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[APD] Re: Size Pump For Sponge Filters




I'm setting up about 10-12 ten gallon tanks for breeding and raising purposes. Some may be planted tanks, others not. My question is what size air pump would I need to be able to handle ten small sponge filters in these tanks? Thanks for your suggestions.

Bill

I've only used the old Whisper and Supra pumps and now the newer Tetra air pumps so that's all I have experience with... Anyway, since the Supra (and now the whispers too I think) are no longer available, that leaves only the Tetras as good mid-range pumps. With only 10 tanks you don't need to look at regenerative blowers or the piston-type pumps. I've used a TetraTec Deep Water 24-2 for several years now and it's good for about six 5.5 or 2.5 gallon tanks (doesn't make much difference). 10 gallon tanks are a bit deeper though, so I'd expect about 4-5 10 gallon tanks on one 24-2 type airpump. There is a larger pump, the 96-2 if I remember correctly, that should be capable of running all of your ten 10 gallon tanks with a reasonable amount of air.


BTW, I normally connect the two outputs to opposite ends of a chain of valves so that the total pump airflow is available to the entire air system something like this:

in -> -T-T-T-T----T-T-T-T- <- in

where the "T"'s are valves. My example shows two 4-port valve bays linked together. I've run with the little 24-2 like this for years without problems.

Don't trust the manufacturer's idea of how many tanks their pumps can handle -- they run way too little air IME.

-Bill


***************************** Waveform Technology UNIX Systems Administrator

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