Air Pumps

[Razgriz]

Hi guys.

I am currently setting up my first tropical aquarium. This is it so far: -

The ship wreck on the right hand side has an air stone under it, and has a connection for a tube that will lead to an air pump (I think that is what its for anyways...).

I went to the LFS and could only find devices that sit in the tank and release bubbles them selves. Could anyone recomend a good pump, preferably quiet, that I can just plug in to a plug socket then feed a tube to my ship to get it to work? I've looked on various websites but none of them seem to give a descirption other than "Air pump 100 for aeration of the tank". I don't want to order one if its going to be the wrong sort or make any loud buzzing sounds.

Also, Would it need to be on 24/7 or am I ok turning it off at night?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Carlovel1]

The Tetratec APS50 is an excellent cheap air pump, like all the others in its series, its extremely quiet, I barely notice it.Yes, You can turn it off at night if you want to, but you may notice some water getting sucked up into the air pump which may damage it.

 

[fluttermoth]

A non-return valve that stops the water going back up the air line would be a good idea if you want to turn it off at night.

 

[Razgriz]

Thank you very much, I have ordered both the pump and a valve, should have them set up in a few days (fingers crossed)