Can Anyone Recommend a Really Powerful Air Pump (and a Filter Intake Question)?

[ArtesiaWells]

Can Anyone Recommend a Really Powerful Air Pump? (Plus a Filter Intake Question)

I am in need of a very powerful air pump that can feed a ton of power to two 18" bubble bars at the bottom of my new, somewhat deeper-than-usual Marineland 60 gallon; the pumps I'm using now -- a Rena Air 400 and a Tetra Whisper 60, both of which are running "bridged" with a T-connector, so that the power from both the pumps' dual outlets are combined to feed maximum pressure to each of the bars -- are simply not providing enough power, seemingly, to make these bars spray lots of thick bubbles. I did a test in which I disconnected the tubing that's feeding each of the pumps and blew with all my might into the tubes, and the bars EXPLODED with CASCADES of thick, beautiful bubbles, which is the effect I'm trying to get, so this leads me to believe the bars are not defective or are clogged; as soon as I hook the pumps back up, the bubbles get much weaker...

Can anyone suggest a really good, powerful pump (even if it's online) that could feed two bubble bars with a ton of pressure so they can bubble well? Is there one out there that can feed two seprate bars alone?

Also -- on the same topic, sort of -- right now, I have my bubble bars kind of against the back glass of the tank, so they make a "curtain" of bubbles in the rear...but in doing this, the filter intakes from my two HOBs are sucking in the bubbles, and the noise coming from the AquaClear in particular as it grinds up the bubbles into microbubbles is driving me absolutely bonkers...

If I move the bars IN FRONT OF the filter intakes, would this prevent them from being sucked up by the HOBs for the most part?

 

[HUKIT]

These will certainly do the job but they're a little louder than you've average pump, if you want silent then I'd get a Alita Al-6A. I use a Al-15 in my fish room and I can't even hear it running.

EcoPlus Commercial Air 1

Or

Alita AL-6A Linear Air Pump

 

[ArtesiaWells]

These will certainly do the job but they're a little louder than you've average pump, if you want silent then I'd get a Alita Al-6A. I use a Al-15 in my fish room and I can't even hear it running.

EcoPlus Commercial Air 1

Or

Alita AL-6A Linear Air Pump

Hello, HUKIT!

Thanks so much for the reply; indeed, these EcoPlus models keep coming up as a suggestion even on another site I frequent. Here's the thing, though: I don't know, out of all of the ones they offer, which is a good one to go with for my 60 gallon tank. After all, I'm not running an entire fish room, breeding facility or consumer pet shop -- which would be good for running just two bubble bars off one of these things? Would the entry-level model you cite, the Air Pump 1, be sufficient for my needs, or do I need to step into their more expensive models?

Further -- from the pictures, it seems a bit daunting to connect these things up to standard airline tubing, as I'm running...how would I take one of these pumps and arrange its output so that it's feeding the two bars? Just run one airline from one output, and another from one of the EcoPlus' other outputs? Does any "bridging" need to be done here with a T-connector to get max output?

Thanks again !

 

[HUKIT]

I would get the entry level one, I've used one to run 12 sponges in 12 40g breeders so there should be plenty of air for 2 bubble wands. I would even try one of those Top Fin 8000 pumps from Petsmart, they have 4 outlets which is easy to run down into 2. Plus their return policy makes it easy if it doesn't work out. They are the same pumps as Supreme air with a different case for Petsmart.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I would get the entry level one, I've used one to run 12 sponges in 12 40g breeders so there should be plenty of air for 2 bubble wands. I would even try one of those Top Fin 8000 pumps from Petsmart, they have 4 outlets which is easy to run down into 2. Plus their return policy makes it easy if it doesn't work out. They are the same pumps as Supreme air with a different case for Petsmart.

Okay, so I would narrow the search down to the EcoPlus 1 model...thanks!

As for the Air 8000 from Top Fin, I actually bought one of those once and the air pressure it produced didn't impress me, nor did the level of noise which was RIDICULOUSLY loud and buzzed annoyingly beyond anything I had ever heard. I ended up returning it...

If I did go with another Top Fin Air 8000, how would I bridge the four outputs to run two devices?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

UPDATE:

Okay, so just today I caved and purchased the Top Fin Air 8000 (Aquarium Pump » Top Fin® Air Pump AIR 1000| PetSmart), which, as the member who had been assisting me above in the thread mentioned, is merely a repackaged pump which Pet-not-so-Smart sells under their "Top Fin" house label. I had one of these before but HATED it because it rattled and buzzed like nobody's business when the flow control was turned up high, and this annoyed us to no end. I couldn't even stifle the vibrations and buzzing noise with a towel (it was obviously returned). I just figured I would give this pump a shot again to see if it improves my bubbling issue with the bars before I go the more expensive route with one of the more "pro" type pumps being discussed; if it doesn't, the return policy, as also mentioned in this thread, makes it easy to give back...

As for connections, what I am going to do is as follows (and I'd like some feedback on this): I was planning on cutting pieces of longer (than I'm using now) tubing to connect to two of this pump's four outlets, then use a T-connector to run that outlet to one bubble bar, while doing the same for the Top Fin's other two outlets to feed the other bubble bar...should this give me nice airflow?

 

[Autumnsky]

I found with my pump which was an older used one anyway My performance was much better by blocking off the other tube outlets with a couple inches of tubing and the off plug. that gave much more power to the remaining one for the bubbler.

Also not that you want to change it atm, but the Top Fin 48" flexible bubble wand, comes in black, adjusts around rocks, filters and decorations. It seemed like it would be too long but when you start snaking it around things it is amazing how fast it gets utilized. Its bendable and holds its shape.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Thanks a lot for your input, Autumn; it's greatly appreciated...

I found with my pump which was an older used one anyway My performance was much better by blocking off the other tube outlets with a couple inches of tubing and the off plug. that gave much more power to the remaining one for the bubbler.

I think I have my system set up differently from what you describe here, so let me see if I can explain it and if we're on the same page with what you're suggesting -- what I do with the two pumps I own (a Tetra Whisper 60 and a Rena Air 400, both of which have dual air outlets) is slip on two small pieces of airline tubing to each of the pumps' outlets, then connect those to a "T-type connector," and from there, a longer piece of tubing goes to a bubble bar...the same thing happens with the other pump. So, essentially, EACH bubble bar is being powered by ONE pump, with BOTH their outlets "bridged" for maximum output...

Wouldn't this be the same as what you're suggesting with "blocking off" the other outlets, or, essentially, giving GREATER air output being that I'm actually USING both outlet ports of the pumps?

Also not that you want to change it atm, but the Top Fin 48" flexible bubble wand, comes in black, adjusts around rocks, filters and decorations. It seemed like it would be too long but when you start snaking it around things it is amazing how fast it gets utilized. Its bendable and holds its shape.

I have been down the endless (seemingly) road of bubble bars, wands and flexible tubes before...I actually owned both the Top Fin bubble wall things you attach to the glass with suction cups (AWFUL; they broke in no time) as well as Marineland's flexible bubble wand, and both options just didn't work as I wanted them to. I actually prefer the "curtain in back" bubble wall look rather than the "snaking around the tank" look that you describe that is achieved with flexible bubblers; as such, I heard good things about Petco's bubble bars (Petco Bubble Bars for Fresh and Saltwater Aquariums at PETCO) and purchased two 18" variants for the back of my 60 gallon. I like the look, but have NEVER been able to get these things to blast full bubbles out, no matter what pump I use...

I'll let you know how the second attempt at using the Top Fin Air 8000 pump goes when I hook it up later...

 

[Autumnsky]

I had similar problems before trying to get the air to blast out for maximum bubble curtain wall coverage. This was a while back and things have changed a little in the tanks.

Then I was using what I had from various used purchases, etc. The way I made a better outflow bubble wall for mine was to shut off one of the air flows as mentioned above using only one for maximum out flow.

The old dual out put is a Challenger II by SecondNature. The one the flexible black one is on.


These two pumps are single air tube kind.

The one in my other tank is a whisper 20 and that doesn't quite do the job, and I switched it to the Million-Aire MA-200 .....and it is kick-in the bubble curtain a new one. Nice even curtain of bubbles out of the whole 17" of wand, it is a foam type whitish greenish long one piece like a stick. Sorry its been a couple years since I bought it and stuck it in there so don't remember the name, I think it might be Marineland though.

Moved my filter all the way to one side and off set the bubble curtain just out of bubble reach. lol

-scared off the Bamboo shrimp!!! who was hiding under the HOB filter!!!

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Bubble curtain

I've got two twenty four inch petco brand bubble bars for my 55 gallon and they are easily powered by the petco brand four way power air pump. It has four air outlets and I use t valves to connect two and use two outlets to a bubble bar. The petco brand pump is by far the best I've ever owned. Good luck!

 

[ArtesiaWells]

UPDATE:

Okay. Did a 50% water change on the tank, and hooked up the new Top Fin Air 8000 pump, and also cut longer pieces of tubing to connect to two of its four outlets (for each bar); the bubbles coming out are INCREDIBLE, and what I was looking for. Perhaps even more incredible is the fact that this pump is NOT as noisy as it was when I bought one years ago -- it MAY be the fact that I'm utilizing ALL four of its outputs (I don't expect this to last though, as it seems the more time that passes with these pumps, the lower and weaker their output becomes). Additionally, I took one of the bars out that happened to be in the 10 gallon I used to have the goldies in prior to getting this new 60 gallon (it was running in this new tank since I set it up and stripped the 10 gallon) and rinsed it under hot water while scrubbing with an old toothbrush to remove some algae that seems to have grown on it from the last tank; this MAY have contributed to the bubbles now coming out better too...

Here's the problem, though: Even with moving both bubble bars forward in the gravel, away from the two HOB filter intake tubes (and better burying them in the substrate so the bars themselves aren't visible -- looks MUCH better), the bubbles being produced now are STILL flying into the AquaClear 110's intake and the noise as they're ground up into microbubbles (and subsequently destroying the filter's impeller and motor from what I'm told) is driving me even NUTTIER than it did before...

Is there ANYTHING save for moving the bars even MORE FORWARD away from the intake tube (the Aqueon HOB isn't sucking in bubbles because the bar closest to that filter is too far to the intake tube's right for the bubbles to be sucked into it) that I can do to stop these bubbles from being sucked into the AquaClear 110's intake? Is it really true that a filter's motor can be burned out and completely fried by bubbles being sucked into it? If this is more of a rumor kind of thing rather than a fact, I could learn to live with the loud, unsettling noise I suppose...

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I've got two twenty four inch petco brand bubble bars for my 55 gallon and they are easily powered by the petco brand four way power air pump. It has four air outlets and I use t valves to connect two and use two outlets to a bubble bar. The petco brand pump is by far the best I've ever owned. Good luck!

That's EXACTLY what I did with my 18" Petco bars and the new Top Fin pump I just bought -- running two outputs to one bar via a T-connector and the other two to the other bar...

I didn't know Petco made 24 inch model bubble bars -- do you have any pics of your tank?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

UPDATE:

Got on a chair to reach the bottom of this ridiculously deep and tall tank (I will NEVER own another "high-over-long" aquarium again) and made a mess attempting to move the bubble bars forward to the point that the one that's producing bubbles being sucked into the AquaClear HOB wasn't making the grinding noise; the only thing this did was disturb the substrate and completely destroy the cohesiveness of the aquascaping my wife did in that corner of the tank -- we had a small Asian gazebo towards the right corner with tall plants around it, with a little "garden" leading up to it from cut up pieces of a Marineland "plant mat," and my digging around to move these PITA bars messed up her whole scape in that area, which looked perfect (the tank is still a design in progress -- we don't have nearly enough decor as we want). Further, I couldn't get the bar on the LEFT to move up any further because of a tree trunk decoration in that corner, and even if I did, the bars would be nearly in the CENTER of this tank because it's so darn narrow. So, I ended up moving the bar on the right back a bit, which started the horrendous filter intake noise again, burying it under the substrate and attempting to fix the messed-up decor. The little Asian gazebo was pushed way too far forward against the front glass when I moved the bar on that side forward to escape the filter intake suction, so the whole attempt just didn't work...

Can anyone recommend anything else?

 

[Dallascowboys16]

I would post a picture but I can't with the app for some reason.

 

[Zippo1313]

I'm looking at the hagen elite pumps there supposed to be like 6 psi were most are 2 or 3 there made for bigger tanks like 300 gall or so should do what u want

 

[Autumnsky]

Maybe I missed it but have you cleaned the impeller and surround lately? And did you say gravel or sand, if sand what kind.

You may just need to order a new impeller, as it may be out of round from something getting in there. You'll probably be able to see the shape inside to know.

Oh and as for the bubbles in the filter, I haven't heard it could burn out the motor, but it may be making the impeller jump around and be noisy.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I'm looking at the hagen elite pumps there supposed to be like 6 psi were most are 2 or 3 there made for bigger tanks like 300 gall or so should do what u want

Thanks Zippo; I will consider the Hagen Elite if this Top Fin has to go back for any reason...

While I was at Pet-not-so-Smart yesterday, I noticed they also had a Fluval pump or two, and I was tempted to pick that one up...the one I had my eye on, their most powerful carried at this store, was the same price as the Top Fin...

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Maybe I missed it but have you cleaned the impeller and surround lately? And did you say gravel or sand, if sand what kind.

The AquaClear 110, which is the HOB being affected by the sucked-in bubbles, was cleaned out and sterilized thoroughly after the last tank crash because there was a bacterial infection that ran rampant through that setup and the filters. So the impeller and parts have been cleaned thoroughly prior to setting up this new tank (which has been running almost two weeks now). Substrate isn't sand, it's medium-sized natural-colored gravel like this:

Top Fin® Polished Pebbles - 2 lbs - Gravel & Sand - Fish - PetSmart

You may just need to order a new impeller, as it may be out of round from something getting in there. You'll probably be able to see the shape inside to know.

I didn't have any problems with noise from this filter before the bubbles starting to go in there though...

Oh and as for the bubbles in the filter, I haven't heard it could burn out the motor, but it may be making the impeller jump around and be noisy.

Could that be all it is...the "buzzing" I'm hearing?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Okay, so a bit of an update...

Spent a great deal of time earlier on Saturday (well, today) attempting to quiet the overtly annoying, rattling buzz this Top Fin pump makes -- the only way the noise subsides is if you run the pump on MINIMUM output, which makes one of my bubble bars spit out a couple of bubbles while the other one throws a bit more, but as soon as I turn the control dial up, the humming/buzzing/ground loop-like racket returns. I placed two washcloths, folded a few times so they were thick, beneath the pump and it didn't quiet it. Next, I attempted to wrap a full towel around the pump -- with the washcloths still under it for extra absorption -- and if you can believe this, it seems to have made the humming and vibration feedback WORSE and LOUDER. I ended up taking the towel off of the pump and now I'm just running it with the washcloths beneath it while I figure out what to do next...

I have read from owners that wrote "reviews" (the grammar and spelling of these overviews are hysterically asinine) on Petsmart's site about these pumps that a computer mouse pad could be put beneath it to squelch some of the vibrations and noise the model 8000 in particular puts out, but I don't know if that's going to work if wrapping it in a thick towel with two layered washcloths beneath it didn't...

If anyone has any last-ditch suggestions to try on the noise/vibration front, I'm all ears, eyes and...well...you know...

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Here's another thought I had regarding the bubble/filter intake issue; if anyone has any opinion on this, please fire away...

What if I covered the area of the bubble bar that's directly in front of the filter intake, causing the bubbles to be sucked up into the impeller? Perhaps maybe with something like a stone/rock or a heap of the substrate? (I have plenty of it left over...)

Should this, at least in theory, block the bubbles that are going directly into the HOB's intake strainer, thus causing the impeller cavitation I'm hearing, and which is subsequently driving me f'in bonkers?? The only question I have then is, where would these "blocked" bubbles be directed to...would the rest of the bar then push out more bubbles because this section would be "blocked off"?