Waterfall/Water Changes/Air Pumps

[Ginger]

Hi all,

So, some quick questions (this was similar to Wai's post "Air-stones VS filters", but it is slightly different). I currently have a kidney dish of freshwater, and a 1 litre Tupperware container of salt-water.

1. I have some experience with pumps, filters, aeration etc. The air-pump that I have had for years is VERY noisy, so I do not use it at the moment. It seems to get worse over time for some reason, even if I sit it on/wrap it in a towel to muffle the noise. The tank is in my bedroom, so I need something quieter. Does anyone know of a very quiet brand of air-pump that is preferably available in Australia, if not, one that is able to be posted internationally?

2. My whole reason for including air-stones in my pools is to prevent me from having to change out the water so often (currently its every second day). So, How often does the water need to be changed out in a 1 litre, aerated pond?

3. The small exo-terra waterfall, I know appps has used this with some difficulty, but I like to make my tank aesthetically pleasing, and I LOVE the waterfall (which I would use for freshwater). So what are the pros/cons of this, and are there any others that have had experience with this product?

Thank-you SO much for replies in advance,
Ginger.

[appps]

My problems with it are that the water doesn't flow through fast enough. It has little drainage holes in the water pond part and the pump fills the pond faster than it can drain back into the reservoir below.

I bought a slower pump off eBay which works better than the one by exo terra but it still doesn't like to be too full in the reservoir or it overflows.

My plan at the moment is to pull it out of the tank and get hubby to drill one or two extra holes to just speed the drainage into the reservoir.

I'd also like to change it from a mini pump only to a mini filter pump so that the water is being filtered better. It's a bit of a pain to change the water since I have to catch the water coming out the top as it runs down the waterfall then refill with fresh. At the moment I have filter material at the top where the water runs into the waterfall rather than below. But.....to have a filter in the reservoir you would need to be able to easily remove the waterfall one a month to clean the filter. That is a big job for me due to my hood setup.

Noise wise the mini filter pumps off eBay are much quieter than the pump runs my fish tank air stone.

[aussieJJDude]

If you just use an airstone, then you're still looking to change out the water like you did before. To have "less water changes" you need a filter that full of the beneficial bacteria - the beneficial bacteria takes a while to build up.
If you have had fish in the past - or now - and understand their requirements, then the pool will be treated the same - if it has a filter. If you haven't, I suggest looking at a few fish forums and websites to gather an understanding on what I am talking about.

[Ginger]

Thank-you both for your replies. Judging from your experience appps, maybe I will skip on the waterfall!

And yes, Aussie, I do know quite alot about cycling/colony of bacteria/stocking levels etc. and the relationships between these (I also own a 60L planted tropical aquarium which has been running for 3 years.) So I understand that having a filter would practically keep the bowl clean, and would only require partial water changes periodically, and a deep clean every month or so. However, if I was to say, have a 1L dish that was still VS a 1L dish with aeration, wouldn't the aeration keep it fresher - not cleaner - for longer? So you could get away with changing out the water every 2nd day instead of every day.

[aussieJJDude]

No not really, like you mentioned - kinda - that all it would do is move around the water, not actually filter it and "clean" it. A air stone has no bacteria colony that you need to keep it fresher. At most, you're looking at a good humidity boost.

[appps]

I wouldn't say skip it, I'd just say go in with your eyes open :-)

[Ginger]

Ok, thank you both for your replies.