Air Pump : which is quiet and reliable?
- Thread starter urbantea
- Start date
hi,
i'm not sure if you'd find the same brands as we do in europe.
if you do, try to favor shego pumps over rena, as the rena air pumps (which are supposed to be the most silent ones) are huge, expensive and by far not the most silent ones. i've had very good experiences with the shego series, they are silent, efficient, adjustable and quite cheap.
don't get a garden pump, they are cheap and strong but terribly loud.
if you try them out in the shop, don't forget to put an airtube over the outlet, to get the actual noise that it would have in home use.
lg
niki
i'm not sure if you'd find the same brands as we do in europe.
if you do, try to favor shego pumps over rena, as the rena air pumps (which are supposed to be the most silent ones) are huge, expensive and by far not the most silent ones. i've had very good experiences with the shego series, they are silent, efficient, adjustable and quite cheap.
don't get a garden pump, they are cheap and strong but terribly loud.
if you try them out in the shop, don't forget to put an airtube over the outlet, to get the actual noise that it would have in home use.
lg
niki
marineland makes an air pump that's *kinda* quiet (at least its the quietest one i have)....The Airmaster. Pumps are not easy to make small AND quiet. 
I had 4 running at the same time, becuase when I first started fishkeeping, I thought UGFs was a good filtering method, and the tanks weren't close enough together, so I had to use different pumps. But, now I've been replacing the UGFs for better filters..I have to be sneaky about changing it, because my mother used to keep fish, and swears by it..Little does she know, there are now better filtering methods!
silent air pump
I have found the best way to keep down the buzzing is to have the air pump in a different room, i got 10m of cheap air tube (clear irigation tube) from the hardware shop and now have the air pump in the bathroom the tube comes under one door up and through a gap above the next then gaffer taped along the top of the wall to the fishtank it is a bit of a mission but it is well worth it it. I dont hear the pump at all now (when in the same roomas the tank). I also changed the undergravel filter output so the bubbles dont rise and popnwhich can also be noisy, use a air stone and create a 90 turn at the water surface so the bubbles come out horozontialy at the water surface. to get the change in direction i stuffed a large pliable pvc tube down the inside of the UGF tube so the bubbles came up through this and bent the top of the new tobe over.
I have found the best way to keep down the buzzing is to have the air pump in a different room, i got 10m of cheap air tube (clear irigation tube) from the hardware shop and now have the air pump in the bathroom the tube comes under one door up and through a gap above the next then gaffer taped along the top of the wall to the fishtank it is a bit of a mission but it is well worth it it. I dont hear the pump at all now (when in the same roomas the tank). I also changed the undergravel filter output so the bubbles dont rise and popnwhich can also be noisy, use a air stone and create a 90 turn at the water surface so the bubbles come out horozontialy at the water surface. to get the change in direction i stuffed a large pliable pvc tube down the inside of the UGF tube so the bubbles came up through this and bent the top of the new tobe over.
I did extensive reading on this, as I'm putting together a new tank, and most everywhere I read recommended Rena air pumps. I ordered a Rena 300 (waiting for it to come in). I also like that the 'rebuild' kits are readily available for the Rena pumps, so if it does start to get loud, just put on the new seals and filters and you're as good as new for $5.00.
I've found that 2 thin strips of white styrofoam whith adhesive backing placed on the bottom of the filter works wonders. Velcro is also a wonderful thing with many options. If you are handy, build a small wood box with insulation and holes drilled on the top for heat dissapation. They can be sanded and stained and actually look good around the tank.
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