Loud air pump

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adam_g

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Oct 6, 2003
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I have had my aquarium set up for about 10 days now, and things seem to be going Ok with cycling. I have 3 guppies and 2 ghost shrimp in a 5 gallon tank, with some live plants. However, as I live in Japan and speak little japanese, it is hard to get advice in my local fish shop- please help!

1- My air pump is very loud (and my walls are thin). Is it essential that I keep it switched on at all times? If i switch it off at night will it be a problem? My filter (the kind that hangs off the side of the tank) does cause light ripples on the water surface. Or do I need to buy a quieter, better air pump?

2- Im a little confused by the Ammonia test i am doing. I do not have english language instructions. My friend has translated them to be- place the test in water for 1 second, and wait one minute for colour change.
However a colour change is barely noticable after one minute, yet after an hour or 2, the test card is bright purple... am i following the right instructions?

3- I think I maybe didn't get enough substrate- its about a cm deep. It's 'ceramic sand'. how should i go about adding more to a tank that is already up and running? I think it's maybe too coarse for my shrimp, they seem to spend all their time hanging out on the piece of wood? Is it worth the hassle to add more substrate?

Thanks for all help in advance.....


Adam.
 
Keeping in mind that I'm relatively new here...

1) the airstones provide additional oxygen, but the external filter should cause enough surface agitation for oxygenation in your tank. I have a 30g and a 10g in my bedroom, so it tends to bug me at times as well. I keep my airpump on two folded towels and well away from any surfaces, the better to muffle any noise. If you were very worried about the oxygen levels, you could lower your water level to provide more agitation, but that would just be replacing the pump noise with a waterfall noise, so 6 of one half dozen of the other...

2) A bit more complicated. The test kit I have for ammonia requires that I dip my strip into a small sample of tank water (test tube provided) and rapidly "swish" it in the sample for 30 minutes, then leave it on a level surface, pad side up for 30 minutes. The reading can be taken then. Of course, not all tests are alike. So saying, I've never heard of an ammonia reading that required such short submersion.

3) The substrate question. I have sand in one tank to a depth of roughly 1 inch. I have large pebbles in the other to a depth of about 2 inches. I'm not sure what "ceramic" sand is. Some sands will raise the pH of your tank. You might want to determine if this type will before you add more. If you do add more you're going to get cloudy water. After rinsing any dust off your sand, I'd add some of the tank water to it. Use your hand to grab wet handfuls and place it on the bottom of the tank. I did this with a closed fist, and less sand seemed to cloud the water. The movement of the water will settle the sand, but you could also pat it down if you want. The shrimp probably like the wood because it already has algae growth on it.
 
I put cotton balls inside the pump's little container so I can sleep at night. It quiets them down a lot. Every once in a while though I do have to check and make sure that the cotton balls show no sign of being fire hazards :rolleyes: , none to date.
 
Never thought of the cotton ball thing. We have a 55g in the living room with a cathedral ceiling. The air pump in there was "buzzing" on the hard wood and driving me batty. That's where I got the towel idea. At first I wrapped washcloths around it and put it in a sock, but then I got worried about fire hazards and experimented until I figured out the best way to place it on the towels. We all sleep much better now! I love the descriptions on the airpumps claiming they are quiet or the quietest. Whatever! They are all air compressors, no matter what size they are.
 
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