matten filter help

[GailC]

I'm planning on switching my 55 gallon over to a matten filter and need some advice on what to use to drive it. I see many are ran with a air pump but I'm considering using a submersible pump instead.

I will be using poret 30 ppi in black. My stock is a pair of dwarf apisto cichlids, 1 small angelfish, 2 bristlenose pleco, 8 ember tetras and about a dozen Heterandria formosa. I may add one more female cichlid and possibly a angel.

If I got with a submersible, how much GPH do I need and is one pump enough? If I sit the pump on the tank floor, will it still provide proper flow or will I need to mount it half way up?

If I got with a air pump, what size would I need? How are they even rated?

 

[BillD]

I would use 20ppi foam instead of the coarser 30. An airlift is more than sufficient to power one of these filters. A powerhead/pump will also work. A friend has 29 tanks with mattenfilters, including a 350 gal, using air lifts. All powered by a single 87 lpm air pump, which draws around 35 watts.
Air pumps are rated by amount of air they produce and pressure. Air flow will be shown in cubic feet per minute, or litres per minute. Pressure is usually quite low (usually 3 to 5 psi), and unless the tank is very deep seldom needs to be considered.