Airstone

[johno]

Hi, i recently bought a new air pump (one of them quiet ones with the legs, forgot its name)

anyway, when i hooked it up to the airstone, air only came out of the first 2" of the stone... its about 8" long, so i cleaned the stone and still the same

so then i tried my old tube with holes in it wich is about 12" long and the bubbles onle come out at the VERY end of it (end furthest away from the pump)

Could my pump be faulty? or is it somthing to do with the way ive got the pipe..

I know it might not seem like rocket sicence, but im stumped lol duhhh!

 

[Rooster]

Sounds like the airpump isnt "man enough".... maybe it has a flow control ? Or you have leaks ?

 

[Hawkins]

if possible get a pin and make holes in the air stone.. i know they can get blocked

or check that your piping doesnt have a hole, and that its fitted properly

 

[Eines]

I had the same prob too and I use a tube. Either you can play with it until it works a bit better, or you have to get a new pipe and make the holes a lot smaller.

 

[johno]

When i was tipping the stone it was working, but soon as i put it flat it cut out..

Got it sorted now.. dont ask what i did, just messed around with it for ages

thanks for the help

 

[Colin_T]

It sounds like the pump isn’t powerful enough for the airstone. If the pump is new then take it back and get a bigger one. If the pump is old then the diaphragm or air chamber inside the pump could be damaged. These components are relatively cheap and easy to replace and new parts can be bought from any petshop for a few dollars. Take the old pump into the shop to make sure you get the correct components.

To check the pump for worn parts, turn the power off and unplug it. Then take the rubber base off the pump. Inside there should be a round black (or sometimes white) rubber diaphragm. Check it for splits or tears. If it has a hole or split in then replace the diaphragm with a new one.
The air chamber is the plastic bit that the diaphragm fits onto. This has a couple of small rubber valves inside and these can also get holes in. You can get replacement valves or just buy a new air chamber and fit it to the pump should the old one have damaged valves.

*NB* be careful when you first open the pump because the coil inside gets hot.

If the pump is fine then check the airstone. If you can physically blow air down the airline and have lots of bubbles come out of the airstone then the stone is fine. If you have trouble getting any to come out then the stone could be blocked.

 

[tangokitty]

Glad you got it working, any pictures of your tank??