Help with air filter ( bubble blower )

[jamiejay09]

hello all,

im in need of some help. my bubble blower thing semms to have weakend??? the bubbles used to be really strong and fast but now i have to move the air stone about 2cm from the surface just so *some* bubbles can come out. does anyone know why its gotg like this. sorry my description of whats happend is a lil confusing but im wondering if anyone has had the same problem lol

all advise need

 

[phin]

How long has the air stone been in your tank? maybe its clogged with algae? Try cleaning it, maybe with hydrogen peroxide. Be careful though, soggy, old stones can crumble easily if they are scrubbed hard. A soaking in H2O2 and a quick rinse might help.

 

[jamiejay09]

its not the stone ive changed it three times thinking it would work but nothing happend. could it be something wrong with the machine thingy ??

 

[phin]

So the air pump? how old is it? I mean is it relatively new or did you get one from 1987 from a garage sale? they are pretty simple machines - just an electronic motor and a magnet, they don't really break. Did it get wet? Have you checked the line for a kink in the hose?

 

[jamiejay09]

all new , only got it about 4 months ago and it worked fine for about 3 months and now the bubbles are just coming out really slow and weak

 

[lauraf]

Have you checked the hose itself for its connection to the pump? Sometimes there can be a tiny split at its connecting end, or the hose plastic gets kinda stretched and the fit isn't very secure . . . . also check for the same on the airstone end of the hose.
You might just need to snip a half-centimeter's length off of either end and refasten to the pump and airstone so that the fit is very snug.

 

[Matt Nace]

Some of the air pumps also have a small filter on them that can be removed and replaced or cleaned. You could try new tubing and if that does not help you may have a pump problem.