Air pump size suggestion for 7 sponge filters

[Jmcloonan]

TLDR: 7 large sponge filters. Two at a somewhat deep level and two very shallow that can run on the slow side. 

Hey y’all,

I stumbled on the Aquarium Co-op YouTube channel two months ago and got bit by the freshwater bug again. I currently have a 46 bow front full of every loach I can get my hands on and some tetras. I just purchased a 150 gallon and will be building a stand next week. My intention is to run a total of 7 large sponge filters. To start right away I’ll have two in the 150 (at approximately 26” of water depth) and one in my 46 bow front. Eventually I’ll add two 29gal tanks under the 150 and I’ll have up to two 10gal quarantine tanks (running large so I can use seasoned sponges from another tank). I have two Biowheel 350s (sorry Cory) that are full of sponge blocks with prefilter sponge on them (thanks Cory) for the 150 as well. 

So, 7 large sponge filters. Two at a somewhat deep level and two very shallow that can run on the slow side. I attached a quick drawing, please roast it. Other pic is my 46 in its current state  

Whisper 150? Add a second when my 29’s are up and running? Whisper 300? Your suggestions are much appreciated. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Jmcloonan

[marleowa02]

Not sure of what size to use, but one thing to keep in mind is that the length of tubing will make a huge difference. In my experience I have been able to run 3 filters off of a medium sized pump if the tubes are short enough, but put that same pump up to my 40 gallon where it has to sit on the floor and it struggles with the one filter.

[Colu]

I think you would be better off using an air piston you can get them of Amazon

[Jmcloonan]

My intention was to possibly run that air pump in the basement with a total of 10 feet leading up to the tank area. The tanks are in my living room so droning air pump noise would not be preferred. I could always make a soundproof/ventilated box for them. 
 

Also in this current setup I will not be adding any more tanks, at least not anything big. I’m not opposed to blowing money on a linear piston pump but it seems like those are much bigger than I need right now. 

[Daniel]

6 minutes ago, Colu said:

I think you would be better off using an air piston you can get them of Amazon

An even better place (if you end up going with a linear piston pump) to purchase them is from our generous host:

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/linear-piston-air-pump

 

[Jmcloonan]

I’ve of course looked at the LA-45C. I just worry that it’s much more than I need for 7 air stones. No?

[Daniel]

3 minutes ago, Jmcloonan said:

I’ve of course looked at the LA-45C. I just worry that it’s much more than I need for 7 air stones. No?

I think it is more than you need.

[Jmcloonan]

I wish the LA-28 was a little cheaper. That’s seems more in line with what I’m going to need. 

[Koi]

I think a linear air piston pump is a little overkill for your setup unless you are planning to add a lot more tanks in the future. I'm running about 8  sponges off of this one right now and its rated for 45 L/mn.

I even attached three more sponges just to see if it could handle it and I haven't notice any struggling. I will mention I have shallow tanks (10-20 gallons) so I'm dealing with less head pressure.

I would recommend a pump like this, Ive seen a lot go for around 20-30 bucks. I will mention the pump isn't that quiet, its not unbearable but you can  definitely hear it vibrate.

If you have time to shop around, go check flea markets I bought three of these for like a buck each

Edited February 5, 2021 by Koi

[Jmcloonan]

Thanks Koi,

That looks like a solid option. I’ll look that one up tonight. The pump will be directly below in the basement so sound should be fine. 
 

Is there a larger size check valve that people are using for these bigger pumps? Mounting this above the tank isn’t much of an option. 

Edited February 5, 2021 by Jmcloonan

[Koi]

As long as the airlines are held above the height of the tank it won’t siphon if your power cuts off.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Koi
I realized drip loop is probably not the right term so I took it out

[Simon]

Get two for redundancy.  Just in case..from your diagram your are filtering multiple tanks.  I would split the load and have the ability to joint them if needed. 

 

[Jmcloonan]

3 hours ago, Koi said:

As long as the airlines are held above the height of the tank it won’t siphon if your power cuts off.

I was going to let drip loop slide haha. I read more loop and less drip 👌

[tekjunkie28]

An air piston pump is WAY WAY WAY too much for this.  Im running 2 sponge filters in a 10 gallon with a Tetra whisper 10 pump. 2.2 watts of power used.  You could get 2 Danner AP-8 and call it a day.  I wouldnt do a piston pump until I had 20 tanks or 10 with crazy amounts of air.

Edited February 6, 2021 by tekjunkie28

[Jmcloonan]

Does anyone know how many LPM an air stone typically runs at? I understand the other end of the equation is the depth of the tank. 

[MAC]

I'm running 10 sponge filters off a whisper 60. Each side goes to a 4 outlet gang valve and some of the lines off that are split with a T and inline valves. 

The tanks are not any deeper than 20 gallon high, but the point is you can do alot with a modest amount of air. A larger whisper (or similar) pump will likely be all you need. 

[Jmcloonan]

Holy crap, I would never think a 60 would run all that. Maybe I’ll start with a 150 and see if it will run the 150, 46, and a quarantine tank. Worst case I dedicate a 150 to the....150 and get a second 150 pump for the other tanks.