Suggestions for air pump

[Telkwa]

Good day to everyone!

Our pond is about 2000 gal. 3 feet deep. I bought one of these for makin' bubbles. Using a Pond Aerator 4 as pump.

The pump is in a shop about 50' distant from pond. Using some 1/2" poly tubing to span the distance. The diffuser isn't even at the bottom of the pond; it's only about 2' deep. Even so, I'm losing diaphragms a coupla times a year.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a bomb-proof pump? I'm willing to spend the bucks for something that will "just work" without eating parts. I realize any diaphragm-based pump will need parts sooner or later...

I am somewhat of an eco-freak, so efficiency is an issue. I'm gonna freak if the electricity consumption goes way up!

Also looking for some input on the question of running the bubbles all year. Western Washington winters are relatively mild - we'll get ice on the pond several times per season, but the 'average' winter conditions are dictated by the maritime flow off the Pacific Ocean. Drizzly and gray, but usually above freezing. My wife, who frets about the fish's health, wants bubbles all the time. I think that once the fish become inactive in October or November that we're just wasting electricity and burning up the parts. AFAIC we don't need salmon quality DO. What do you think?

 

[pecan]

I bought a cheep (I think about $10 - $15) indoor aquarium air pump from Walmart put it in last summer and had it running all winter with no issues, it is still running. It was only covered by a small evergreen bush and was exposed to the elements including snow cover. I figured at that price if it didn't last I would just buy a new one. And so far going a year I'd say it was a pretty good deal.

 

[sissy]

The one at petco i had as my first air pump it has 4 outlets .I got one on e-bay but i'm really not happen with the air output .It does not have a diaphragm and I got the air stone from big als online .Seems like it says up to 5 ft deep that it puts out air but not so great to me

 

[fishin4cars]

use a line that bleeds off to open air to allow the pump to run at full capacity. try changing your airstone diffuser to a more course or ceramic type air stone. Also if possible use as large a line as possible to limit the amount of restricted paths for the air to pass, 1/2 line can hold about 5 times the volumne of air as a flexible 1/4" air tubing can.

 

[Telkwa]

What about running the air pump all winter? Do any of you do that?

I've also been thinking about getting a more powerful pump, maybe something upper end like a Hakko, and putting it on a timer so it only runs 1/2 the day

 

[pecan]

What about running the air pump all winter? Do any of you do that?

I've also been thinking about getting a more powerful pump, maybe something upper end like a Hakko, and putting it on a timer so it only runs 1/2 the day

I ran mine non stop all winter. No issues. The pump is the cheep Walmart air pump, running on about 20' of airhose with a 6" air stone (also from Walmart) at the end. The air stone was at about 2' down in the winter. The pond is 40" deep.

 

[j.w]

I put an old aquarium air pump on our front porch enclosed in a pretty air tight container and ran a small black air tube to the pond w/ a small air stone attached and that little sucker ran all winter and keeps a hole open in the ice in the spot where it sits. Prolly doesn't provide much oxygen but the fish like to swim though it and like I said it does keep a hole in any ice that forms.

 

[budphilip]

The kockney koi air pump is a great pump you get plenty of outlets

Supplied complete with two spare diaphragms, two inlet valve assemblies and a high quality chrome manifold with ten individual taps, this Air Pump will give a lifeline to your Fish by providing extra Oxygen to your water are required.

It is becoming ever more popular for air pumps to be used to raise oxygen levels in filters. This increases the biomass which in turn enhances the overall performance of the filter resulting in better water quality and healthier fish.

 

[Telkwa]

Hi, budphilip -

The kockney looks very similar to the Hakkos. I wonder if it's an intentional copy-cat design? Or maybe it's the same manufacturer with a different name on the pump? Anywho, I bit the bullet and ordered an HK40L from azponds. Will let you guys know how it shakes out.

I'm old enough now to recognize the pattern. I'll buy something cheap and under-sized. That wears out, blows up, and/or proves itself insufficient within a day or two. So I'll spend a little bit more the next time. Then again and again until I finally get what I shoulda got in the first place. Of course by then I've spent 3X the money. Anyone else do the same thing?

Seems like I've made this mistake when dealing with our pond more than any other endeavor/hobby/avocation/obsession that I can think of...

 

[Telkwa]

The Hakko HK40L arrived a few days ago. I hooked it up today. OMG The column of air bubbles boils up out of the water, creating a dome about two or three inches high. The fish all hid at the far side of the pond for the first half hour or so. I thought the knob on the top of the Hakko was a dial to control output, but I was wrong. The knob is for tightening the air filter cover.

So, can anyone tell me how to throttle this beast? Can I rig up a ceiling fan dimmer ahead of the Hakko?

BTW, this is one impressive unit. It weighs a ton. Metal construction, not plastic. And it hardly makes any noise at all. The Pond Aerator 4 I was using previously made quite a racket when it was cranked up. At full crank the Pond Aerator 4's output was laughable compared to the HK40L.

 

[addy1]

I use a pondmaster 100, that sucker also puts out some air. I currently have 7 air disc running off the pump and could add more.

Put some on some air lines that are out of the water, just to bleed off some air. That will slow down the amount going into the pond.

 

[riparks]

I just received a HK60L for my 3000 gallon pond. I have not install it yet because I am in the process of making some changes. Post #10 is a little scary, lol. Hopefully, I'll get it in today.

 

[riparks]

Please forigive the typos in the above post.

 

[j.w]

I'm thinking of getting a pondmaster 20 for my 2500gal pond. Think that would be good enough for my size pond? I've been looking on Ebay. And what's the best kind of diffuser to buy for it? And where do you get the tubing as I noticed they don't send the 1/2 " w/ the product. Thanks.

 

[Telkwa]

Hey, there, riparks -
Nobody's said whether it's OK to put a dimmer in between the outlet and the Hakko, so I think I might just do it. So, to give you an idea, go back to Post #1. I made a link to the emitter. I'll never go back to airstones. This style of emitter is made of a disc of material that looks like EPDM pond liner, with tiny slots cut in it. An air pump that just barely pushes air through will barely open the slits, creating a mist of small bubbles. As I found out yesterday, a pump that has absolutely no problem pushing air thru will force the slits to open wider, resulting in larger bubbles. The Hakko is effortlessly shoving a boiling froth of larger bubbles thru the emitter. I was not exaggerating - the volcano of air and water rises about two to three inches above the water surface. Quite impressive. The larger fish are beginning to venture nearer to the volcano. The smaller fish are still steering clear.

So, the Hakko is in our shop. It pushes air thru some 1/2" poly tubing to the pond about 50' away. The basic description is in Post #1. I'm very happy with it so far. If I'd just bought one of these in the first place instead of the parade of lesser air pumps my life woulda been simpler. It consumes about 40W, more than twice the previous pump, and that kinda bugs me. Like I said earlier, maybe I'll time it so it only runs during the day. If I can throttle the Hakko back by about half with a dimmer, and time it, the power consumption (and bubble production) should be acceptable.