Air Pump and Sponge

[Bissot_J]

hi

sorry to bug you guys

ok now i plan to buy an air pump and Oh my gods , there so many on market.

i have some question , because i know most of you have fish rooms.

1 - ok what is best , linear piston or diaphragm or Blowers?
as i say i will probably have about 20 or little bit more 10-15-20g tank.
what you prefered models.

2 - what sort of sponge you recommand ?

3 - if someone can propose some nice web-store where i can see/order this stuff ?


thanks

B.

 

[Eva32181]

Try www.bigalsonline.com or www.thatpetplace.com for shopping.

 

[jvr]

Sponges & pumps

I would recommend the jungle dirt magnets breeder version, they are considerably less expensive then the ones you have shown, you can get them in bulk at the Fish Place in North Tonawanda, just across the border or they will have a similar type made by Lee. Most stores in Toronto or your area can probably get them in for you, or next to big Al's in Mississauga is an oriental mall which has a store called Dragon Aquarium they may have them. If you are not touchy on used ones, check all the fish auctions, Hamilton Club has one Oct 18 I believe, Brampton has one the 2 nd Sunday of November. You can probably order them mail order or on-line from any of the fish stores on the web.

As far as pumps I use an optima hooked up to 1 inch PVC and it powers 18 - 10 gallon tanks with air to spare, the PVC pipe acts as a compressor mini storage tank. Hagen produces a pump simply called The Pump, the # 10 or #20 model would be suitable for the volume of tanks hooked up to PVC piping, the nice part about these pumps is they are virtually completely silent, the bad part is they cost alot.

John

 

[jvr]

One more follow up

regarding pumps - for the volume of tanks you have avoid blowers they are designed to use for 100 - 200- 300 tanks etc and they are noisy and costly.

As far as web fish stores I find the best one is That Fish Place www.thatfishplace.com ( actually same as that pet place) lots of choice and fairly priced. You can also go to big als. However I found the prices better in the US, I see the dirt magnet in stores for 5-8 Dollars US even with the exchange that is 7.50 to 12 cdn compared to big als 14-15. Just my opinion.

John

 

[Bissot_J]

hi thanks for all the info.

i finally found my dream at http://www.jehmco.com

lot of models, and i see one in function in the room of one of my friend here.
pretty quiet and have good power

thanks a lot
Jason

 

[JerryB]

Pumps and Filters

Hey,
Since someone already mentioned it I'll second that opinion.
John at www.jehmco.com is a personal friend of mine. You can check out his site but, be sure to call his 1-800 number and talk to him. He's a real good guy. True hobbyist and he will tell you all you need to know and only sell you what you need. Tell Him JerryB from www.ApistoWorld.com sent you. You won't be sorry. Be sure to check out his foods too some really high quality stuff from HBH and also carries Cyclop-eeze, once your fish get use to it, it will do wonders for them especially with their color. He has both the pumps and the filters and any other fishroom stuff you could possibly need. Good luck and happy fishing.
1-800-521-6258

 

[Cichlids1]

I'm using an Alita AL-40 diaphram pump for around 30 tanks, 10-15-20 gallons. I've got a couple valves bleeding off excess pressure and have room to add probably another 30 tanks of the same depth. It is very quiet compared to the blowers. A little pricey, but from the people I've talked to these things last forever with minimal maintenance. You can talk to Mike at http://www.threeguysaquatics.com He is an authorized dealer for them. That is where I got mine and have been very pleased with it.

Ken

 

[JerryB]

Sponge filter and pump

Can't disagree with that either Ken,
Mike Chappel is also a friend of mine. I got to meet him at the last Pittsburgh auction. A diaphram is different from a linear and John sells a true linear which if this guy bought even the smallest one he'd have more than he needs. Actually I use a dual piston eugene tanner pump for 30 plus tanks and have had no problem and this pump only cost about 46.00. Yes they make a little more noise but, I'm use to it and I've heard people say they have used them for 30 yrs without a problem.
A key to making best use of air is using those brass valves instead of those plastic things they sell. They seem to loose so much air. Now if I wanted my dual piston pump to go further I could run it through PVC and use brass outlets for each tank and even go further with it.
Like they say there are many ways to skin a cat. I guess it's just a matter of choice.
But, I also would support Mike as a good guy to deal with and he will also stand behind his products. It's nice to know people you can trust to deal with.
Jerry...

 

[Cichlids1]

Another way to help increase output is to "Loop" the pvc structure. Create a flow that doesn't have any dead ends. Also helps cut down on back pressure which can damage a lot of pumps, specially diaphrams. Generous application of Aquarium Sealant also helps when you are stuck using the plasic valves :lol:

 

[JerryB]

Yes, Good Stuff for sure. I don't know if you are familiar with Randy Carey but, he just recently did an article on Fish photography in the anniversary edition of TFH mag. I'm proud to say he is a friend of mine. One of the first air setup articles that caught my attention was on his site. It's actually meant to be a portable system which can be moved and easily upgraded. It is was made in sections and used the PVC and Brass fittings. And yes this system also stresses the factor of not having any dead spots. The air should be able to travel from one end ot system and contine around whether it be a circle or rectangle or whatever. This way you have a small pump that is actually filling a chamber (the PVC) with air as the air is being used by the system the small pump is able to replace air used faster than the system can empty the chamber. As far as getting stuck with the plastic there are plenty of places for brass now. www.Jehmco.com also AngelsPlus and I even think DrsFosterSmith.com has them.
Here is a link to the article on Randy's site hope it helps someone it really makes running many tank very economical.
http://characin.com/carey/articles/01/regionalized-air.html