The fourth episode in the fish room series is about supplying air for filtration. There is really only one basic system, which consists of a blower or pump and a delivery system. There are several ways to set that up, however, and the differences begin with the type of pump or blower. There are too many different scenarios, so the video presents the basics and describes how I set up the air system in my fish room.
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I just finished watching all 4 of your installments on building a fish room. Thank you for doing this ,Ted! I have found this very informative and a great way to understand the basics of building a fishroom. Your site is very informative in regards to all things fishy and I give this site to others as a source for learning more about about this great hobby, espececially for your westie information.
Thank you for demonstrating the air system for a fish room. I am in the planning process of building my own fish room and I will definitely be following your directions in adding an air system to the room.
i need help with a friends fish room. we have 60-15 gallon tanks(24x12x12) on sponge filters, 16-40 breeders (36x18x16) on sponges and fluval c, 6- 75 gallons (48x18x21) on fluval c/sponges. were hoping to start cycling them in a week or 2 but problem is dont know what to use…blower, pump?. could you please help
If cost were no object I would divide the sixty 15-gallon tanks into a group separate from the larger tanks, and get two linear piston pumps (one for each loop). The largest linear piston I know of (120 watt http://www.jehmco.com/html/lph120.html ) will be a little shy on enough air for all your tanks. If you want to use only one air loop, a blower is your best option: http://www.jehmco.com/html/regenerative_blowers.html .
Hello, Ted, Thank you very much for posting your videos, I just made some aquariums racks, Thanks to your video, I have to do the air Delivery system now, The nickle plated valve I found are for 3/16″ ID and it said to use a MPT of 1/8″ is this info correct? your’s looks bigger, another question is about the PVC diameter, is 3/4″ to small, should it be 1″. when you say run it in a loop do I have to make the end portion return to the main pvc or anywhere in the pvc?, Thank you very much for your help, regards Walter.
Hi Walter… Different brands of valves require different size ports. 3/16″ is larger than 1/8, so I suspect that the threads of the valve will then cut nice and tight into the pvc. Do a test on a piece of scrap pipe before drilling into your loop.
3/4″ will work for linear piston and diaphragm air pumps. Regenerative blowers need a great volume, and 1 1/2″ – 2 1/2″ pvc is better.
A loop is an open circuit, so you should connect the pipe back near the pump. This prevents dead ends in the pipe which will cause uneven air pressure.