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Post by angelminx on Sept 11, 2014 0:37:52 GMT -5
I set up a holding container last night* (an 18 gal Rubbermaid Roughneck) for water changes, and have an old Whisper 200 air pump that I put into use. I think the diaphragm needs to be replaced, because it is so noisy . Is it possible to get parts/repair a pump that old? I've got it hooked up to a discard-a-stone (via airline and an air check valve--which I double-checked and IS hooked up correctly), and was wondering if I need to set up a way to bleed some of the air to help relieve pressure?
Another question to do with the water: I ran tests on the water in the holding container today(*), and even though I used Amquel + when I filled the container yesterday (I've got a bottle of Prime waiting for when that's gone), I still had a reading of ~0.175 ppm nitrate (0 ammonia), is there anything I need to do about that, or is it okay to use when I do my top-offs/water changes? Since I don't have a nitrogen cycle going on in there, will the "neutralized" ammonia/nitrite become toxic again after the Amquel's effects wear off? {About the ammonia reading, this is the 1st time that the test sample has been an almost complete match to the chart, the 2 tanks, which I tested at the same time, read a touch more "green", which is close enough that I read it as "0" because of the Amquel +.}
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Post by angelminx on Sept 11, 2014 0:44:20 GMT -5
I was going to try to realign the end of the post, because for some reason the '"0" because...' is set off onto the right side of the page instead of continuing from the left, but when I pulled up the "edit" version, it's really off, but in different places, so I didn't know what to do.
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Sept 11, 2014 9:26:24 GMT -5
If your getting a .175 Nitrate reading, this is not a problem. A Nitrite read would be more of an issue.
How long is the water sitting before you are testing it? Sit after adding the conditioners?
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Post by Carl on Sept 11, 2014 9:48:30 GMT -5
Many aquarium air pump manufacturers no longer sell repair kits as the cost of the pumps have come down so much that it is simply not cost effective anymore. What i have done is to take the diaphragm out, clean it, then if the tear is not too large, use a small amount of aquarium silicone to repair the tear Product Resource: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumSilicone.htmlAs Deven noted, your nitrates are not a problem at all From the article; "Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle" "WHAT TO DO FOR HIGH NITRATES:
Although not generally toxic, high nitrates over 50 ppm can stunt fish growth and lead to health issues if fish are exposed to high nitrates for an extended time in freshwater."Reference: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html#highnitratesAs for the use of Amquel; From the "Aquarium Water Conditioners" article: "It is noteworthy that this is a temporary conversion and Prime/Amquel Plus will only bind the ammonia in this form for up to 48 hours before the ions are free to re-associate into toxic NH3."Reference: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2007/04/aquarium-water-conditioners.htmlCarl
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Post by angelminx on Sept 11, 2014 13:25:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the repair tip!
I looked back over what I had typed, and found out that I typed in an "a" instead of an "i"; it should have read NITRITE ~ 0.175. The water had been sitting for ~ 12 hours before I tested it. I'm going to test again in a little bit, because I will need to top off my tanks. Is there something that I can add that will "get rid of" the ammonia/nitrites in the water in the holding container, since it will be sitting a while between uses [see last sentence--I think I answered my own question]? I put the Amquel + in without thinking, because that's what I automatically do when preparing water for the fish. I assume I can just add the water to the holding container, and then add the Amquel +/Prime when I do top-offs/make water changes?
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Sept 11, 2014 16:38:08 GMT -5
Yes, I would yes Amquel or prime or control the nitrites until the filter can.
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Post by angelminx on Sept 14, 2014 2:23:00 GMT -5
I took a look at the Whisper 200 today, and from what I could see, the diaphragm is fine, which is a good thing, because I couldn't figure out how to remove it (I know some are easy to tinker with) because of the angle of the screw that the diaphragm is attached to.
Is there something else which may be causing all the noise? It never used to be this noisy. I picked up a new pump later today because the noise was driving me nuts! The holding container/pump is in a different room from my tanks (which are in my bedroom), and the 1st couple of days after I set the holding system up I woke up with a killer headache, which made the noise even worse!
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Post by Carl on Sept 14, 2014 10:19:19 GMT -5
If the rubber hinge is worn, this will allow the entire arm with the diaphragm to vibrate against the magnets. Unfortunately if this is the case, repair can be difficult or impossible. I have sometimes wrapped the hinge with several windings of Teflon Tape and achieved some success in cutting down vibration. The hinges are the two parts in the middle of the picture below: Carl
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Post by angelminx on Sept 14, 2014 17:38:47 GMT -5
Thanks, Carl. I'll take it apart and look at it again sometime, but since I went ahead and bought a new pump, it is not urgent. This one served me well for a LONG time! Kinda like my Accura 1000 heaters, which still work--one of them is in the holding container right now. I wish I could remember when I bought these 3 because it would be nice to know their age.
Angelminx
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 22:58:34 GMT -5
I have had many air pumps that got noisy over the years. Like in your case, the Whispers were often the ones that got loud after a few years. I find Fusion and MillionAir that Carl sells to be much quieter and last many years without breaking or increased noise.
To add to what others have said, (and apologies that this is probably overly obvious), but when the pump got noisy, was the pump or the airline tubing possibly up against something that was causing it to vibrate and become louder? I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. I have had situations where I couldn't get rid of the noise no matter where I positioned the air pump only to notice it stopped when I moved the tubing.
I hope that helps!
Renee
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Post by angelminx on Sept 25, 2014 2:30:57 GMT -5
I did check for that situation, because I've had it happen a lot, too. Not the situation this time, though. As I've said, I don't remember when I purchased this pump, but it was over 15 years ago. It was not until just recently that it started making so much noise. I'm also surprised that the diaphragm looks almost new! Thanks for the suggestion anyway, Renee . Angelminx
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 21:41:20 GMT -5
>> I find Fusion and MillionAir that Carl sells to be much quieter and last many years without breaking or increased noise.
My Fusion air pumps have lasted a long time.... I replaced the diaphragms in them once - and just bought another repair kit today (just because) from American Aquarium Products. The repair parts are getting harder to find.
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Post by angelminx on Oct 5, 2014 13:42:06 GMT -5
One day in the future I will buy an air pump or two from Carl. I basically have to put things on a list of order of importance/cost. My GroBeams set me back, since they had to replace a ballast that died on my twin striplight, and it was sooner than I expected. Also a lot of "life happens" things (fish/non-fish) came up recently--plus my cat is due for her vaccinations this month. Anybody have a cure for "tight" money--I need to stretch mine out a bit !
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Oct 6, 2014 17:14:57 GMT -5
Anybody have a cure for "tight" money--I need to stretch mine out a bit ! When someone has this cure, please notify me
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