Rena Air 300 Air Pump

Would this be an idea to increase the amount of oxygen into a tank?

I have been reading several other sites about these and what exactly do they do? other than add fancy bubbles

Exactly as you've stated. They're a way of oxygenating the water and are useful if you don't have a fast filter flow. I do but I still like the air bubble display although I only have the air pump on for two hours in the evening.

so by using this i cud create a wall of bubble across the back of the tank, hmmm maybe worth looking into

Thanks

You could especially if you connect the air pump to a 12" airstone such as this one. Looks brill IMO.

when reading diff adverts for the Rena 200 Airpump - i am been given different bits of information

what size shud i get for 128L and what else is required?



EDIT - also what size can handle a 12" airstone - any idea?

They do different ones for different tank sizes. My tetra air pump, pumps a lot faster in my 70L fry tank than in my 180L community. The Rena ones are:

Rena 200 for aquarium volume 80-160L, with a flowrate of 160L per hour
Rena 300 for aquarium volume 160-300L, with a flowrate of 200L per hour

The 2 Rena are £17 & £20, the Tetratec APS ones are £15 & £19 and IMO the tetratec ones are better/quieter. The Tetratec 300 has 2 outlets so you can add 2 airstones.
You will need a good length of airline and an airstone of your choice to put on the end. You will also need a non-return valve so you don't get water pumping out in a power failure.
My tetratec pumps came with a non return valve included. I think they are about £1 to buy. Airstones can usually be found in the LFS ranging from 30p to £3 depending on the size you want.
If you get a pump with 2 outlets, remember to get extra airline & airstones

Well I have an Eheim 100 airpump on both a 90L and 165L tank and both work fine with the 12" airstone. They're connected via a long piece of airtubing but that usually comes with the airpump. Also make sure you get a check valve as this prevents backward flow of water if the pump malfunctions i.e. stops the airpump from draining the tank due to reverse flow of water...

The Rena 200 should be fine for your 128L as I just read that it's suitable for tanks up to 160L.

Limpet Clips & Suckers (Pk*8	1			2.60	2.60
Algarde Airline Plastic Elbow Connector	1			0.15	0.15
Silicone Airline	8	metre	(to be safe)	0.56	4.48
Hagen Aqua Fizz Airstone 12in.	1			1.75	1.75

would i reuire anything else other than the pump of course

ADDED:

TetraTec Whisper Check Valve

1

2.59

2.59

Just the check valve (non-return valve).

Got there before me! :lol:

too slow

Just the non-return valve. You may not need the elbows but I guess it depends on your plan of how you're setting it up

yeah my thinking is to run it down the indside corner and to place the elbow (for 15p) then run it along the back using the suckers to keep it in place

Mine is like that but I just curved the airline round the corner and used an airline clip to hold it down. It's just one less join that can reduce the flow IMO.

well too late ordered already...i was also thinking about the reduce in airflow through the elbow so i will see how it goes. If not necessary i may not add it.

So MC how often do you have ur airflow on for? does the airstone need replacing every so often? or just a clean?


Secondly I am looking for a gravel cleaner i think they are called, because the cause less "stress" to the fish any tips or list of utensils I will need when cleaning the tank and WC. so far I have only a large algea magnet cleaner thingie mabobby!

obviously buckets

EDIT: also add links of possible

When I had it on my community tank it was on for around 8 hrs a day. It is now on my fry tank. I have a 2 way splitter thing on it & run a sponge filter off it as well as an airstone so that's on 24/7. I drop my airstone in a bit of hot water once every 3 months ish & clean it with a toothbrush.

Here's a link that goes into detail about gravel vaccing an for the gravel vac itself i'd go for something like the 3rd one down on this page.
A lot of people don't like algae magnets as they can get bits trapped & scratch the glass. I have them & am just careful. I also use a tetratec scraper that comes with replacement blades. Some of these on this page.

I guess you probably know to ignore the filter manufacturers instructions to replace sponges 6 weekly etc. My community tank has been running for 3 yrs with the same sponges. I change the filter floss (thin white one) every 2 months. Only ever wash them in dirty tank water. Remember to thoroughly wash all new sponges/floss in dirty water too. They don't half hold some dust!

Don't bother with the algae magnet. A waste of money IMO. I use the glass sponge (on the same page in MC's last link) plus a clean toothbrush to reach the awkward spots. Although since I added Otos to the planted tanks, I rarely have to clean either of those as the little fish do it far more efficiently.

Tell you what GD, nobody can say that you are not researching and planning ahead! :lol:

You can get flow adjuster valves very cheaply and they are useful for guess what... adjusting the flow

Otos ?

sorry here comes my fishie noob'ness


NM i found em in a post Here

Diana wrote:

Tell you what GD, nobody can say that you are not researching and planning ahead! :lol:

this is true - maybe i get it from work. I make sure i know what im walking into or its gonna be a right fork up! been there done that got the T shirt - injuries too

If you find the air pump a bit noisy, as I did, then the Hydor system might be worth a look at. You can also get them with coloured lights attached, which might give a good effect, but I havent seen them in action