Yesterday I upgraded my lighting to AH Supply twin 55 watt kits, and added a little powerhead and spray bar for a full bore CO2 mist system. The spray bar is a 5/8 OD by 1/16 wall acrylic tube, with holes about every
1 1/2 in along it's 20 inch length, placed low along the back. I pushed the CO2 tube into the intake grill at the bottom of the powerhead to let the rotor chop up the bubbles. The result is that the tank is virtually full of microscopic bubbles, that look almost cloud like, and the plants all pearl lightly. My measured CO2 is about 50 ppm, using the difference between in-tank and equilibrium PH readings.
Now, my question: the powerhead - made by "Aquarium Systems", model MN-404, about 100 gph output - is a bit noisy. It sounds like a one cylinder motor, chugging away. And, it does this with or without CO2 going thru it. Is there a powerhead available that is a lot quieter and still not overly expensive? I got this one on ebay at a very low price - $5 as I recall. I don't mind the noise from this one, but my wife keeps asking why it's so noisy. I suppose I could change wives, but that would be too expensive.
1 1/2 in along it's 20 inch length, placed low along the back. I pushed the CO2 tube into the intake grill at the bottom of the powerhead to let the rotor chop up the bubbles. The result is that the tank is virtually full of microscopic bubbles, that look almost cloud like, and the plants all pearl lightly. My measured CO2 is about 50 ppm, using the difference between in-tank and equilibrium PH readings.
Now, my question: the powerhead - made by "Aquarium Systems", model MN-404, about 100 gph output - is a bit noisy. It sounds like a one cylinder motor, chugging away. And, it does this with or without CO2 going thru it. Is there a powerhead available that is a lot quieter and still not overly expensive? I got this one on ebay at a very low price - $5 as I recall. I don't mind the noise from this one, but my wife keeps asking why it's so noisy. I suppose I could change wives, but that would be too expensive.