# Multiple Sponge filters off one air pump?



## npbarca

Im building my small scale breeding setup and plan to use one air pump to run 5 sponge filters rated for 20g and 1 for 40g. What pump and how would I do this to make sure enough air gets to each filter?


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## DKRST

What type of sponge filter (what diameter is the lift tube)?
I run 3 large multi-stack filters with 1" diameter lift tubes with a relatively quiet Whisper AP150. Note I said relatively...it's not quiet! I think you'd be able to run 5 off of that air volume, it also depends on the amount of tubing you have to run (less is better), water depth, and the quality of your airstones.


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## Tolak

Cool beans, what are you breeding? I've yet to see someone start a breeding setup with half a dozen tanks and downsize from there, wishing they'd bought a smaller pump. In a year or so you'll have 9, maybe 12 tanks, and be wishing you had more pump. You may be hatching brine shrimp, requiring another air line. These are pretty standard for a smaller setup, probably take you up to 20 devices; 




Pick up one of these with the amount of outlets you anticipate needing; Aquarium Air System Valve Manifold

You can look at the wattage of a pump, and ballpark one watt per device. That AP20 will pull 20 watts, though that's with a lot of back pressure, you always want to bleed off excess air, keep that in mind when designing an air system. The larger pumps do run quite quiet compared to the little Whispers & such, I've got that AP20 & a couple chrome manifolds as a backup. I've run it on & off for projects outside the fishroom, the design has a nice little handle for picking it up. I run an Alita AL80 as my main pump in the fishroom, as the number suggests, 80w, 80 outlets. I've got a line on a used AL60, most likely get that early next year for setting up a sorting area outside the fishroom.

Everyone starts with the smaller pumps, expands, buys one or two more, expands.... looks at what they spent & wishes they had gotten one larger pump. I did, friends did, the old guys long ago who told me just buy one decent pump & be done with it did. You get an amazing volume of air out of the larger pumps, once you crank up a box filter with floss & watch it filter as well as a hob or canister filter you'll wonder why folks with multiple tanks ever run those. Everything from 1 bubble per second fry tanks to what visually amounts to boiling water out of a tank, one system, one pump, one finger on a lever.


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## npbarca

Tolak said:


> Cool beans, what are you breeding? I've yet to see someone start a breeding setup with half a dozen tanks and downsize from there, wishing they'd bought a smaller pump. In a year or so you'll have 9, maybe 12 tanks, and be wishing you had more pump. You may be hatching brine shrimp, requiring another air line. These are pretty standard for a smaller setup, probably take you up to 20 devices; Amazon.com: Danner 04520 1700CUIN AP-20 Pond Air Pump with Diffuser: Patio, Lawn & Garden
> 
> Pick up one of these with the amount of outlets you anticipate needing; Aquarium Air System Valve Manifold
> 
> You can look at the wattage of a pump, and ballpark one watt per device. That AP20 will pull 20 watts, though that's with a lot of back pressure, you always want to bleed off excess air, keep that in mind when designing an air system. The larger pumps do run quite quiet compared to the little Whispers & such, I've got that AP20 & a couple chrome manifolds as a backup. I've run it on & off for projects outside the fishroom, the design has a nice little handle for picking it up. I run an Alita AL80 as my main pump in the fishroom, as the number suggests, 80w, 80 outlets. I've got a line on a used AL60, most likely get that early next year for setting up a sorting area outside the fishroom.
> 
> Everyone starts with the smaller pumps, expands, buys one or two more, expands.... looks at what they spent & wishes they had gotten one larger pump. I did, friends did, the old guys long ago who told me just buy one decent pump & be done with it did. You get an amazing volume of air out of the larger pumps, once you crank up a box filter with floss & watch it filter as well as a hob or canister filter you'll wonder why folks with multiple tanks ever run those. Everything from 1 bubble per second fry tanks to what visually amounts to boiling water out of a tank, one system, one pump, one finger on a lever.


Peacock Cichlids in 40, Kribs in a 20, and some German blue rams in another 20(yes I know the water chemistry will have to be different)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tolak

Sounds nice! Yea, you'll be hatching some bbs, add one more air line to the count.


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## DKRST

Agree with Tolak, if you are going to breed multiple species then you'll likely be adding grow-out tanks as you go. Magnetic drive pumps put out a lot more air but can be very noisy (and $$).

** Make sure you have a viable "outlet" for the fry before breeding too many, sometimes it's hard to sell them.

I still miss my early 1980's Silent Giant dual piston pump. Noisy, but put out a ton of air.


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## npbarca

I have multiple 10 to 5 gallon tanks, and my LFS sells GBRs for 30$ and doesn't have any peacocks, so I know they would definitely buy them. Also, Can I fit 1 male peacock and 3 females in a 20 long? Or can I fit 2 groups in the 40?


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## henningc

OK, get a pond master 40. They are silent, have massive power and run for ever. They are also reasonaly priced and give you all the room for expansion you should need. I have a Pond Master 100 and can run 60-70 tanks with a sponge and box filters in each one. I only use about 2/3 the pumps capacity. Also, I would look at going with larger sponges. I use the 80gal size in my 20L-40 Brooders. I run multiples in the brooder tanks.


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