Aquarium Air Pump with Aluminum Housing, Commercial Air Pump with 6-Outlet Air Manifold, Pond Aerator Fish Tank Bubbler for Aquarium, Pond, Hydroponics (650GPH-20W)

Holy moly! I bought this to aerate compost tea and it is almost comically strong in my 5 gallon bucket! Good and steady and strong airflow, and I wish I had a big tub to use instead! I wish I could figure out what else to use it for, because it seems to be small but mighty! I had it set up outside on a cool day, in the shade, all safety measures taken, blah blah, and it definitely got warm, but I had no trouble adjusting it by holding onto the little handle on top.

Needed a new air pump for my two aquariums. Wanted a pump that delivers a high volume of air, and saw the pump has six air outlets. So, it was a no brainer to get all the volume of air I could use.The noise level is not whisper quiet. However, it's still quiet relatively, for a piston pump. But, unless you're looking for a White Noise producer, this pump would be better off outside the bedroom, as the humming could be bothersome.My set up is in my indoor Arboretum, so the humming is not a problem. The pump, for the noise level, produces the air, lots of it.I run four airstones off of the pump, and my tanks are well ariated. Probably would have no problem using the remaining two valves.I put my pump I a hanging basket to keep it well above the levels of the tanks. That reduced the noise level slightly.The pump does produce a slight amount of warmth. I can handle the pump with bare hands, no gloves needed.This is a very good, high volume air pump. Other than the noise level, which can be tolerated, if you make provisions for the noise, this pump is exactly what my fish needed. A good value for a powerful, high volume air pump. I gave the pump Five Stars on everything, except for the noise, which I gave a Three Star rating. If you can tolerate, or plan for the noise level this is a great air pump.

I replaced an "ultra quiet" model I got on Amazon after it started losing static pressure after nearly 4 years. This thing completely overpowers it when it was new for about the same price. Now I can actually get bubbles on my 4' deep section and not compromise the other 3 aerators!My biggest complaint is the noise though. And I am baffled by why there is no... Baffle... On the breather port which is where the majority of the noise comes from. So I wrapped some shop towel cloth around the port and zip tied it and now it's just a moderate hum.

I own both the 20W and 30W models of these air pumps, and this review covers both. TL;DR: These are powerful piston-style pumps that offer excellent performance for large or deep tanks, but they're louder than high-end aquarium pumps. If you need the airflow, they're a great value.Noise: The Elephant in the RoomOther reviewers seem divided about noise levels. Since I have two different sizes, I can answer "is this loud?" with a very confident "it depends."Both pumps, especially the 30W model, have a noticeable break-in period. For the first few hours, my 30W pump was violently bouncing around and quite loud. Both quieted down within a week, but neither is truly quiet. Using my phone's decibel meter, they produce about 47-50dB in rooms with 30dB noise floors.For reference, 50dB is roughly as loud as an inexpensive dishwasher, a TV on for background noise, or a quiet conversation. I run my bedroom white noise machine at about 53dB.DIY Noise Reduction Tip: Attach 5-10 feet of 3/8" hose to the intake port and let it coil up—this functions as a muffler and shifts the noise frequency higher (from about 200Hz to around 700Hz), making it less intrusive. Placing the pump on foam also helps dampen vibrations, as neither model is heavy enough to dampen itself.Airflow: Surprisingly PowerfulThe 20W model generates enough air to power four 4" diameter "ultra fine bubble" air discs in an 18" deep tank at full performance, but that's running wide open with little reserve. The 30W is noticeably more powerful—about 50% more airflow.Both are overkill for most hobbyists with standard tanks. You really only need this kind of power with large, deep tanks (like my 8ft long, 18" deep 165-gallon and 36" deep 55-gallon stock tank) or if you're running an actual fish room. I'd estimate you could run at least 18 undergravel filter uplift tubes with the 20W pump.Heat: Warm but Not ProblematicMy FLIR camera shows maximum temperatures of about 40°C (104°F) for the 20W and 50°C (122°F) for the 30W in a 19°C (68°F) room.This is warm but not excessive—remember, these pumps compress air, which generates heat. Neither gets burning hot, and they'll be fine so long as they're not in an enclosed cabinet or something,Power Consumption: Less Than AdvertisedWithout diving too deep into electrical specifics, these pumps use less power than their ratings suggest. The 20W model uses about 11 actual watts, and the 30W uses about 18 watts. The seller is likely referring to apparent power (volt-amps) with their power ratings, not actual consumption. For most home users in the US who are billed on actual power, consider these as 10W and 20W pumps respectively.Quality and ReliabilityUnlike most aquarium pumps which use diaphragms, these are actual piston pumps—think of them as small, high-flow, low-pressure air compressors. This explains the break-in period, especially noticeable with the 30W model.This type of pump experiences more wear than diaphragm pumps but also performs better—no diaphragm pump I know of matches their pressure or flow. I haven't owned them long enough to speak to long-term durability yet, but being inexpensive and somewhat generic (sold under multiple brands), I'd expect 2-5 years of service.Safety NoteI'm not entirely comfortable with what appears to be an exposed laminated motor winding core or metal body on a device without a three-prong plug. I suggest running them on a GFCI-protected outlet, which is good practice for all aquarium equipment anyway.Design FlawMy only real complaint is that the intake barb isn't long enough to fully seat a 3/8" hose because it interferes with the round air filter housing. You need to cut the hose at an angle to make it fit securely—a simple design fix that should have been addressed.Overall RecommendationIf you need serious air movement for large or deep tanks, these pumps deliver excellent performance at a reasonable price point. For standard aquariums, they're excessive and you'd be better served by a quieter name-brand pump from Danner, Tetra, or Fluval.Assuming they last 4+ years, these are a solid value for their performance class. If you need this kind of performance, these move impressive air volume without being unreasonably loud for their capability.

This is the best air pump I have ever purchased. Great air flow! I would recommend this as a product.

Works great! I read a lot of reviews saying it’s LOUD but I was surprised at how quiet it is for such a powerful pump. We have it under our 125 gallon tank in the bedroom and the noise is very minimal. It’s an air pump. They all make noise. It was also a LOT smaller than I thought it would be. Works great! I give it 5 stars.

It only ran six weeks then just quit running. Of course, perfect timing because the return window is four weeks. I cannot recommend this product.

Our pond needed new pump and this one is reliable and lasted longer than our last one. Just what we needed!