The Tetra Whisper Air Pump is designed to pump air into your fish tank through airline tubing. You can then attach the other end to an air stone, bubbler or sponge filter. If this pump isn’t working as intended, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Aquarium Blueprints to see how you can potentially fix your issue.
1. The first step we recommend taking is to make sure that the Whisper Air Pump is properly plugged into the power outlet. The aquarium equipment should turn on automatically as it will vibrate and output air.
If your pump can’t seem to turn on, then you can try plugging it into a different power outlet.
2. You can also make sure that you properly setup the airline tubing.
To start off, the airline tubing should be securely plugged into the air outlet of the Tetra Whisper Air Pump.
If you are using an air control valve, then make sure that you aren’t blocking the air flow. If you are using the air control valve that came with your pump, then you can turn its knob counterclockwise to increase the flow rate.
If you are using a T valve, then make sure that both of the outlets on the valve are being used. Otherwise, most of the air flow will be redirected to the unused outlet.
Of course, you should also make sure that the other end of the airline tubing is securely attached to the air stone, bubbler or sponge filter in your tank.
3. Inspect your airline tubing for any visible sign of damage. If the tubing breaks apart, then the air flow could slip through the cracks and openings.
4. You should also make sure that the air stone, bubbler or sponge filter you have connected to the Tetra Whisper Air Pump isn’t clogged up. If it is, then air flow will have a difficult time trying to get through the blocked openings.
If the air stone, bubbler or sponge filter gets clogged, then rinse off as much of the debris as possible. If it still appears to be clogged up after a through rinsing, then you might want to consider getting a replacement.
5. You can also try cleaning the pump by taking the following steps:
- Unplug the Tetra Whisper Air Pump from the power outlet.
- Remove any airline tubing from the air outlets of the pump.
- Use a damp cloth to clean the outside of the air pump.
- Wait for the device to completely dry out at room temperature.
- Once you are sure that the pump has been fully dried out, you can reattach the airline tubing to the air outlets.
- You can then plug the pump back into the power outlet to see if it will start working normally again.
6. There is a possibility that the diaphragms or rubber parts of the Tetra Whisper Air Pump may have worn down, resulting in the lack of air flow being produced.
In this case, you may want to consider opening up the device and then replacing the worn-out parts. To get replacements, you can purchase the Tetra Whisper Air Pump with this link. (#CommissionsEarned)