stadlin@hou2h.UUCP (Art Stadlin) (08/08/85)
What follows is my original question about aquarium aeration,
and the responses I received. Thanks to those who took the time
to give me some hints and techniques. Based on your comments,
I've decided to get an EHEIM pump/filter this Winter.
\\\
\\\\ Art Stadlin
\\\\\\________!{akgua,ihnp4,houxm}!hou2h!stadlin
ORIGINAL POSTING:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: Can I use an air compressor to provide the aeration I need
to provide to my aquarium? Is the air clean enough for fish
to breath? How do you experienced tropical fish hobbiests
aerate your large (over 100 gallon) tanks?
BACKGROUND: I have an 80 gallon tank. Air is supplied by about 5
Whisper pumps. These pumps cost about $20/each.
I am considering adding a 200 to 250 gallon tank for larger
fish. If I bought common aquarium pumps, I'd probably
spend over $200 for enough air supply. For about the
same price, I could buy a 3/4 horsepower air compressor
with storage tank, which I could also use for
spray painting, etc.
If I get more than three responses, I'll summarize for net.pets.
RESPONSES:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> The cheapest supply of air I've seen is this setup:
>
> Air pollution pump from your local auto junk yard
> Small 120v electric moter w/line cord and switch
> Two pulleys - 1 w/pump, 1 for moter - also from junk yard
> V-Belt to fit pulleys - ditto on source
> Filter and adapter for output
>
> We used to put these together for about $25 ('79).
> The only problem is they may be a little noisy. Be ready
> to explain to the guy at the counter why you want the pump - they
> hardley ever sell these!
>
> For big tanks we used to save a little more money by building our
> stands with decorative cinder blocks painted flat black. They
> looked pretty good and with all the little cut outs they provided
> a good place to store nets, food, etc.
>
> Good luck,
> Terry Gold
> druil!gold AT&T ISL Denver, Colorado
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Why do you need aeration anyway? It is a commonly held myth that
> bubbling air into an aquarium adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide
> from a tank. There is very little of this gas exchange happening in the
> bubbles. Almost all of this exchange happens on the surface of the
> water. The only thing that the bubbles do is move the water. (Moving the
> water is a good thing, but you don't need air to do that.)
>
> In my 100 gallon marine aquarium and I only use air in the protein
> skimmer. I have two SuperKings with their return water jets just below
> the surface of the water. The motion of the water at the surface
> encourages the gas exchange.
> ----------------
> Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
> Havard University Science Center phone: 617-495-1270
> One Oxford Street
> Cambridge, MA 02138
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I have a 55-gallon fresh tank, and two twenties. I use no air pumps, although
> I used to. They are noisy, inefficient, and their efficiency decreases with
> age and use (regardless of reconditioning). I tried keeping a couple of big
> air pumps going (the kind they sat will do a whole 50-gallon tank by itself),
> and they were quite a hassle.
>
> The aeration is accomplished *not* by moving bubbles through water. Most of
> the air in the water is added at the top surface. What the air pump does is
> *move the water around*, thus allowing all the water in the tank to be at the
> top surface, where is gets oxygenated. The surface area of bubbles in water
> from a large air pump is much less than the surface area of the top surface of
> the water.
>
> Back filters will move the water around to some extent, but maybe not enough.
> I use "power filters" on the downtubes of an undergravel filter. Power
> filters are small *water* pumps that pull water up the tube (and thus through
> the gravel). I use two of these on a 55-gallon tank; one old style, and one
> new style. The old style pumped the water, but just let it dribble back into
> the tank. The new ones produce the aeration effect: the water that is lifted
> up through the tubes is mixed with air and spit back into the tank
> horizontally near the surface. Thus they move the water around a good deal,
> especially at the top, and put lots of bubbles into the tank (if you must have
> bubbles). I think only the new style are available today.
>
> They cost about $20 on sale (mine are made by Hagen), and I have run one old
> style for about four years with no maintenance, and no problems nor decrease
> in efficiency. The whole thing is much quieter than even one small bubbler;
> and moves water around the tank, and through the gravel, better than any
> bubbler. One of these pumps moves quite a bit of water around; I wouldn't
> recommend it for any tank smaller than 20-gallons.
>
> All this is my own opinion, of course, fueled by biased advertising, and my
> own successes and failures.
>
> Bruce M. Reynolds
> John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
> {uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!bruce
> (206) 356-5421
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Aeration depends on what you keep in a tank and what sort of filtration
> you use. For example, a saltwater reef needs a lot of water movement and
> dissolved oxygen, whereas discus prefer still water. In general, fast
> swimming fish such as tetras and barbs like strong currents, and slow
> swimming fish don't.
>
> Together, aeration and filtration accomplish three thing: water movement,
> CO2 removal, and waste removal. A power filter or canister filter will
> move water, remove waste, and to some extent remove CO2 due to gas transfer
> at the surface. In well-stocked tanks I prefer to use cannister filters
> and maybe one or two airstones. Right now I have a 75 gallon tank with two
> dozen 2"-4" tetras, six dwarf cichlids, a 5" black ghost knifefish, and a
> 4" plecostomus. I use a Fluval 302 cannister filter and have the water
> return set up so it sprays streams accross the surface. I use no air,
> and the fish are thriving. I have a similar arrangement on a 55 gallon
> Tanganyikan cichlid tank. I don't use undergravel filters, but if I did
> I would put power heads on them.
>
> Cannister filters are great; they turn out a lot of water and with the large
> filter area you don't have to clean them for long periods. They are also
> quite reasonable through discount shops: a Fluval 302 sells for about $100
> in local shops but I got mine through That Fish Place for $58. If you'd like,
> I'll send you the address.
>
> I'm sure you could find an air filter which would make a compressor usable,
> after all, aquarium shops must have something for their compressors. The
> only thing I'd worry about is noise.
>
> For a big tank, I'd use a pair of large cannister filters or power filters
> and one air pump, just large enough to drive two stones. I don't use
> undergravel filters because they interfere with plant growth, and by using
> a coarse medium in my outside filter I can provide biological filtration
> anyway.
>
> Finally, I guess it all depends on the "biological load", i.e. size and
> number of fishes, in your tank. A small number of fish can make for a
> surprisingly interesting tank. Last year I kept a spawning pair of flame
> gouramis by themselves in a heavily planted 20 gallon tank, with NO aeration
> or filtration. Ah yes, back to the days of the "balanced aquarium"...
>
> -- Mark Westling
>
> seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!westling (the ut-sally address in the header is temporary)
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In response to your large aquarium aeration question, in my opinion,
> I do not think that the air generated by an air compressor that is used
> for painting is clean enough for the fish.
> In addition, these air compressors are not designed to be run for
> 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
>
> There are companies that do manufacture large air compressors
> for aeration for very large or multi-tank type setups.
> Conde, in my opinion, makes the best large air compressors for
> these types of setups (400+ gallons?).
> I think prices for these pumps range from $200 to $1500.
> Gull manufacturing and Aquanetics are two other companies that
> manufacture large air compressors for aquariums, but I do not
> think that they are as good as the Condes; I don't recall their
> prices either.
>
> Also, Whisper manufactures a number of different models, model 100 to
> model 1000.
> For your 80-gallon tank, I think the Whisper model 800 with a four-way
> gang valve would be sufficient.
> The model 900 (I think?) is suited for 100- to 125-gallon tanks,
> and the model 1000 may be suitable for 150- to 250-gallon tanks (maybe?).
> I have assumed that you have an undergravel-type setup.
> (I do not have the prices for the Whisper pumps on hand, but I
> can find out about them.)
>
> From: ihnp4!drutx!animal
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
END OF RESPONSES.
--
\\\
\\\\ Art Stadlin
\\\\\\________!{akgua,ihnp4,houxm}!hou2h!stadlin