Quietest air pump?

[Mark Hewitt]

I currently have a Hydor Ario bubbler where the pump sits inside the tank, however it seems to put out a very small amount of bubbles!

I'd like to put on an external pump to up the bubble quantity! I bought an Elite pump from the LFS which is supposed to be 'quiet' but is extremely noisy!

Can anyone recommend a very quiet air pump? Suitable for use in a living room environment. Keeping in mind that the Hydor claimed that it was 'completely silent', and yet I find that to be quite noisy! (Not from the bubbles, just a general hum)

 

[BigJim]

Try putting the pump on top of a mouse pad to quell the vibrations. I've never seen a decently sized air pump that didn't hum. The pumps that hang on the sides of bait buckets are quiet, but they're battery powered and don't put out much air.

The best aerator I've seen is a Penguin powerhead with the air tube attached to the outlet. It sucks air in without an air pump. The tube has a valve at the end to adjust the amount of air getting sucked in. It takes up space in the tank, but it's quiet.