Rating - 99.1%
225   2   0
I just browsed around other forums in the tornado hitting area and realized one very important, yet inexpensive safety measure for our tanks.

It's the air pump.

Tanks of many people in troubled area who lost power for days get thru with only battery operated air pumps.

I found this to be a very inexpensive but improtant investment during lost of power or just to get by the hot days. If all else failed to lower your tank from a dangerous HOT situation, consider turning off the heating generating pumps, powerheads for a day and let the air pumps keep the system aerated.

These pumps are less then $15 in general, so one for the DT and the other for the sump cost only $30! Of course, larger system may need more.
 
Rating - 99.1%
225   2   0
I know that air pumps help but how so? What does it do to the water besides aerate it?

1)During power outtage dissolve oxygen in the water depletes quickly, this is your primary concern as Randy had said

2)During hot days and you are out of luck in lowering the temperature within your tank(you cannot move a 50G reef to the basement and sit by the couch like what you did for yourself, hehe.) Sometimes, even with extra fans to blow across the surface of your water is not of much help if the ambient temperature is very high and you have a lot of heat generating equipement in your system, flow pumps, circulation pumps, skimmers... You should consider shutting them down for a day or so to wait for the ambient temperature to drop. However, once you shut the flow, you need something to aerate the water, air pump transfer almost no heat to the water, yet providing the essential oxygen to the habitants. Evaporation will rise as well which also reduces heat from your tank. That's why I was a little surprised when my other peers in the HOT region where they got hit by tornadoes and yet their tanks get thru with just air pumps for 3 4 days. Of course, in just hot days, where you still have power, battery type is not a must. ALso, shutting down flow a risky step if you did not test whether the air pumps at hands are sufficeint to handle your system, so use it as your last resource in HOT days.

Note: a side effect of HOT water is that oxygen is not dissolved as much, so you need even more aeration than regular.

3)While keeping couple battery operated air pumps is essential, making sure the batteries have juice is even more so.
 
Last edited:

Deep Dive Coral

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
46   0   0
alot of air pumps will have a gallon maximum rate on it. but remember that is considered wit ha pump or water movement. what i do is i put the air pump AND take a plastic spatula to the tank. use the plastic spatula to create water movement so all of the water becomes airated
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top