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anyone know how to make an air pump pump water?

47K views 22 replies 17 participants last post by  keepsmiling 
#1 ·
just wondering i would like to know if an air pump can be used to pump water to make like a waterfall.
 
#2 ·
I really dont think so. As the pump will bust or break and electrocute water that water is touching.
 
#5 ·
It can be done but I don't know if you will be able to do it with the standard air pump we use for the hobby. An aircompressor or an indistrial pnuematic air pump should have enough pressure to push water up to a water fall. It is actually rather inexpensive to get a small water fountain pump to do the job without air. My dad carries them for his ceramic shop and I think they are like $30. Smal fountain pumps only run $35-60 and would push more than enough water.

Is there any specific reason you are wanting to use air for the pump?
 
#11 · (Edited)
#13 ·
Before power filters came on the market, all filters were air driven and moved water...albeit, not very well. A sponge filter would be a good example of how air moves water for an aquarium. As has been mentioned, a table top fountain pump would be inexpensive and provide a waterfall effect.
 
#17 ·
I have been researching this and there are quite a bit of youtube videos with water falls ( sand falls). Uaru Joey did a nice tutorial on youtube show the construction (as all his diy's are informative) I will try to incorporate a design for them in my next builds coming up.

Funny thing about this thread is when it was posted no one had a clue and now today, its very possible.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Lol
People are saying it can't be done
IM gonna prove you guys wrong with science
Things you will need:
An air pump
A few feet of pvc
A check valve
1 90 degree pvc fitting
1 45 degree pvc fitting
Some airline tubing
2 or more suction cups to hold the airline tubing

step one
Assemble the pipe
It should be shaped like this

...
.
.
.
.
\
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The slash is the 45 degree pvc fitting
The three periods are the 90 degree pvc fitting
The wavy dashed lines are the water
And the single periods are the pipe itself.

Step two
Attach one of the suction cups to the airline tubing
stick it on the inner wall of the 45 degree fitting, making sure the end of the tubing goes past the bend, but not more than an inch past it.

Step three
Cut the airline tubing, and attach the check valve to it. This is a precaution so the water doesn't go up into the pump.

Step four
attach the other suction cup to the wall of the aquarium. This is optional, but it keeps it neat and organized

Step five
Attach the end of the airline tubing that is behind the check valve to the air pump.

Step six
Place the apparatus so the end of the the top pvc fitting comes out of the mouth of the waterfall. The 90 degree fitting can be removed if you wish, because it may look ugly and not natural for a pipe to be coming out of the top of your waterfall.

If you want you can decorate the discharge side with moss, and putting bio rings in the pipe will also provide a place for beneficial bacteria to colonize, and munch on the nitrates. The air rises, creating a vacuum, thus putting water displacement to use.
I use this method on my 10 and 20 gallon shrimp tanks to cycle the water between the two so I don't need to tend to them as often.

do u guise even diy???
:cool:
 
#19 ·
Hi Jorunder, if you could clarify your explanation with pictures and diagram that would be great and really helpful, I'm not really understanding what's going on at and after step 2..

On a side note, i dont understand how the air movement is converted to water movement. I think you would need some kind of device so convert the air movement to a pressure which can be then applied to the tank water..sounds impossible right now
 
#20 ·
They posted a year ago, so don't hold your breath for a response :)
 
#22 ·
Thank you - they're red severums.
 
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