Matching Air Pump To Bubble Wall

[chuck3e]

I have a 55gal tank 48x24x13. I would like to see a lot of tiny bubbles across the back of my aquarium so I bought a bubble wall (BW) and connected it to an Apollo AM 5 pump. The pump blows fine with nothing connected. I'm not getting very many bubbles conected to the BW. I asked the clerk at PetSmart and looked at air pump packaging there but neither were any help. The clerk just said, "maybe this one will work". Some help! Even the BW package has no info. The BW is a 28" TopFin. I also tried a 14" Aqua Culture Bubble Stone (ACBS). It doesn't bubble much either. Its packaging recommends a 2800 cc/min pump, but the pumps at PetSmart are not rated by cc/min. They only go by size of tank and number of functions.

I want to use the 28" TopFin bubble Wall. I think it will spread bubbles better than the ACBS. Any suggestions as to the minimum pump size?

Thanks, C

 

[chuck3e]

Well, since I recieved no replies to this question I assume pump matching to be an art and not a science.
No bad. It's still a good forum with a lot of good info and enthusiastic members.

I did find out that the pump I have is defective. I believe it to be a design flaw. I tore into it, out of curiousity, and found that the internal bellows are sealed and in great shape, but the walls that contact the electromagnet are very thin and developed minute cracks decreasing the efficiency of the pump. I coated the walls with a thin layer of PVC pipe glue and put a piece of Scotch tape over that after the glue was thouroughly dried for more support. Now the thing pumps like a squid on a jig. I originally used just the tape but the pump eventually decreased efficiency. I think because the tape loosened its grip and leaked arount the side somewhere. I couldn't determine this exactly. It's working good now though and that is what counts. I have bubbles galore, but now I think it is making my fish paranoid and jumpy.

-C

 

[cornishgiant]

I'll reply, though I don't know much about it!

My LFS sold me an appropriate one and it produces polenty of bubbles on the lowest setting, on the highest the water boils!

I think the issue is the hehigt difference of the pump and the gravel floor and the depth of the water as this produces pressure that the pump has to overcome.

I have a 130L tall (51cm) tank and my aquaone SR 9500 is more than adequate with both outlets "t-pieced" to an 18 inch bubble thingy.

The deeper you bury it in the gravel, the fewr bigger bubbles you'll get (IME). Leaver it on the surface for many small bubbles.

Thats the sum total of my 6 days experience.

 

[T1KARMANN]

i will reply just buy the biggest one you can affored as you can never have to much air just turn it down