Can Someone Recommend a Really Powerful Air Pump? (and a Filter Intake Question)

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

UPDATE:

Okay. Did a 50% water change on the tank, and hooked up a new Top Fin Air 8000 pump, and also cut longer pieces of tubing to connect to two of its four outlets (for each bar); the bubbles coming out are INCREDIBLE, and what I was looking for. Perhaps even more incredible is the fact that this pump is NOT as noisy as it was when I bought one years ago -- it MAY be the fact that I'm utilizing ALL four of its outputs (I don't expect this to last though, as it seems the more time that passes with these pumps, the lower and weaker their output becomes). Additionally, I took one of the bars out that happened to be in the 10 gallon I used to have the goldies in prior to getting this new 60 gallon (it was running in this new tank since I set it up and stripped the 10 gallon) and rinsed it under hot water while scrubbing with an old toothbrush to remove some algae that seems to have grown on it from the last tank; this MAY have contributed to the bubbles now coming out better too...

Here's the problem, though: Even with moving both bubble bars forward in the gravel, away from the two HOB filter intake tubes (and better burying them in the substrate so the bars themselves aren't visible -- looks MUCH better), the bubbles being produced now are STILL flying into the AquaClear 110's intake and the noise as they're ground up into microbubbles (and subsequently destroying the filter's impeller and motor from what I'm told) is driving me even NUTTIER than it did before...

Is there ANYTHING save for moving the bars even MORE FORWARD away from the intake tube (the Aqueon HOB isn't sucking in bubbles because the bar closest to that filter is too far to the intake tube's right for the bubbles to be sucked into it) that I can do to stop these bubbles from being sucked into the AquaClear 110's intake? Is it really true that a filter's motor can be burned out and completely fried by bubbles being sucked into it? If this is more of a rumor kind of thing rather than a fact, I could learn to live with the loud, unsettling noise I suppose...

[Goes to 11!]

Is there ANYTHING save for moving the bars even MORE FORWARD away from the intake tube (the Aqueon HOB isn't sucking in bubbles because the bar closest to that filter is too far to the intake tube's right for the bubbles to be sucked into it) that I can do to stop these bubbles from being sucked into the AquaClear 110's intake?

No.

There is no big secret to this.

It's just applying common sense.

You can move it farther away or remove it, Those are your choices.

Is it really true that a filter's motor can be burned out and completely fried by bubbles being sucked into it?

I have never bothered to test it but if you wait a bit longer - You can tell us.

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

UPDATE:

Got on a chair to reach the bottom of this ridiculously deep and tall tank (I will NEVER own another "high-over-long" aquarium again) and made a mess attempting to move the bubble bars forward to the point that the one that's producing bubbles being sucked into the AquaClear HOB wasn't making the grinding noise; the only thing this did was disturb the substrate and completely destroy the cohesiveness of the aquascaping my wife did in that corner of the tank -- we had a small Asian gazebo towards the right corner with tall plants around it, with a little "garden" leading up to it from cut up pieces of a Marineland "plant mat," and my digging around to move these PITA bars messed up her whole scape in that area, which looked perfect (the tank is still a design in progress -- we don't have nearly enough decor as we want). Further, I couldn't get the bar on the LEFT to move up any further because of a tree trunk decoration in that corner, and even if I did, the bars would be nearly in the CENTER of this tank because it's so darn narrow. So, I ended up moving the bar on the right back a bit, which started the horrendous filter intake noise again, burying it under the substrate and attempting to fix the messed-up decor. The little Asian gazebo was pushed way too far forward against the front glass when I moved the bar on that side forward to escape the filter intake suction, so the whole attempt just didn't work...

[Goes to 11!]

^^^

Post and member reported; this asinine commentary is getting out of hand already.

Ad hominem much? As if the application of common sense were asinine in any way.

Speaking of common sense, Here's some more:

Have you considered replacing the 18" bars as they are obviously not appropriate for your tanks footprint?

Threads like this are well served by pictures btw, They really are worth a 1000 words.

[Cermet]

If you don't want bubbles in the HOB nor, and I would think, have the bubble strips pushed too far towards the front of the tank, consider moving the HOB(s) to the side of the tank well away from the bubble strips. I had a tank where I did this (I built my own tank cover, of course.) Another and maybe better solution is buy a fairly cost effective canister and add that (x-fer the media from the HOB.) The single, small intake can be located well away from the bubble strips.

As for the motor over heating - no expert on that subject but that does not seem likely; but the bubbles will slowly damage the impeller (and your ears ...ok, not them but your sanity from that constant noise.)

[Cliff]

As for some of the posts in this threat, perhaps we should all stick to commenting on the topic at hand and less on how we are posting here.

I do not want to close this thread, but I will if the drama continues.

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

As for some of the posts in this threat, perhaps we should all stick to commenting on the topic at hand and less on how we are posting here.

I do not want to close this thread, but I will if the drama continues.

Cliff,

Please don't close the thread; I am not the one causing the "drama" -- I am just trying to get answers and reporting on this air pump/bubbler situation in my tank. I'm sure once we get back on track -- through the courtesy of your intervention and direction change -- the conversation will take its right course...

Thank you so much for the aforementioned intervention and for your assistance in the thread; it's greatly appreciated.

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

If you don't want bubbles in the HOB nor, and I would think, have the bubble strips pushed too far towards the front of the tank, consider moving the HOB(s) to the side of the tank well away from the bubble strips. I had a tank where I did this (I built my own tank cover, of course.) Another and maybe better solution is buy a fairly cost effective canister and add that (x-fer the media from the HOB.) The single, small intake can be located well away from the bubble strips.

Thank you, Cermet...

Putting the HOBs on the sides of the tank rather than the back is not really an option, but I appreciate your suggestion; I'd rather just have them on the back...

As for the motor over heating - no expert on that subject but that does not seem likely; but the bubbles will slowly damage the impeller (and your ears ...ok, not them but your sanity from that constant noise.)

Okay, so the motor won't be damaged or burned out, which puts my mind at ease about that, but the impeller will DEFINITELY be damaged over time, no doubt at all? Or is this just a matter of noise from the impeller being "unseated" a bit from the constant bubble turbulence?

[Lady10Godiva]

Is it possible to get shorter air bars and place them at each end of the tank along the short side (front to back). I knoww then they wouldnt be very visible, but they would still be there. I run one of my tanks that way to keep the bubbles out of the filter.

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

Is it possible to get shorter air bars and place them at each end of the tank along the short side (front to back). I knoww then they wouldnt be very visible, but they would still be there. I run one of my tanks that way to keep the bubbles out of the filter.

Hello Godiva,

Good to hear from you again; indeed, I follow exactly what you're describing in terms of the short bars along the sides of the tank, but I really don't like that...I need to find a way to make these two 18" bars work towards the back of the aquarium...

Thank you for your suggestion; it's appreciated.