to Men's Health Magazine.
125gJoe
07-25-2003, 7:19 AM
Originally posted by TKOS
I for one have yet to find a silent fish tank. 2 cansiters, a Rena air pump, 2 light reflectors, CO2 solenoid, UV S, 2 heaters all running and the only noise might be a relay on a heater switching on or off or one of 3 timers switching. The aquarium is real quiet. Air bubbles that I rarely run are the noisiest...
The 'gadgets' are under the tank's cabinet, so that helps a lot..
From what I've heard, Rena is the 'best' air pump...
I have silent fish tanks, multiple of them. Basic to my fishkeeping equipment is that it must all be absolutely and alway silent, not quiet, silent. Fish tanks in my house are to be seen and not heard, like Victorian chidren when adults were around.
I don't use air pumps on displays (there are some in the tank room for fry tanks) because they are not silent. 22s are quieter than 45s - neither is going to be used in my living room or bedroom.
There have been no airpumps on display tanks in my house for over 20 years. I prefer silence. That is why I use Eheim canisters - if you don't see plants waving in the current, you have to touch the canister to be sure it is operating.
Pure personal choice, but totally silent fishtanks are around.
justinakabob
07-25-2003, 8:30 AM
Thank you all for your help. I understand that there is no silent tank but I was looking for a quiter one than what I have
NJ Devils Fan
07-25-2003, 9:53 AM
Like I said justinakabob, I had a TetraTec pump in my bedroom last year and I didn't hear it, I had no problem at all getting to sleep.(well, I was kinda scaredto wake up in the morning and find how many fish died over night.;))
No, justinakabob, there are silent tanks.
justinakabob
07-25-2003, 6:39 PM
Im sure there are but for the price that I'm willing to pay (can pay) I'm doubt I would be able to set one up
NJ Devils Fan
07-25-2003, 7:55 PM
My tank is silent as well. The only time it makes noise is when the water line isn't very high, thats about it. I run 2 Emperor 400s, 1 uv. sterializer, DiY CO2, and 2 shop lights from home depot and when the water line is high, there is no sound.
fishfood
07-25-2003, 8:54 PM
You may consider not using an air pump. A lot of people don't use them. This is kind of a loaded topic, as some people feel stongly that you should have one, while others don't see the need. If the bubbles from the pump aren't causing surface agitation, it's not really upping the O2 content of the water. You may want to do a search for some of the past threads about air pumps.
To add me two cents; I've also always heard about Rena's being very quiet but have never owned one.
justinakabob
07-25-2003, 10:56 PM
I think I might have decided on a way to make my tank quieter, use plants, unless I'm wrong that should boost my oxygen level:D
NJ Devils Fan
07-25-2003, 10:59 PM
Whats wrong with your water now? How are the fish acting?
justinakabob
07-25-2003, 11:15 PM
The water is fine I was just wondering because I have a air pump in my cichlid tank and I was setting up a 10-gal for some baby cichlids so I decided to ask about air pumps, but now I have decided just to go with plants. By the time my cichlids are big enough to do real damage to the plants they will be in my bigger tank
All you need for oxygen exchange is a little surface agigtation. It doesnt have to be white water rapids.
NJ Devils Fan
07-26-2003, 9:34 AM
Originally posted by Dtman
It doesnt have to be white water rapids.
Hahahaha, good one.
Yes, thats what you need, surface agitation. Anyway, won't the Cichlids eat the plants?
michelliot
07-30-2003, 12:02 PM
no thread