WillC Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 My first post in the forum. I have been planning my upcoming 40 breeder tank for the last few months. Filtration is what I am stuck on I've never used sponge filters and want to play around with at least growing out my planted tank with them. I can always upgrade to a canister or HOB in the future before I add fish. What life span are folks getting out of their nano usb air pumps when used as a daily sponger filter air source? After reading reviews on AC's page and other venues, I am wondering if they are meant to be used long term. What other pumps are folks using for single tank setups? I'm looking for something that will last and is quiet. I still plan on ordering a nano or two for qt tanks/power outages. Also, I am aware of the newer Coop powerhead, but it sounds like it might push too much flow and I didn't see where it's out put could be slowed down. Thanks for any feedback. I never knew picking a filter could be such a difficult confusing decision. lol. Luckily, Cory's videos made picking my light source out super easy. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotTunaCartel Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 (edited) I've had the usb air pump for a few months I think. Running it 24/7 and it is quieter than anything I've had and its just sitting on the side of the tank on the tables. Not sure on longevity of it but I can say it definitely puts out a good amount of air. I'm only comparing it to an active aqua single gang air pump with adjustable air flow. They both seem to put out the same amount (visually at least) As for the powerhead, I just got that earlier this week and yes it is a bit strong for my 44g lowboy but I have now put it on a timer and drilled a 1/4" hole in the side of the uplift tube and ran the airline down into the sponge filter. So times when the powerhead is off the sponge filter still works fine. I only put the powerhead on a timer to stir the tank up a few times a day. Edited October 22, 2021 by HotTunaCartel 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atitagain Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Welcome @WillC sponge filters are a great form of filtration but I’m a fan of the “big 3” sponge, HOB, and canister. All have their pros and cons. The nano air pump is great ive used it for a large sponge filter in a tall 60G and it worked fine very good flow and they are very quite. I can’t speak on longevity tho because although I have 6 of them I bought a linear piston air pump and now only use them for small projects, emergency, or power outage. I would highly recommend them I have had no issues with them and how quiet they are is the big seller for me. @HotTunaCartel that’s a good idea with the powerhead. I do the same with a timer for 2 small circulators in my 125G, might swap them out for this. 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 I love the nano pumps. I just upgraded all 7 tanks and my ziss hatchery to them. The shear silence is blissful 😁. I hooked 2 to each cell phone battery pack and was also able to take out all my sab-11 d battery backup air supplies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sairving Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 I love the nano USB pumps. Pump number one did quit on me after 5 months. Honestly, I'm not sure if it was the pump or that fact that my never-clog air stone clogged. My water is hard and minerals built up in the pads. USB pump 2 has been fine since I hooked it up. I'd have no problem ordering more of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I have had a great experience with the USB nano pumps. They have been running for over a year now. The only one that failed was due to it falling inside the sump because I missed securing it. Duh! 🤪 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I have about 16 Nano Air Pumps, and they have performed as advertised. I had one fail from a splashy filter setup on a 2.5 gallon, where the pump was very close to the water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I had one fail, but it was misted with water from the bubbles in my brine hatchery. They’re not meant to get wet or even damp. Oh Yeah it also powered an airstone outside in my patio pond so I guess it was used hard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I have been running two USB pumps for 17 months 24/7 and another for nine month without any hiccups. All are very quiet and have plenty of air pressure for a sponge filter with the ziss no clog air stone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I don't yet know about longevity, but I can at least speak up to say they're not silent. They're certainly quieter than other options, so I do prefer them. But if you're very sensitive to sound, you may notice that instead of a vibrating buzz like most pumps have, these have a very rapid ClickClickClickClick... It seems that most people don't even realize that. But I have major anxiety that's primarily triggered by sound, so I notice *too* many things about sounds. Most pumps: loud white noise Nano: quiet rapid clicking 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman12r Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I've found them to be so-so. They are great at being silent and easy to use because they fit anywhere and run for 24+ hours off my battery bank. However the longevity has been somewhat of an issue. The pump will randomly not be working and I have to give it a good smack to get it working again for a couple of weeks. Two or three times and the pump will be completely dead. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameCzar Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 (edited) I've only had one issue, and that was us breaking the end off where the airline tubing attaches. I'm sure I can glue it, but for now its a backup. Love them! Edited October 23, 2021 by GameCzar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojack323 Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 (edited) I've had two for over a year now and love how quiet they are. About a month ago, one of them stopped working intermittently and needed a good whack on a hard surface to start back up. The other one has been working fine so far. The "broken" one usually stopped after hanging from the carabiner for a few hours. I decided to see if laying it down made a difference. Oddly enough, it hasn't turned off for over two weeks in that position....🤞 Edited October 23, 2021 by lojack323 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillC Posted October 23, 2021 Author Share Posted October 23, 2021 @HotTunaCartel I love the idea with the powerhead! @CalmedByFish What pump/filter systems work well for you? It's amazing how different sounds affect folks. @Atitagain I looked at the linear piston style setups to run my three tanks a 40 & 2 10s, but didn't find a configuration that wasn't overkill our loud for a bedroom. lol. Thanks everyone for the feedback! Will 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I had one fail but it was actually the plug that failed - I grabbed an extra one from an old cell phone and the pump still worked fine. The quietness is worth the allegedly shorter lifespan to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 I like not having to monitor a valve setup for multiple tanks. Several of my tanks have more than one sponge filter, so if one pump fails, the other filter is unaffected. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillC Posted October 23, 2021 Author Share Posted October 23, 2021 @StreetwiseI am in the process of getting order together. Two mediums for my 40g are in the basket. And thanks to all the feedback on here... two nano pumps... Worst case scenario, I can swap those out if something happens or add a HOB/Canister later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Don’t forget a check valve for each, and some Aquarium Co-Op Black Airline Tubing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 @Streetwise Hey thanks. You made me stop and think. I did not put check valves on the 12 nano pumps because they are above the water line I got excited. But over time all airline tubing stretches and comes loose in my experience. You seriously just saved me a HUGE costly mistake in judgement! you are very street-WISE 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillC Posted October 23, 2021 Author Share Posted October 23, 2021 @Streetwise Yeah I think I ordered half the website. lol. Sponges, Nano pumps, Ziss stones, line, and check valves. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 On 10/23/2021 at 9:56 AM, WillC said: @CalmedByFish What pump/filter systems work well for you? It's amazing how different sounds affect folks. I use nano USBs with sponge filters. When possible, I use a gang valve or T-joint to have less pumps per sponge. Pumps go on thick folded towels, and/or behind a closed cabinet door. And it helps a lot to seal the top of the tank with a lid (glass lid on a glass tank, or the fitted lid on my acrylic tank). That muffles the tiny bubbles popping. By the way, even that type of set-up can't be in the same room where I sleep. If I ever did put something in my bedroom, it'd have to be on a timer, so the motor comes back on when my alarm goes off. (A little tricky since plants use the oxygen overnight.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnzhe Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 I only have one tank, it's being filtered by a USB nano air pump, and one time it 'broke' because the hole where the wire sticks through got clogged with dust. I pulled the dust out and the pump started working again. The air pump really is not water-safe. The rubber casing is the only thing separating the motor etc. from the outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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