Mid posted.
Richard Sexton wrote:
Have you seen much loss of pressure? I have a small Elite 799
running 4 airstones with no loss of pressure, but can't find the
receipt to know exactly how long it's been running. I think it's
only a few months old. I don't mind spending more money for
something that'll last, but they've all been so short-lived so far,
even the more costly ones.

I'm about to toss one in the trash right now. Come to find out, it
doesn't even have a NAME on it! That's how ashamed the mfg is. All
it has is a country - Malaysia. I bought it last August and it's
already crapped out.

Airstones are real pump killers.

You should use my regeneration method (do a google groups search on this
newsgroup there for daniel morrow airstone and examine the one with the
forced air method of keeping airstones in top shape. I use a bicycle air
pump (with presta valve setup) once every month or two on all of my
airstones whether they are air wands or plain airstones and they operate
like new all of the time and I have been using the air-wands with tetra luft
g pumps and a cheap airmaster air pump for shallow airstones/tanks for over
two years now without a problem. The lufts are the best in my opinion for
both indoors and outdoors but indoors the danner dynamaster 2 packs more
power, is easily repairable (truly) and outputs at high pressure, but it
shouldn't be used outdoors. Both are expensive compared to the others though
but theres that saying "you get what you pay for". The cheap airmaster won't
do air wands but I still like it because it is a good cheap pump for shallow
water projects. The rena microbubbler airstones can be cleaned once every
month or two by soaking it in peroxide overnight I am told, but I clean mine
with my bicycle pump method. Good luck and later.

No matter what kind they all clog,
when they do you have back pressure and you can expect your pump to
die shortly after.

I won't use airstones (any more).

Another thing that might help is to build a plenum out of black PVC
piping. This gives the air a fairly good sized chamber to accumulate
pressure and you might be surprised how much more milage you get
out of what air you have now. I run 170 gallons in 8 tanks off
two Hagen Optimas this way. One of the tanks is doinwright boiling
over with tubulence.