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Shas
02-14-2012, 08:19 PM
I'd be interested in hearing your experiences
with battery-operated air pumps for transporting fish.

I bought two portables on ebay
(I prefer to support local businesses,
but we live WAY out in the woods
and our closest pet shop doesn't carry these).
These are "Five Plan" brand
and the model is "Atom 2".
With shipping they cost about eleven dollars each.

These are strange little pumps.
About the size of a pager, they take two 'D' cell batteries,
though they run fine on a single 'D' cell.
They are described as 2-speed pumps,
and the second battery is necessary for the second speed,
though there seems to be only something like a ten-percent difference
between the 'Low" and 'High" speeds.

They are not powerful in the sense that the air flow diminishes rapidly
if the air stone is submerged beyond about 20 inches,
but in 16 inches of water they put out as much air
as my AC Whisper pumps.
They are exceedingly noisy;
anyone sitting next to the tank or cooler being used
will have a headache within half an hour
unless they are fans of heavy metal ;=)

These pumps ship with an air stone and twenty inches of air line.
To my surprise, these are good enough that I didn't bother changing them.

I have used these pumps for a total of maybe three hours
and the batteries still seem like new.
I would buy them again,
though if I could find quieter pumps that would be a very good thing.

Does anyone have experience with the Azoo portable pumps?

Eleven11
02-15-2012, 03:10 AM
I'm not sure the name brand of mine but it's more the size of a walkie talkie. Other than that, it sounds identical to what you describe. It cost $14 bucks local.

I used it to transport 10 large tilapia on a 45 minute trip and they arrived ok.

keith_r
02-15-2012, 06:54 AM
the large outdoorsman stores sell similar ones.. from what i read, most of the ones with 2 d cells will last anywhere from 10 to 15 hours.. nice for guys spending the day fishing i guess.. but i think they'd be great for emergency "backup" air.. i've had a couple power outages, the first time i used an adapter and ran my system off my car, the second time i had my ups hooked up, that gave me 6 or 7 hours of just air.. the system went for a couple more hours after the batteries died before power came back on, and i had no problems..
but i definitely want to get one or two of these before i start another round of fish

davidstcldfl
02-15-2012, 06:02 PM
I bought an air pump at (one of the big brand) pet stores....It has a plug, plus it takes 2 D batteries. It's a 'back-up' air pump....it doesn't run, unless the main power goes out.

I've used it to transport fish too.

Shas
02-15-2012, 08:09 PM
It's a 'back-up' air pump....it doesn't run, unless the main power goes out.

That sounds like a useful bit of equipment, David.
Does it have a brand name?
A price?
Is it noisy?
How large a tank do you think it would support
during a lengthy power outage?
???

foodchain
02-16-2012, 04:22 AM
Woudn't how big a tank it would support, depend on temp and bioload?

davidstcldfl
02-16-2012, 05:38 AM
It's almost like the other battery powered unit that I bought at the sporting goods for fishing, except it has the 'on' feature, when there is no main power.

It puts out as much air as the other little D powered units. In regards to 'how big a tank'.... food chain is right...lots of variables. It's a matter of...any air is better then 'no air.' It buys you a little time, till the power comes on again.
For less the $20 US dollars, it's not bad for a 'little' back up.

It has a 2 postion switch...one is 'off', the other is 'stand by'. It only 'runs' in stand by if there is no main power.
Shas, It does make some noise.

Penn-Plax Silent Air B11
http://www.petsupermarket.com/Products/ ... 29045.aspx (http://www.petsupermarket.com/Products/PetSupermarket/PID-301729045.aspx)

Shas
02-16-2012, 09:31 AM
Woudn't how big a tank it would support, depend on temp and bioload?

*sigh*
Re-read your signature, buddy.
Pedanticism doesn't advance knowledge.

I was simply trying to get some idea of the output of the pump.
Perhaps I would have been wiser to ask for the rating
(in the unlikely event that it is listed)
in litres per minute.

Thanks for the link, David.
I can see from the description
that this pump is designed to protect
a single hobbyist's aquarium.
Though I certainly agree that any aeration is better than none.

That's a good price for a back-up
that comes on line automatically.

foodchain
02-16-2012, 12:02 PM
You're right. My bad.

foodchain
02-16-2012, 12:12 PM
Confused. I have to admit I looked up "pendanticism" to see what it meant. Here's what I found, and the links to where I found it. I could be wrong, but I don't believe the context is accurate for the above comment. The above comment was made in an effort to grasp what your driving at and it appeared to me that more variables are at play that effect your question than just the pump. I can't help find an answer, or at least I think it's helping find you an answer if I don't understand the question. I am getting off point.
Here's the definition, please explain where I went wrong? My signature was not to be a slam at you...it goes on every post I make, like a shadow it follows me. Originally set up as a veiw of my own learning curve...and inadequacies as I seem to learn mostly by trial and error.

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pedanticism (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pedanticism)
Pedanticism is a practised by people so focused on errors that they sometimes
end up missing the errors of their own.

Main Entry: ped·ant·ry
Pronunciation: ped-n-tr
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ries
: dull and overly exact presentation of knowledge or learning
http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/stud ... a=pedantry (http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=pedantry)

Time to tuck tail back to shadows....

davidstcldfl
02-16-2012, 04:55 PM
It's all good guys.....I figured Shas just wanted an idea of the 'volume' it puts out. With his past experience with fish, I figured he's aware of the 'variables'....and Foodchain made a good point, in regards to the variables, for any 'newbies' reading here.

I too had to look up Pedanticism. I'm guilty of that myself sometimes. It's tuff being a melancholy... :roll:..... :lol:

Shas
02-16-2012, 09:27 PM
"It's tuff being a melancholy..."

And a wise man and a peacemaker as well.
I am content.