Top 5 Aquarium Air Pumps Taking care of your aquarium can be truly fascinating. From the outside, it might seem boring for people who do not understand it. However, you know very well how exciting it is to notice all the changes. Your fish are growing, your plants are more beautiful than ever, and you just bought a new background that makes everything look amazing. However,it is impossible to have a great fish tank if you do not use the proper heater, pump, or filter. Each one of them is suitable for a different tank size, different fish and so on. Most people who have a fish tank have problems finding a good air pump. Often they do not really understand how it works or why they should use it. Here are some of the best air pumps on the market: Hydro Koralia Nano 240 Aquarium Circulation Pump 240 GPH: This is considered to be one of the best pumps on the market and for a very good reason. Have you noticed how a water pump can create strong waves in the aquarium? The visual effect might be nice, but it can be very disturbing for small fish and sensitive plants.

With this pump you will not have this problem. The timer allows you to control when and the duration of waves in your water. In this way you can be sure that everything will go smoothly. Another big advantage is the compact shape that will be unnoticed in your aquarium. No one wants to see a huge, black pump on the wall of the aquarium because it can destroy all the visual effect. fish tank glass polishSince it is such an advanced pump, it has incredibly low energy consumption. fish tank shops in lancashireA great investment for your fish tank!used fish tank bangalore VicTsing 80 GPH Submersible Pump:If you have a small tank with sensitive fish, you want a pump that will not cause any problems. fish for aquarium online

This submersible pump is so small that you can easily hide it anywhere in the tank. Besides, it is incredibly quiet, so you can place the tank in your bedroom without disturbing your sleep. It is extremely versatile due to the adjustable water flow. As a bonus, this pump is also very easy to clean; you do not have to use complicated tools to remove a few pieces. fish tank ammonia monitorPlace it under the water flow in your sink and that will be enough. fish tank cabinets gold coastIt is small, cheap, silent, and it does the job—what more can you want? Danner Supreme Aqua-Mag Water Pump: If you are searching for a pump that is very easy to use, this should be your choice. Sometimes, you may not have the time to be there to adjust the water flow or the intensity. For these moments, this accessory is amazing.

It can work for years, since it is extremely high quality, and it will not effect the temperature of the water. Besides, since it is so small and simple, it is very quiet and easy to hide. Place it on the wall of the aquarium, behind a tall plant, and no one will even know that it is there. As a surprise, it does not have an incredible price. You can afford it even if your budget is not that high. Go ahead and try it! Little Giant-Inline Pump:As the name suggests, this pump is bigger than usual, but much stronger. It is one of the most expensive and luxurious pumps on the market and it is suitable for big, crowded aquariums. Now, you might think that it is not worth the money, but you are wrong. This pump is designed to handle any corrosive chemicals that might be in the water, like sea salt. Thermally protected by a special material, it will not change the temperature of the water. Even more, you can adapt the flow rates according to the environment that you want to create. For a great aquarium, you need a great pump and this is it!

Aqua Apex Submersible Pump:Do you want to buy a pump, but you are not sure if you want to place it on the outside or under the water? Then this is a good choice for you because Aqua Apex pump can be used in any way. It is very small and silent; so you do not have to worry that a powerful water flow will destroy your plants. It is extremely easy to clean, and all you have to do is to change the internal filter of the pump. Other than this, it will do the job by itself! It does not matter if you have a small tank with two fish or a luxurious aquarium. Choosing a pump is one of the most important decisions that you have to make. It does not matter how much care you provide or how many times you clean the water; without a good pump, everything is in vain.August 9, 2016, Energy Efficiency Saving energy (and money) is always easier when you know how much you’re using. But because many of the convenient smaller appliances we use seem to draw little amounts of power, we all too often discount how their use really does impact our electricity bills.

With our How Much Energy Does This Appliance Use?, we’ll examine what’s watt in small appliances to see approximately how much they use. To help you understand very basic electrical consumption calculations, you’ll need to keep a simple equation in mind: Volts (V) x Amperes (I) = Watts (W). What you’ll discover is how just how small appliances can contribute to your home’s energy usage and how these little conveniences can make big differences on your bill. On this deep dive into world of fin-fanciers, we’re going to submerge ourselves in aquarium energy use. Because fish tanks are self-contained environments, maintaining their life support system on dry land — round the clock, year ’round — can eat up a significant chunk of energy. Three factors affect an aquarium’s energy use: The average sized aquarium is roughly 29 gallons to 30 gallons, making it about 30” long x 12” wide x 18” deep. Different fish have different habitat needs – for example, fresh water tends to have more oxygen dissolved in it versus salt water .

Consequently, salt water aquariums have slightly different water filtration, circulation, and maintenance needs to keep those fish thriving. Plants make the aquarium environment more interesting and healthy for the fish, but the plants require the right amount of lighting in order to thrive as well. To prevent this introductory discussion from becoming too complex, we will stick to the average medium tank size of 30 gallons. To keep our fish happy and healthy, we need to make sure that water is clean, aerated, and kept at the right temperature 24/7. That means we need the right kind of pump. Pumps — Going with the Flow There are two basic kinds of pumps: air and water. Both are used to help move water through a filter and to circulate the water for aeration. Air pumps make bubbles that float to the surface and move the water. Moving surface water constantly mixes air and brings oxygen into the water. Air pumps might be a great solution for small tanks, but in larger tanks, over 18-24 inches, resistance to air pressure makes the air pump use more energy.

In terms of energy use, an air pump wattage runs about 3 watts. Larger aquariums (and some ponds) >50 gallons using larger air pumps will run about 6 watts. Water pumps (including power heads) create currents and aeration, while moving water through various peripherals like filters, skimmers, and heaters. What determines the pump you need is the volume of water you need moved. Generally, about 6 gallons per hour is the recommended filtration rate; thus, if you have a 40-gallon tank, use a pump that moves about 240 gallons per hour (gph). In our case, we’re looking for a pump for a 30-gallon tank that can move at least 180 gph. Submersible pumps can be submerged, but while this is handy, some submersible filter pumps don’t generate the waves we need for aeration. In that case, we would also want to wave pump to help aerate and circulate the water. Inline pumps are outside the tank. Far more powerful than submersible pumps, these are connected via tubing to filters, heaters, chillers, etc.

There is also the pump-filter combo that hangs on the side of the tank pumping water through filter and uses a venturi to mix air and water to create the surface turbulence that aerates the water. Because water is heavier, water pumps require more robust motors. Water pumps that fit with in the flow rate for our 30-gallon tank include: Heaters, UV Sterilizers, and Lighting Water heaters help keep water at the proper temperature, 72° F to 82° F (depending on the fish type), with a minimum fluctuation of 1-2 degrees over a 24-hour period. A rule of thumb is that it takes 3-5 watts per gallon to maintain water temperature depending on the room’s ambient temperature. Naturally, the lower the room’s ambient temperature, the more heat the aquarium requires and the higher the wattage. If our room is at 68°F, it will take 102 watts to keep per day to keep the 30-gallon tank heated at 72° F. To keep it heated to 82° F, it will need 170 watts a day. We’re going to stay with 72° F, but since we want a little cushion for power, we’ll choose an Aquatop Quartz 150 Watt heater.

UV sterilization lamps come after the filtration section. These kill all sorts of free-floating green water algae, parasites, and harmful bacteria. Lamp wattage depends on tank size and flow rate. In our case, we’re looking at one rated between 3 watts to 9 watts, as the UV lamp runs continuously. Lighting can be an energy headache depending on the wattage. A basic T8 fluorescent lamp uses from 17 to 24 watts depending on the color temperature and lumen output. If you plan on having plants or corals, you want to be able to provide enough light to keep them growing and healthy — whilch will require better-quality lighting and keeping the lights on for 8 to 12 hours per day. A good rule of thumb is 2-5 watts per aquarium gallon, but this also depends on the needs of your plants. The deeper the tank, the brighter the lamps will need to be and the higher wattage it will require. These lights usually have a higher lumen output and, depending on the bulb type (halogen, fluorescent, or LED ), they can put out LOTS of heat — which may require using a fan or water chiller to keep the water at the proper temperature.

We’ve got a couple of plants in our tank, but with a somewhat shallow (18”) tank, so we’ll go with a 20-watt T8 fluorescent. All Those Details are Great, but What Does It All Really Cost?Let’s start by assuming we’re on fixed-rate electricity plan paying is 10¢/kWh. Our pump is going to be the Danner Supreme Aqua-Mag 190 ghr running at 19 watts. It’s powerful enough to move the water and still provide adequate flow rate for the filter and UV lamp. Since 19 watts/hour x 24 = .456 kWh/day, this becomes 13.68 kWh/month and 164.16 kWh/year for a cost of $16.42/year. As mentioned, we’re going with the Aquatop Quartz 150 Watt heater. This becomes 150 watt/hour x 24 =3.6 kWh, 108 kWh/month, and 1,296 kWh/year for a cost of $129.60. Our UV lamp requires 5 watts. This means 5 watts/hour x 24 hours = .12 kWh/day, .36 kWh/month, and 43.2 kWh/ year for a cost of $4.32/year. Lighting will come from a standard 2- watt T8 fluorescent. A cheap timer can help reduce the energy consumption, so we’ll estimate that the lights are on 66% of the time or 16 hours of the day.