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If am just running one small airstone for decoration do I need to have a pump for a 55gl tank? I have always bought them according to tank size, but I am in need of a new pump for my 55gl and thought I might be able to save some $$ by buying a pump for a goldfish bowl.

Barb

i'm not to sure on that myself.

but if your looking to save money, and depending on how much you have to spend and what stores are in your area, but sometimes you can find a good pump for a cheap price. i've gotten a pump for up to a 125g on ebay for only $22 and few montsh ago i got one for up to a 75g at petsmart for only $12.

so like i said, depending on how deep your pockets are able to go, you may be able to get one for that size.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Live in Charleston, SC. Petsmart had the ones for the goldfish bowl for like $3.00, but the ones for the larger tanks were almost $30.00. Big difference for the effect I am trying to get. I could see if it were supporting several airstones or a wand... Spend a fortune on these tanks and don't want to waste $$ if I can help it. (like we all don't have this same problem.)

Barb

gotcha. but i'm not really sure, because i dont know how deep they can go

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I got the air pump for my 100gal at wal-mart for pretty cheap.....it was a while ago.....not sure exactly how much it was......maybe worth checking out

Last edited by firecontrol at 06-Sep-2005 21:29

the smaller goldfish bowl type ones probably wouldn't work, and if they did, not well and they'd be struggling, creating excess heat, stress and eventual failure. They're not designed to push that deep, as you eluded to earlier.

Snag a decent sized pump designed to push that deep. A pump designed for a similarly tall tank, say a 29 would work for your purposes.

Run by a local Wal-Mart and get one there...I think monkeyboy up there mentioned that they have one for about $12...

I know for a fact that saving money here and here is nice, but let's face it, buy the $3 burn it out in a month, because it can't handle the water pressure, or what have you...also if you buy the smaller one, it's gonna run harder and run hotter...

Don't skimp go ahead and at least get a bit bigger one I know even on my 10 gallon tanks I run for the 30 gallon size

Look around you are bound to find something cheaper...

Here is a good site, if you live in the boondocks

[link=bigalsonline]http://www.bigalsonline.com" style="COLOR: #FF1493[/link]

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Even if you're just running one airstone or decoration, pump size is important. The depth and pressure of the water makes it more difficult for the pump to push air through the tubing to the ait stone., so yes, I would still get a pump rated for your tank even if you're just running one airstone. The length of your tubing will also make a difference, as well as the position of the pump. If you're putting th epump below your tank or if you're using more then 3 feet of tubing from pump to stone, then get the next larger size. This will ensure that the pump is somewhat quieter and is less likely to break due to too much pressure.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Hello all.
I'm gonna disagree with most of ya'll, to a certain point.
First I'd like to say that size IS important to an extent. I am currently running a rena 50 (rated for 5 gal tanks I believe)on my ten gal, and on my 29 as well. I do not run a lot of devices from these pumps, just a coupke airstones.
Second, using too large a pump for the job may also damage the pump. If you're just using one air stone odds are you may want to valve the air down to an acceptable level as a pump will certainly push a LOT of air thru your stone and you may indeed want a reduced airflow. By valving down you will create a back pressure that may harm your pump and cause a lot of unwanted noise. Doing just that killed two pumps of mine.
Thirdly let me agree with all of you in this: DON'T GO CHEAP ON A PUMP. A more costly model will perform better and cost less in the long run than the cheap models you need to replace often.