Collection: Aquarium Air Pumps

Sizing a pump

Two things decide whether a pump is big enough: how many outlets it has to feed, and how deep the air has to be pushed. A stone sitting at the bottom of a tall tank needs more pressure than the same stone in a shallow breeder tub. Manufacturer tank ranges are a starting point, but a pump running a deep sump or several stones at once is working harder than the figure on the box suggests.

Running more than one line

• Multi-outlet pumps drive each line independently from the pump body.
• A gang valve splits a single outlet, with the total output shared between lines.
• Control valves let each stone be balanced once the split is made.

Placement and power interruptions

Air pumps vibrate, so a pump standing on a hard cabinet top will always be more audible than the same pump on a folded towel or a foam pad. Position the pump above the waterline where the layout allows, and fit a check valve where it cannot be - that stops a siphon starting if the pump stops. For anyone in an area prone to outages, a battery-capable pump keeps a sponge filter or a stone running through a cut, which matters most in a heavily stocked or quarantine tank.