An aquarium represents a small, contained segment of the great ocean, a raging river or tidal pool teeming with life. It’s like taking a cube of the underwater environment and containing it so that we can unlimitedly enjoy all its intricacies, while still breathing!
And understanding that the underwater environment is quiet (it’s actually very loud, but we perceive it to be quiet), the last thing we want on our screen is a noisy aquarium. Gold aquariums. I say this because we currently have 4 active aquariums set up in our apartment.
We are surrounded by life. Fish, plants and a big crazy tabby cat Peaches & Cream. And after twenty years of tanks, big and small and everywhere, I finally answered the problem that stumped me from the start: “Why is my tank so loud?”
What causes the noise?
We’ll get to the big answer in a bit. First, here is a list of things to look for that could possibly be your noise problem.
air equals noise: Air stones and air tubes add beautiful effects to your underwater environment. They also add power to those decorations that require the pressure of the bubbles to work. The small treasure chest with the hinged lid needs a certain amount of air to function properly. But overload it, and all the excess bubbles popping on the surface will create a constant loud noise.
current equals noise: Second to air movement, we really like water movement (simulated natural currents) in our tanks. Fish need it for growth and for pleasure. We have a Guppy tank where you could almost paint a wheel on the side of the tank with grease pencil. The fish swim against the current, dipping and rising in unison. They love the current. But add Powerheads and go over tank size, and you have noise issues.
equipment equals noise: Pumps, filters, sumps and even pipes can make noise. Sometimes too loud. Most pumps have built-in sound dampening. But if you get over it when you custom install your system, the vibrating hum will be noticeable pretty soon. And not in a good way. Just as important, the surface you have items secured to, or just sitting on, can easily be the culprit.
Furniture equals noise: I have built all my aquarium supports and built-in structures. As soon as I skinned the top of one with plywood, I noticed a horrible buzzing noise. The rubber feet of the air pump were transferring vibration through the plywood skin, and the open bottom of the built-in was becoming an echo chamber. Placing the air pump in a more substantial location in the cabinet solved the problem.
design equals noise: And finally, even your design can be a big culprit for noise. Air moving over rocks, currents and eddies swirling around fixtures and decorations, even the location of the pump inlet and outlet are all part of the formula for reducing noise in an aquarium.
What I can do?
tone down: The quietest aquarium would be a simple container with water. No air movement, no drafts. Just a bowl of water sitting quietly.
If you are using multiple air pumps, especially small ones with a single outlet, go for a larger pump with multiple outlets. The general rule: the pump should supply all the air needs for that aquarium. Not only does it have a noise generator, but larger pumps have better sound dampening.
And if your pump is more than a few years old, throw it away. Even if it’s still working. Old parts, especially rubber ones, are probably the main source of noise. The now hard rubber feet do nothing to dampen the sound. They may even be adding to it.
And use group valves to specify the volume of air going to your accessories. That little air stone with a single line coming out of the pump is a major noise problem. And it will look just as good with half that volume of air going through it. Maybe even better.
listen to the effect: Most electrical accessories you buy to add to your tank have some adjustment feature. Put your ear close to the current the power head is creating and listen as it quiets as you adjust the outlet. It may be a volume problem, or just a direction problem. It may even be vibrating against the tank or rocks. Adjust it as needed.
Adjust the group valves on the air lines in the same way. Put your ear to the surface of the water and listen as you adjust the flow. When you find a suitable level of silence, notice the effect it has on the appearance. Then make small adjustments to hit a nice middle ground between appearance and noise.
Design with noise in mind: It’s easier to set up a silent tank and then try to get one afterwards. Do you remember the bowl of water, sitting quietly? Keep this in mind when adding accessories or planning the location of necessary equipment. Which brings us to the big problem I solved after 20 years of aquariums.
not everything works together
I love Bubble Wands on the back of my tanks. They are virtually invisible, but they emit large amounts of bubbles. I like oxygenated tanks, so I really like air movement. This rotates the food in the tank and helps with currents so the fish are happy.
But due to space and budget limitations, I have always relied on sit tank filters, not the canister type. There are only so many places you can put the seat filter, and therefore there are only so many places the intakes can sit in the tank.
The noise from my filters has always driven me crazy. They have been by far the loudest filters of all my friends. And recently, my other tanks. That’s when I discovered the problem.
My wife installed the other three tanks and she’s not as much a fan of Bubble Wands as I am. Her filters were silent, her flow as powerful as mine.
However, my filter sounded like the impeller was coming undone. I took the whole system out, checked all the parts and made sure everything was fine again. As has always happened in the past, my filter rattled.
That’s when it hit me. I took the airline to Bubble Wands and the noise stopped. Airflow from the wands passed through and into the inlet tube of my filter. The filter was trying to fill with water. He couldn’t because the wands were filling him with air.
And so the filter would always sound like the filter when first started and self priming. Problem found! Now to solve it. I didn’t want to get rid of my Bubble Wands.
I took a straw (clean and new) and cut it in half. I then cut the pieces lengthwise, to create an opening. I wrapped the straw over the Bubble Wand, below the filter inlet. It left a small opening for air to escape, so I placed the second straw on top of the first, with the slit 180 degrees opposite the first. Problem solved, the air stopped in that area.
And no bubbles reach the filter inlet. I even saw a slight increase in water flow through the filter, which means better filtration.
less can be better
In this case, I’ve found that just because accessories really give me the look I want in my ‘natural’ environment, certain things don’t work with others. You can modify them. But the lesson is that not all accessories in your tank are the best for the tank and your fish. And above all, your ears.