Powerheads & pumps

This is embarassing, but what exactly is the difference between powerheads and air pumps / motors ? When I was in the FW hobby in the 80s, air pumps were available. When I started SW sometime last year after nearly 15 years out of the fish hobby, there's this new thing called powerheads. And air pumps are also still around.

[KaLiB]

Powerheads are mainly used as pumps to drive overhead filters, i think sometimes their used to drive undergravel filters as well.

We use powerheads for marine tank mainly is because airpumps are not suitable. Bubbling from the airpump will cause salt spray which is highly undesirable. The main objective is to cause movement on the water surface to encourage gaseous exchange. The only time whereby we would use an airpump is to drive an air-driven protein skimmer.

Airpumps can still be used for freshwater tanks.

Kalib -- that does make sense. Those days pumps were (and still are) placed outside the tank. Powerheads however can be (and are preferably) placed in the water.

[KaLiB]

Yup, the main reason i believe behind using powerheads/wavemakers for marine tanks instead of airpumps is due to the salt spray produced.

Bubbling in the water will result in salt spray, we can overcome this by using powerheads/wavemakers which circulate water to encourage gaseous exchange.

Rez,

Everyone knows what an airpump is, I guess. Those little (usually) plastic molded boxes placed outside the aquarium to push air thru' tubings to certain devices.

Powerheads are nothing more than glorified submersible water pumps. Some higher end water pumps can be assembled dry, i.e., outside water, but connected by piping into the tank. Most, if not all, powerheads have to be submersed before they work.

Originally posted by hanifrez
This is embarassing, but what exactly is the difference between powerheads and air pumps / motors ? When I was in the FW hobby in the 80s, air pumps were available. When I started SW sometime last year after nearly 15 years out of the fish hobby, there's this new thing called powerheads. And air pumps are also still around.