What size air pump?

[ajhainey]

I want to run some bubbles in my tank (purely for aesthetics/'cause the fish seem to like them) so I know I need a pump (this sits outside the tank right?), some plastic tubing to go from the pump into the tank and then either

a) an airstone (flat round thing)
B) a 'novelty ornament' like a treasure chest
c) a bubble wall (basically tubing with holes in it right )

My confusion comes from why the air pumps seem to be rated by tank volume? My tank is 180 litres but I don't want the bubbles to do anything filter related - just look pretty! Does that mean I just buy the smallest one? Will a big one overpower my little treasure chest and knock it over

For example
"You are looking at an Interpet Air Volution Aquarium Air Pump new in the box only used a for a couple of weeks includes instruction leaflet. It is the AV2 model and powers aquariums up to 30" (76cm). "

I also see a lot rated in lph - litres per hour? litres of what? Air? Can you measure air in litres?

As you can see I'm confused - please help - I'm sure its very simple really but I can't find an "air pumps for dummies" page anywhere on the net Any recommendations for a suitable pump/which accessory from the a-c list above to go for also welcome!

Thanks,

aj xx

 

[bpb21]

includes instruction leaflet. It is the AV2 model and powers aquariums up to 30" (76cm). "

I believe, and hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that this has to do with the depth at which the pump will still operate effectively. I think the way this works is that the smaller pumps can pump air against a certain amount of water pressure, and as the depth from the surface increases so does the back-pressure on the air pump. So depending on how tall your aquarium is (and how far it's going to be pumping air), this would determine what kind of pump you'd need. Also, the rating as far as liters goes could have to do with the water pressure on the air pump as well.

I want to run some bubbles in my tank (purely for aesthetics/'cause the fish seem to like them) so I know I ...

If you want one purely for aesthetics (it will have some positive oxygenation effects, and depending upon the item it's connected to, possibly filtration effects) then I'd suggest a small pump just on general principles. Plus, the bigger they are, the more noise they can potentially make. But I've got a question about that in another post as well.

As for what kind of attachment/ornament to put in the water, since you're using it for purely aesthetics, it would depend on the setup of your tank! If you've got a really natural looking tank, it might spoil the effect to put a bubbling treasure chest in the middle of it! Then again, it's purely a personal preference. A bubble wall could be nice in the background, but this could also influence the current in your tank (if this is a factor in your setup).

You could always hook the airpump up to a sponge filter, giving you the bubble effect and some additional bio-filtration, and a little extra bio-filtration couldn't hurt, right? Works for me...