Loud Tanks

[guppymonkey]

I work in a pet store and see people all the time come in an complain that their filter is too loud and that they want a silent one instead. Most of these people are complaining because they haven't been keeping their water up to the right level and let gallons evaporate before water changes. There are some people with good tanks that still complain about loud tanks from the water flowing back into the tank from the filter.

I don't understand this. I love the gurgle from the outflow of my filter. Its like one of those waterfalls that people buy in Bed Bath and Beyond. Quite relaxing in my opinion. Almost like one of those rain and thunderstorm cds that people buy to relax to.

I dunno.... Just my opinion!

 

[ccg]

Not sure. I have a couple tanks in my bedroom and the little noise they do make doesnt bother me... actually have troubles sleeping without it. Although the girlfriend took a while to get use to the noise of the filters. So I can definately see how it could bug/annoy some people. Whats wrong wiht wanting a silent tank? Some people just like things to be quite... not myself, but you know what I mean.

 

[Teelie]

It takes getting used to the noise I think. If you don't sleep or are in the same room wth it for a long time, it can be loud to most people.

 

[Vegan Peaches]

I'm a heavy sleeper, so it doesn't bother me. The water overflow sounds rather nice sometimes, although my Aquaclear filter has a low "hum" that took some getting used to

 

[Teelie]

When I first started keeping fish, they were in my bedroom and the sound of the outflow kept waking me up/scaring me that it was flowing out of the tank onto the dresser and floor. Now I only worry when I don't hear something.

 

[Durbkat]

My filters don't make a noise unless the water level gets to low (which hardly ever happens) the only thing that makes a noise is the air pump that runs my UGF in the 10g and the air pump in the 2.5g and I've gotten used to them since they are in my bedroom and the TV drowns the sound out most of the time and also I'm like Vegan Peaches and am a heavy sleeper and can sleep through my clock alarm for 30 minutes or more.

 

[thelastbetta]

When I first got a tank with a filter I had to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.

Now though it's just another void sound in my room.

 

[mikev]

Until I switched to silent filter I could never hear clown loaches eating. I like the clicking sound they make.

 

[soritan]

When I had a tank in my youth, aquariums sounded a bit like grinding gears, constantly, 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH', mixed up with the constant stream of bubbles and the trickles, I'd go crazy. I always had horrible insomnia, even since when I was as young as 9.

These days, all the filters sound so quiet. My computer makes more noise than the filters do. It's possible that if I had an aerator, I'd be going nuts, but so far, it's quite a nice sound.

 

[Katchan]

Winter time no sound, I position the filter outflow just below the water level.

Summer time, lots of gurgling away as I position the outlets above the water to make sure for enough airation - weve spent lots of time in the low 30's this summer so the airation factor is important, but I do get annoyed a bit sometimes with 3 tank gurgling away in the office

Andrew

 

[SamUK]

i use a spray bar on my 5ft tank (one closest to my bed) and i think that makes the sound even more natural so its fine!

i have to admit, if i have it too high then it is quite loud but i was laid in bed the other nite and i realised how much i really am used to the sound.


girlfriend on the other hand wears earplugs to bed every night lol.


think thats more to do with my snoring tho.

 

[Synirr]

I can't say I like the sound, but I'm so used to it it's weird without it. Our electricity went out for a few days a while ago and it was so weird without the hum of filters and air pumps
Luckily our generator was large enough to run my filters once it was set up so it wasn't a big problem.

 

[Paul_MTS]

in the early days when i just had a 13g with pond fry in, running from a powerhead on an UGF I used to turn the filter off at night. Then someone told me I shouldn't turn it off and forced myself to get used to it.

Since then I'ved slowly got used to the hum of filter, but I find it hard to get to sleep with trickling water.

I recently set up my moray tank with a Eheim Pro 3 filter and that was quite hard to get used to, isn't about 3ft away from my head at night and isn't in a cubboard or anything like that so there's no damping.

 

[The-Wolf]

all of my tanks are in the room I sleep in (note I'm not calling it a bedroom lol)
I too find the hum and trickle noises soothing, In fact when staying at friends I couldn't sleep as it was too quiet.
I have also been awakened due to a powercut at 2am when it all went quiet.