Recommendation for quieter air pump set up

[jkh772]

Greetings forum!

I am curious in people's advice for a quieter air pump setup.

4 tanks:

- 55g (2 large sponge filters)

- 20g x2 (one large sponge filter each)

- 5g (one small sponge filter)

- I also grow baby brine shrimp so I split off a line for the hatchery a couple days/week. 

- I also tinker with things (testing a DIY moving bed filter) so another line (or 2!)

I currently am running 2 tetra tetra whisper (60) pumps under my wood fish tank stand but there is a low pitch hum which is pretty loud and I find annoying. One pump is pretty old so only one of the 2 outlets work. The newer whisper has 2 working outlets. I like to run the filters pretty strong for more bubbles, I have enough pressure for my current set up but I'd like to reduce the background noise. I purchased an ACO air pump- it is quiet but doesn't quite move as much air as I'd like- I'm holding onto it as a backup pump because of the internal battery but I'm not using it for my regular setup.

I was looking into a linear piston pump but I'm afraid it is overkill and not sure if it will be any quieter than my current set up. Open to ideas!

Thanks!

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Agreed that a linear piston pump is way overkill for your current set up. 
 

I really like the Tetra Whisper 150. I too have a Tetra 60, and in my opinion and to my ear, the 150 is much quieter. Also, setting your pump on a folded up rag can really dampen the noise. I do that with all my air pumps. Either way, the 150 is much quieter than the 60 to my ear. 
 

They also work super well for the Easy Flow kits. I agree with you that the ACO pump doesn’t output the amount of air I’m looking for. But the 150 does. I’ve done a single 150 for up to 4 lines with a 4 way metal gang valve and it worked well. However, I knew from the ones I had running just 2 lines, that was really the amount of air that I was looking for. 
 

I now have:

-(1) Tetra 150 that runs 2 Easy Flow kits. Both sponges in a 55 gallon

-(1) Tetra 150 that runs 1 Easy Flow kit, and a second small sponge filter with the air collar. Easy flow in a 29 gallon, and small sponge filter in a 10 gallon next to the 29

-(1) Tetra 150 that runs 2 Easy Flow Kits. 55 gallon tank up top, and a 29 gallon tank on the same shelf as the pump. Going up probably 4’ or so, and then down to the sponge on the 55

-(1) Tetra 150 that runs 3 small sponge filters with a 4 way metal gang valve. It used to run 4 small sponge filters with that air pump, but I put my girlfriends shrimp tank on a single outlet ACO pump that I had in storage and shut one of the valves on the gang valve to pump more air to the other 3 sponges with the air collars  

-(1) Tetra 60 that runs 1 Easy Flow kit and a second small sponge filter with the air collar. Easy flow in a 20 high on the top shelf, and small sponge filter in a 20 long. Just like the 55 mentioned above, the line that runs up is about 4’ up to the tank rim, and then back down to the bottom of the 20 high tank 

I can’t recommend the 150 enough. I love it. Some of those lines I mentioned above run about 6’ total from the pump and I still have great flow. Maybe one day I’ll have a fish room where everything is in the same place and a linear piston pump makes sense. For now, my tanks are spread around the house and I use a bunch of the 150’s. 
 

If you’re really trying to get wild, they do make a Tetra Whisper 300 (dual outlet). If it’s truly like having (2) 150’s, with basically a 150 to each outlet, you could put a 4 way gang valve on each outlet and have up to 8 lines with enough flow to get it all done. That being said, I would get tired of constantly balancing the valves and sponge filters every time you add or delete accessories and lines like the brine shrimp hatchery or your diy moving bed filter you’re playing with. 

Edited March 21 by AllFishNoBrakes

[HelplessNewbie]

I followed this to quiet my ACO air pump...

https://youtu.be/3JNcwZC-1To?si=CPueq3QnOS4rXDlY

but I filled the jar/vase with polyfill, instead of leaving it empty. I shared the before and after decibel readings:

I did the same with a nano air pump that was noisy, too.

Not sure if this was what you were looking for, but anyway. good luck!

[jwcarlson]

I went to a smaller piston pump from Amazon (alphabet soup supplier) that has worked well and replaced 7 or 8 other pumps by putting in an air loop in my fish room and overall is much more quiet than the sum of the other pumps.  And it's just hanging on my wall, I've done nothing to quiet it down.  

[jkh772]

thanks everyone for comments! 

@jwcarlsoncan you list which piston pump and what power you got? 

[Colu]

I have  a hygger 10 watt adjustable air pump that would work it can run six sponge filter not loud

[Guppysnail]

I agree with @AllFishNoBrakes on the tetra 150.  I switched to using these from the already pretty quiet battery backup ones just because I had to many running.  I run 5 of them and they are even quieter than those.  I run 8 lines powering 4 tanks each very easily.  

[jkh772]

Thanks everyone for the comments. i have some updates and some of my own testing. 

I first got the Tetra 150. It is WAY quieter than the tetra whisper 60. It had enough flow for my 2 large sponge filters in my 55g and one medium sponge filter in my 20g tall.  So that easily replaced one of my whisper 60s.

Second, I got they Hygger 10W and it is also really quiet (maybe even more) than the Tetra 150 and with more flow  (was about $10 more expensive and about double the size). The one hygger 10W easily replaces both of the old whisper 60s and it is way quieter and easily runs all my tanks listed above with some extra flow to spare. I will keep the tetra 150 as a backup (or give to one of the kids for their tanks). I feel this is really a perfect step up for my tanks, perhaps if i expand more i may try one of the small piston pumps as the next step. 

The whisper 60s are still very inexpensive so I am holding on to them for backup or if ever get around to some expansion tanks somewhere out of the way where I won't mind the noise so much. 

Thanks again for the recommendations! My tanks are so much quieter!

 

 

 

 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Glad you enjoyed the 150. For the compact size, the noise level, price point, and performance I really enjoy those bad boys. If one ever goes out maybe I’ll have to try the 10w you got!

Edited April 2 by AllFishNoBrakes