Best way to vertically mount Aquarium Co-Op Air Pump

[JRB]

I have two of the Aquarium Co-Op Air Pumps, and I want to mount them to the side of the wood stand I built.

They have a metal clip on the back. Has anyone mounted them this way, and if so, how did you do it?

Sadly though, if I mount them this way, the Co-Op logo will be upside down. 

[Wrencher_Scott]

omg, on your belt? That seems silly. 

You could use a good thick rubber band from the belt hook to a screw on the stand. If you do it right it wouldn't look to bad. 

A wire tie would work too, easily adjustable so you could make it fit nice I think. 

How about a thick wire tie cut to the right length screwed to the stand, Make it the right length and it will be hidden under the pump. Just run small screws right through it to mount at the ends a few inches apart. 

Basically you need a mount of sorts to hang the pump on. 

That is a silly mount for sure, what where they thinking??

Edited February 22, 2022 by Wrencher_Scott

[Cory]

Originally it's meant for more like a bucket or a tote. If I was going to start the process to find the best way to mount them. I'd be finding further ways to isolate vibration. I might try like a board with 2 screws that stick out then tie twine onto each one, then hang it from the tine to see if that would even further isolate the vibrations that the feet do. Also you could screw the screws in or out to get the perfect sitting of the feet.

[MarkM]

I put a screw in hook under my cabinet and the hung the pump from it with an elastic hair tie. 

[Odd Duck]

@Greg Stewarthas that cord wrangling thread going.  In it, he posted some clips that might work.  I was happy to see one of the types of clips he posted since I had just purchased some after the original discussion came up about cord management.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQCXCR2/?tag=tank01-20

I think you might be able to attach these horizontally, then hang the pump from it.  Maybe double up on them for extra strength.  Greg can probably speak better about if they’re strong enough to last.  I haven’t used mine yet since I’ll be moving my rack to another room and I’ll be using them at that point.

[Greg Stewart]

On 2/21/2022 at 9:17 PM, Wrencher_Scott said:

omg, on your belt? That seems silly.

That was my immediate thought, as well 😉

Honestly, for a pump of that size, I think any hanger with no elasticity will simply transfer vibrations to the material you're hanging it from.

@Cory's laundry drying technique might work, but you'd need two posts to string it between, far enough apart to keep the motor box from touching anything. Then you have the birds to worry about.

@MarkM's elastic hair tie idea is probably easier, as long as you have a space to suspend it from where the bottom feet don't touch the cabinet/wall/post/etc.

And,I think the logo being upside down is the least of your worries 😉

True vibration isolation mounts are huge and 'spensive, though. I can't see a reason to spend more on the mount than you did on the unit you're isolating.

It's the "touchy-feely" part of mounting an air pump motor that increases the noise. So, keeping it in "mid-air" as best you can is going to keep it as quiet as possible.

@Odd Duck linked to my creative, yet eye-destroying, cable management graphics. And, you'll notice that I switched from those boxy pumps to Aquarium Co-Op's bright green dangly miniature USB pumps (I have one on my 5 gal, and another on my 38 gal, they are virtually silent--honestly, the bubbles they create pop louder than the motor vibrates).

Those adhesive cable management clips, though, will probably not last with the weight and vibrations of that motor housing. You'll probably be waking up at 0300 wondering what crashed and started dancing around your living room. I would suggest a screw hook to hold it, at the least.

Keep in mind, even if you manage to remove any transference of vibrations from the housing to the material it's hanging on, those boxy motors will produce a certain amount of noise you just can't get rid of.

 

 

[lefty o]

im adventurous with things like this. id be tempted to remove the screw from the clip, and if needed find another longer one same thread, drill a hole in the board line the hole in the board up with the one in the pump and screw it down. making sure not the screw is not so long as to enter the pump housing far enough to damage it. attempt at your own risk, just an out of the box idea.

[MattP]

On 2/21/2022 at 7:13 PM, JRB said:

I have two of the Aquarium Co-Op Air Pumps, and I want to mount them to the side of the wood stand I built.

They have a metal clip on the back. Has anyone mounted them this way, and if so, how did you do it?

Sadly though, if I mount them this way, the Co-Op logo will be upside down. 

This looks better than what I did.  I just hung my pumps from their power cord off a nail.  A little bit of duct tape prevents the cord from sliding.  This setup is making me slightly uneasy though.  I think I'm gonna change it.  

 

But, I really like not having to use the one way valve though.  It definitely has more power.  Now the pump is mounted above the water line and can't siphon.

I just orded some of those Easy Flow sponge filters.  These are really fantastic.   It's working better sans one way valve.

 

Edited July 20 by MattP

[MattP]

OK I was messing with this again last night.  I wasn't crazy about it hanging from the power cord.  Later I changed it with some paracord from dollar tree.  I made a sling thing.  So it's a French bowline knot.  I was sorta lucky it worked with the specific of my air pump.  That wouldn't work as well with a pump that has a rounded shape on the bottom. I did this with another pump and used some tape to hold the cord in place.  It's possible a different knot could be used entirely for different shaped pumps.  The nail is angled upwards similarly to what you'd use to hang a picture..   picture hangers work too.

I'm pretty confident that this setup won't fail.

Edited July 20 by MattP

[Jovius]

I am about to get my first aquarium co op pump. I'll make a 3D printable bracket for them to hang vertically and share the files here when I do. It should be pretty simple to model up.

Edited July 20 by Jovius

[MattP]

On 7/20/2024 at 11:39 AM, Jovius said:

I am about to get my first aquarium co op pump. I'll make a 3D printable bracket for them to hang vertically and share the files here when I do. It should be pretty simple to model up.

 

This sounds like a great idea.  I'm looking forward to seeing your 3D printed design. 

I've been thinking about my sling hanger and have noticed a potential failure point.  It's the tubing hanging down off the pump.  If these were to fall off they could fall down below the waterline and potentially start to siphon.   Perhaps your 3D printed design could incorporate a tubing holder so that the tubing cannot fall down.   To remedy mine I'm just going to use some string tied to the tubing which is attached to the wall..   in the event that vibrations cause the tubing to fall off it will be unable to fall down too far.

 

I had some green yarn and used a whipping knot to tie it to the tubing.  I just hung it off the same nail as the air pump.  Now I can rest easy knowing those cannot possibly fall down.  Later I moved the green yarn behind the pump.

Edited July 25 by MattP