NotSpinWheel Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Hi everyone, I just put together my first ever fish rack. Currently using the Gladiator 77" rack with 1/2" sanded plywood with waterproofing stain. I am looking into setting up 12-ish 20 gallon (might swap a few 10's horizontal on end) on the top 2 racks with two 40 gallon breeders on the bottom. Didn't know if anyone had any advice on air pumps? I see a lot of people using linear air pumps (like Randy and Dean), but considering I only plan on having 1 rack for the foreseeable future (I swung a deal with the wife that I get a back wall of our new house's basement, if we were able to snag one, thus here I am). I'm not sure a linear air pump would make the best financial sense, plus I think I would waste it's potential since I will have to bleed off quite a bit of air, I think. I have used the Co-op's USB air pump to run a 5 gallon and a hang on breeder box, but trying to cut down on carbon foot print and save money by investing in just one/a few air pumps to run the rack as a whole, instead of each tank. Anyone have any recommendations on what they use to run several tanks/their rack? Thanks! 🙂 PS: Ignore the mess, the house is a work in progress and I couldn't wait for everything to be done to start the rack haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob E. Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Before I built my fish room and started using the CoOp piston pump, I used a couple Fluval Q series diaphragm pumps to run my tanks and I was pretty happy with them. I used the fluval Q .5 for 2 tanks (40 breeder and a 20 long) , and then the Fluval Q2 for 5 tanks (3x 10's and 2x 20 longs). Both pumps were about maxed out if I remember correctly The Q2 is maybe $35, 4 watts and 4L/min. You would probably need 3 of these pumps to run the rack you are planning, but I think it could work. Using airstones in all your sponge filters makes a huge difference if you want to get more tanks out of an air pump. I've heard that the tetra whisper pumps are good too, but I've never used one so I can't compare them to the fluval pumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 I have 12 ACO sponge filters (each with Ziss Never Clog airstones) and an HOB breeder tank all running on a single Whisper 60-100 gallon air pump that cost me around $15.00. I’ve got valves on each item and I’m about to hook them all to a home-made plenum to try to tidy up my airlines a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koi Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 You could probably find this kind of pump for like 20-30 bucks. It runs about 8 tanks and a few brine shrimp hatchers for me. It is rated for 45 l/min but you should probably go a little stronger if you plan to fill up your rack. The pump I'm using specifically might have some trouble giving your lower tanks adequate pressure. The pump does buzz a little but its not terribly loud and you might have to put it in a secure spot because it does move from the vibrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevesFishTanks Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 I have a similar setup and use the linear pump. I recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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