Pump Question & a Dilemma

[CJhilljack]

I have several questions actually, but for starters - how many gallons can the Nano Air Pump from AC handle? Here's why I'm asking. Last weekend, I purchased a used 20 gallon tank from an LFS near me that is closing their brick & mortar store. It came with accessories with the exception of light, tubing & air pump. I picked it up tonight and brought it home. The filter is in a fish bag with water & I was told it's best to get it running again. I wasn't going to set it up right away (I don't even have anything to place it on right now), I was going to hang onto it until I was ready to set up a hospital tank or grow out tank. I do have plans to set up my 14g tank Wednesday when my Godson is able to come over with my sponge filter that has been in his tank & some extra plants, including some java moss I wanted to glue to my rocks before adding water to the tank.

 

The staff member who helped me gave me some suggestions & one was to run both filters on a single pump in my 14g until I'm ready to do something with this newest tank. Can the nano pump handle that?

If not, would it make sense to have my Godson hang onto my AC sponge filter for a bit longer, until I can pick up a 2nd pump for the 20g? He's only had it in his tank for about a month. If I do that, I'm thinking I could go ahead and start work on the tank tomorrow so the filter isn't sitting too long waiting to get back to work. 

Between now & Wednesday, would it help at all to set up a bucket with my existing pump & this filter? I have plants coming from AC, likely arriving tomorrow and plants I was going to divide from one of my water gardens that could hang out in there until I'm ready to set up the 14g. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

In all honesty, the usb nano air pumps are so cost effective that I’ve never had to use 1 to run multiple filters. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a T airline splitter and run 2 sponges with 1 nano air pump for a short period of time. You only need a little bit of air to keep the water circulating to keep the bacteria alive. I wouldn’t do this for a long term solution, but for a bandaid I wouldn’t think twice about it. 
 

Also, if that doesn’t work or you simply don’t want to rush to set up that 20 gallon, there’s no harm in recycling the tank/filter. As long as you know what you’re doing, have the time, and have the patience it’s not a big deal at all. 

Edited February 18, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/17/2023 at 8:12 PM, CJhilljack said:

The staff member who helped me gave me some suggestions & one was to run both filters on a single pump in my 14g until I'm ready to do something with this newest tank. Can the nano pump handle that?

A. Go to the big box store and get a tetra air pump.
B.  Which pump are you talking about?  The green one or the newer black one with battery backup? I am guessing the green one because of the term "nano", but I just wanted to clarify.

In my experience, that pump has issues running much of anything beyond an airstone.  While it might work, it doesn't push enough flow for me.  It's difficult to describe it, maybe it's just the one that I purchased and others are stronger, but when I do try to run medium, large sponges on it, I don't think it has enough flow to pull in debris.  On a smaller one, maybe.   If you're talking 2 items, I'd recommend a tetra pump rated for a 20-30g and a gang valve, metal version preferred.

You can, in a pinch, place the media in the tank, run an airstone to move water. no big deal.  That works just fine to keep the bacteria going.
 

[CJhilljack]

On 2/17/2023 at 8:31 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

In all honesty, the usb nano air pumps are so cost effective that I’ve never had to use 1 to run multiple filters. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a T airline splitter and run 2 sponges with 1 nano air pump for a short period of time. You only need a little bit of air to keep the water circulating to keep the bacteria alive. I wouldn’t do this for a long term solution, but for a bandaid I wouldn’t think twice about it. 
 

Also, if that doesn’t work or you simply don’t want to rush to set up that 20 gallon, there’s no harm in recycling the tank/filter. As long as you know what you’re doing, have the time, and have the patience it’s not a big deal at all. 

Thank you so much, this really eases my mind. for now, I'm going to get it in a bucket & get it running. I'll hold my new plants in it until I'm ready to get to work on my 14g, then I'll place it there. I think my Godson will be ok with holding onto my other sponge filter until I can get a stand & stuff for this new 20g.