Smaller linear piston air pumps options ?

[Ken Sonnier]

Sorry if this has been covered already ( I did a search and not seeing anything ) the idea of the low maintenance higher reliability of the linear piston air pump is appealing but I don't need the larger 45 liter air pump model  in my home set up ( currently )  . I got the idea to search for something smaller and found the below pump models and curious if Aquarium COop has tested these and have any suggestions .  I notice they aren't carried and the idea is that maybe these have been looked at but maybe not worth the money . Thoughts ? 
 

ALITA AL15A  and Al6a LINEAR AIR PUMPs. 

 

 

 

[Daku]

Alita is a good brand used by many!

[Cory]

I'm not sure if alita air pumps are linear. The one I own uses diaphragms. You can also see they sell diaphragm repair kits.

[Andy's Fish Den]

As @Corysaid, the Alita pumps are diaphragm pumps, but they are very well made pumps. I know several people who use the smaller ones that you mentioned and have run them for years with no issues. I have a larger Alita pump and have run it for a couple years now and its still going strong, I just change out the air intake filter once a year. 

[Ken Sonnier]

Ok thanks for the info guys . Sounds like even though it wasn't what I was searching for it is still a very reliable option . 

[gardenman]

Alita also makes linear piston air pumps starting with their AL-40 and going up to their AL-200. Oddly enough you can find the largest selection of linear piston air pumps at septic sites. The site septicsolutions.com has an enormous selection of linear piston air pumps including some with dual ports and others with alarms built in to let you know if the pump isn't functioning properly. If you can't find a linear piston air pump you want at that site, it probably doesn't exist.

Even if you don't need the capacity of the Medo 40 linear piston air pump sold here, you can always vent off unwanted air. It's better to have too much air than not enough. The price difference isn't that much either over the long term. The replacement diaphragm on the Alita AL15A is kind of pricey. On their site the air pump alone sells for $105 and including the replacement diaphragm moves the price up to $149.90 so you're paying about $45 for the replacement diaphragm. Replace the diaphragm three times and you're paying the same as you would for the Medo with the higher capacity. It's something to think about.

[Ken Sonnier]

9 hours ago, gardenman said:

Alita also makes linear piston air pumps starting with their AL-40 and going up to their AL-200. Oddly enough you can find the largest selection of linear piston air pumps at septic sites. The site septicsolutions.com has an enormous selection of linear piston air pumps including some with dual ports and others with alarms built in to let you know if the pump isn't functioning properly. If you can't find a linear piston air pump you want at that site, it probably doesn't exist.

Even if you don't need the capacity of the Medo 40 linear piston air pump sold here, you can always vent off unwanted air. It's better to have too much air than not enough. The price difference isn't that much either over the long term. The replacement diaphragm on the Alita AL15A is kind of pricey. On their site the air pump alone sells for $105 and including the replacement diaphragm moves the price up to $149.90 so you're paying about $45 for the replacement diaphragm. Replace the diaphragm three times and you're paying the same as you would for the Medo with the higher capacity. It's something to think about.

Yeah I actually have one of the septic pumps . Believe me I have thought of running a section of hose into the house for my  Aquirium air supply 😂.
 

With the larger pumps my main concern is where to bleed the extra air off mainly . As always it just comes down to making a decision as in everything in life . I am just recently getting back into the hobby from a long break ( in the mid 90) .  "New wife new life 😂" but anyhow as we get into it I have live bearers doing there thing and just growing  into the hobby with fry and grow out tanks slowly .  These grand kids of ours are getting fish for the birthdays and Christmas. 

[Ryan S.]

If you get the co op linear piston pump and need to bleed off air, is that pretty noisy?  I think I need about 20 drops in my loop, which I know is on the low end. 

[StevesFishTanks]

You can run an air line hose down behind the tanks to quiet the bleed if needed. They make a 26 linear but it's nearly the same price as the 45.

The pump the co op offers would work great for your application

[gardenman]

There are the smaller, cheaper, noisier, hotter air pumps like the Vivosun line that can supply a good amount of air to multiple tanks. You can recognize them as they're essentially a finned metal heatsink with an air outlet on one end and a cord on the other. If you can live with the heat and noise, they could be a viable option. They're cheap ($30-$80.) Easy to maintain. Many people have found they can simply cut some leftover rubber pond liner to make a DIY new membrane for them. If you've ever installed a lined pond then you likely have some leftover pieces of liner lying around. The heat becomes something of an issue with them. Many people end up training a fan on them to cool them off. There seems to be wildly varying descriptions of the noise they make. Some people claim they're nearly silent while others compare them to a jet engine. The noise can be muffled a bit by adding some tubing to the air inlet on them. They're an option if your air needs aren't too great and you can live with the heat and noise they give off.