Fish House air pumps

I've currently expanded and got a few more tanks for breeding, and require new air pumps and also tidy the are up less cable and plugs the better. I would like one pump for all the tanks and have read that people use the pond type. I currently have 7 tanks (2ft) but would like to buy something that will do upto 15 so I don't have to buy a new one in a year or so time Any ideas or what manufactures you would recommend be grateful.
Thanks
Danny

Hi.

Some use the big pond pumps and a commonly thrown out brand name is Blagdon. I've not used these so only mentioning what seems popular choices. With this system it involves building and mounting an air ring around the fish house then drilling and tapping off at each tank.

Another option and the one I'm looking at is the piston pumps. These can be picked up on Ebay at a fraction of the cost and come with output manifolds of various numbers, 10,12,14 etc. I've heard these are more than enough to run a sponge filter per output, although they can be noisy. I've not heard one firmly screwed down though. Combined with some steel 3 way valves , again quite cheap on Ebay.  If your tanks are indoors where a noisy pump is a problem I'm not sure it would be good for you. If noise is not an issue, then this setup may work well for you and cover your next expansion and save a few quid on the first method.



I'm going for the 2nd option as it's cheaper to stock a spare for any "just in case" moments.   I'll let you know how I get on if you don't beat me too it.

HTH

Cheers

I use these very good price and reliable

http://www.hailea.com/e-hailea/product3/ACO-308.htm

Same as the ones I was looking at. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/45-LITRE-PISTON-AIR-PUMP-FOR-KOI-FISH-POND-AQUARIUM-/400518579151?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PondsWaterFeatures_UK&hash=item5d40c483cf

Combined with some of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-2-3-4-5-Way-Aquarium-Inline-Manifold-Air-Splitter-Control-Valve-/221121560277?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&var=&hash=item337bdf3ed5

Thanks for the reply's and pointing me in the right direction, just what I was looking for  

I use the Blagdon Koi air 65 but as already stated they are noisy,the manifold that comes with the 65 is an 18 outlet but the Koi Air 50 comes with a 12 way manifold & both will happily run more if you are going to run the pipework around the fish house & drill for airlines as Roger has said.I have used the Haliea pumps but found they didnt last long hence i feel the cheap price but that is only my opinion & you get what you pay for.

uk bulldog wrote:I have used the Haliea pumps but found they didnt last long hence i feel the cheap price but that is only my opinion & you get what you pay for.

As I'm thinking about this option I'm interested in their expected lifespan. How long did you find the lasted for, for you?

What was the problem for the failures? Could they be repaired with replacement parts?

I was thinking of using 3 of these, 1 per rack and with the lower cost, eventually carrying a spare. My logic in this approach is with 1 main central air ring a pump failure means all tanks down. This method, if a pump fails it's only 1 rack down. Eggs and baskets I think.  

Hi Roger,
I had 2 ACO 328s, the first burnt out after 4 or 5 months & the second followed shortly after & i must say they always seemed to be very hot when running,I did have Blagdon Koi air 50s but wasnt keen on the noise so i sold them but soon bought another Blagdon after the Haliea experiance.
I never tried to get them repaird as i couldnt see the point,even though when working they did a good job but the 70ltr a min stated for the ACO 328s was nowhere near that & the Blagdon Koi Air 50 would run a lot more sponges at a suposed less litre a min.
I have found with the Blagdon that noise can be kept down to a minimum once you find the right angle for it to sit at.
I'm putting up with the noise for now (not that we realy hear it anymore as you soon get used to it) but as i hope to be getting a new shed to house my tanks in rather than in the house the noise will not be a problem.
For the price of the koi air & the fact that it comes with a spare diafram set which saves all the hassle of sourcing spares & reliabilty, as i had my old 50 for a few years trouble free i think they are great for price.

uk bulldog wrote:Hi Roger,
I had 2 ACO 328s, the first burnt out after 4 or 5 months & the second followed shortly after

I'd be chasing the manufacturers 1 year warranty on those.  

I'm still thinking of giving them a go though.

Hi Roger,
My mate has been running his for nearly 2 years hence why i gave them ago but he has less tanks to run & because of how hot his pumps get he has his sited on a shelf next to a small window that is open a lot of the time.
I wouldnt say dont try them as they are a cheap & quiet pump as well as being small & easy to place in the fish house but do be aware that they do need to be up above & quite close to your tanks as they dont give as good a presure as stated on them.

Sounds ok. I was planning on using 1 pump per rack so running around 6-10 sponges per pump. Maybe a few additional airstones if we have excess air. I was planning to mount them just above the top deck of tanks in the centre of the rack.

The only issue maybe heat. I've been thinking of running the pumps on the outside of the fish house as it's being constructed in an external garage. Inside, they would be pumping warm humid air which may contribute to them blowing up as yours did. It would certainly avoid the need for ear defenders in the fish room.  

Once again more decisions to remake. I wanted to avoid the air ring setup as it's an extra cost. As funds are tight it would be overkill for the initial 7 tanks that are being installed. The rest should follow next year so I think I'll try a 6 month test on a piston pump.