Which Air Pump To Get? Thoughts?

[JChristophersAdventures]

As we all know, it is critical to have enough air flowing into our aquariums for fish/invert/plant health. Since I will only have the 75G and a couple of 10Gs, a piston air pump would be insanely too much (even for a king of overkill like me! lol) So, I really need to stick to a standard pump... unless, someone knows of another alternative?

Here's the issue, your typical diaphragm pump isn't very powerful. I am wanting to run bubble diffusers as opposed to air-stones... 2 in the 75G and 1 each in the 10Gs... 4 over-all. Many diaphragm pumps can't push enough air to make diffusers work well. I don't really want to have 4 separate smaller pumps going (these pumps tend to be plenty noisy enough one at a time!)

So I guess I am looking for a quiet, very powerful diaphragm unit with at least 2 independently operating ports? Experiences? Thoughts? Thanks.

[Guppysnail]

The tetra whisper 60-100 gallon dual pump is pretty quiet.  I’m insane about noise. If I can hear it even a little I go crazy. 
The coop pumps are the most silent. I run 2 dual port on my 40g. They put out a decent amount of air compared to other pumps but I’m not certain they can put out the power you are looking for. 
 

There is a larger version of tetra pump I use. I have not tried this version I just looked it up for you. It says it runs up to 10 accessories and is for deep tanks. So only running 4 this may be powerful enough. All the tetra whispers I’ve used are fairly quiet. 
 

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Guppysnail Thanks. I am doing research on it, today. It's hard enough without all of the bought/paid for ratings and reviews getting in the way. I am quickly coming to the conclusion that I may need to run 2 pumps... one for the 10Gs when in use, the other for the 75G. It seems that on most multi-port pumps, the ports are not really all that independent. Descriptions never really talk about the noise from unused/open ports, the output per port when all are in use, and comparisons with various stones/diffusers to get a solid idea of what you are getting. I've seen some on Amazon that are quite powerful, but they rated way down on the noise and heat they put out.

Thanks for the suggestion. The 300gph version looks to be powerful enough to full throttle the air diffusers (if I were to go with 1 pump), so I will definitely look into it.

Edited August 24, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I use the Tetra AP150 to run 4 sponges in 4 different tanks. I have a 4 way metal gang valve directly out from the pump, and then each tank gets one spot on the gang valve. It runs the 55 gallon just fine, that’s on the shelf above the pump, and on the opposite side from the pump. In total, it’s probably an 8’ run with 2’ being down into the tank. 
 

I’ve had it for almost 3 years now and it’s still running great. Pro tip: place the pump on a folded up washcloth and it’s virtually silent 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/24/2023 at 10:36 AM, Guppysnail said:

I use two of these. I won't use anything else.

AP 150 = single outlet.
AP 300 = same thing, dual outlet.  I recommend the singles because if you lose one pump on the dual you end up having to replace everything.

I've tried replacing diaphragms on pumps and never gotten it done successfully on any other air pump.  I don't know why, maybe the kits sit or I'm doing the repair incorrectly. 

These are rated for "deep tanks" which is a bit of a wonky marketing thing, but trust me on this.... Nothing works as well as them for my use.  You can likely run your 75G on one as well as all of your 10's on another.  Should work well.

On 8/24/2023 at 11:32 AM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

I’ve had it for almost 3 years now and it’s still running great. Pro tip: place the pump on a folded up washcloth and it’s virtually silent 

It is SUCH a workhorse.

[Ninjoma]

I was also going to recommend the AP150 or AP 300, but they only have one port. You could maybe try the Eheim air400, but I am not sure if it is powerful enough.

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Ninjoma Thanks. I am still looking into my options. Someone outside the forum put me onto the Hygger rechargeable battery backup portable pond air pump, so I am also looking at that for indoor use.

[JChristophersAdventures]

UPDATE: Thanks for everyone's input. I ordered an air pump today!

From our conversations and my own research, I concluded that I wanted/needed something powerful that could run 4 diffusers and 2 sponge filters, and has the capability to run more tanks in the future. @nabokovfan87 is right about the single ports being preferred. I have come to the conclusion that one powerful port split as many ways as you need it is a better use of money than 2 ports split half as many ways.

I also liked the idea of being able to dial the pump up/down on the air flow... yes, I know you can adjust the air using an in-line valve (which I will no doubt have to do to balance the various lines), but being able to dial the pump up/down will actually help control energy usage and it will likely put less stress on the pump.

I also wanted/needed to have battery back-up capabilities and the added flexibility of portability. The ACO pumps are great little pumps... but, they are little (and, currently not available). I liked the power, price and reliability of the Tetra AP 150/300 pumps, but they don't have dial-ability or battery back-up. 

So, after all that I decided on a pond pump, the Hygger HG-067. It has lots of good reviews and seems as quiet as the other better quality pumps. It has all the features I mentioned above and is very powerful at 18W max output. I have to say that Hygger has some really good products (and some really bad ones, too). Yes, this pump is not a cheap pump. Full disclosure: I have been sitting on a $50 Amazon Gift Card so that played a role in going for the higher priced version (there is a 10W version for less). And, Amazon had a 10% coupon offer which at least covered the extra costs of the taxes.

Hope someone finds this helpful. Thanks.

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures