An aquarium is a small one containing a segment of a large ocean, a raging river, or a tidal basin that is combined with life. It is pleasant to make a cube of the underwater environment and contain it so that we can enjoy all its difficulties indefinitely, while still being able to breathe!
And realizing that the underwater environment is silent (in fact it is very noisy, but we feel that it is silent), the last thing we want on our display is a noisy aquarium. Or aquariums. I say that, since currently in our apartment 4 active aquariums are installed.
We are surrounded by life. Fish, plants and big crazy, peaches and cream tabby cat. And after twenty several years of tanks, large and small, and everywhere in between, I finally answered the problem that from the very beginning puzzled me: “Why is my tank so noisy?”
What causes noise?
For a moment we will get a great answer. First, here is a list of bullet items to look for, it could be your noise problem.
Noise level : Air stones and air tubes give great effects for your underwater environment. They also add strength to decorations that require pressure from bubbles to function. A small treasure chest with a hinged lid needs a certain amount of air to work properly. But overload it, and all the excess bubbles appearing on the surface will create a constant loud noise.
Current noise level : Secondly, the movement of air, we love a lot of water movement (simulated natural currents) in our tanks. Fish need this for growth and pleasure. We have one Guppy tank in which you could almost draw a wheel on the side of the tank in a consistent pencil. The fish swims against the current, dives and rises in unison. They like talk. But add powerheads and exceed tank size and you will have noise problems.
Equipment : Pumps, filters, sumps, even plumbing can all make noise. Sometimes too much noise. Most pumps are soundproofed. But if you defeat it when the custom installation of your system, the vibration noise will very soon become noticeable. And not for the better. It is equally important that the surface on which you are endowed, or just sitting, can just as easily become a criminal.
Noise for furniture : I built all my aquarium coasters and structural embedded attachments. As soon as I removed the top of the plywood, I noticed a terrible hum. The rubber feet of the air pump transmitted vibrations through the skin of the plywood, and the open bottom side of the integrated device became an echo chamber. Placing the air pump in a more substantial place on the body solved the problem.
Design equals noise level A: And finally, even your design can be a big, noise criminal. Air moving over rocks, currents and whirlwinds, bypassing lights and decorations, even placing the suction and output of your pump goes to the formula to reduce the noise in the aquarium.
What can I do?
Ton it down : The quietest aquarium is a simple bowl of water. No air movement, no currents. Just a container of water sits in silence.
If you use several air pumps, especially small ones with one outlet, choose a larger pump with several outlets. The rule of thumb is that the pump must provide all your air requirements for this one aquarium. Not only do you have only one noise generator, large pumps have better sound insulation.
And if your pump is more than a few years old, trash it. Even if it is still functioning. Older parts, especially rubber, are probably your main source of noise. Now hard rubber feet do nothing for a dead sound. They can even add to it.
And use gas valves to indicate the amount of air going to your accessories. This small little stone with a single line coming from the pump is a serious noise problem. And it will look just as good if half the air passes through it. Maybe even better.
Listen to the effect A: Most of the power accessories that you purchase to add to your tank have some tuning function for them. Raise your ear next to the current that the power head creates, and listen when it is tuned, when you are tuning the outlet. This may be a volume problem or just a referral problem. It can even vibrate against a tank or stones. Adjust it if necessary.
Adjust your gas valves on your lines the same way. Put your ear on the surface of the water and listen while you tune the flow. When you find the right level of silence, look at the effect it has on appearance. Then make small adjustments to achieve a happy appearance and noise environment.
Noise based design A: It is easier to set up a quiet tank, and then try to achieve this. Do you remember the bowl of water that sat silently? Keep this in mind when adding accessories or planning the placement of the necessary equipment. This brings us to a big problem that I solved after 20 years of aquariums.
Not everything works together
I love the “Bubble Wands” in the back of my tanks. They are essentially invisible, but expose a large number of bubbles. I like oxygen-rich reservoirs, so I like the movement of air. This rotates the food in the tank and helps with the currents so that the fish will be happy.
But due to space and budget constraints, I always relied on saddle tank filters, and not on the type of canister. There are only so many places where you can put a saddle filter, and then only so many places where the inlets can sit in the tank.
The noise from my filters always infuriated me. They were by far the loudest filters of all my friends. And most recently, my other tanks. When I found out the problem.
My wife installed three other tanks, and I'm not such a huge fan of the Bubble Wands as I am. Her filters were silent, their flow was as powerful as mine.
However, my filter sounded like an impeller was diverging. I deployed the whole system, checked all the details and made sure that everything went easy. As it always happened in the past, my filter shuddered.
This is when I figured it out. I threw the airline into the Bubble Wands and the noise stopped. The air flow from the sticks passed by and into my filter tube. The filter tried to fill with water. This could not be so because the wands filled it with air.
Thus, the filter will always sound like a filter when you first start, as well as proper numbers. Problem found! Now to solve it. I did not want to get rid of my wands.
I took a straw (clean and new) and cut it in half. Then I cut the length of the pieces to create a hole. I wrapped a straw over a wand from a bubble, under the filter inlet. He left a small hole from which the air escaped, so I positioned the second straw over the first one, and the slot 180 degrees opposite the first. Problem solved, air stopped in this area.
And no bubbles enter the filter inlet. I even saw a slight increase in the flow of water through the filter, which means better filtration.
Less can be better
In this case, I found that only because the accessories really give me the look that I want to see in my “natural” state. environment, some things do not work with others. You can change them. But the lesson is that not all the accessories in your tank are best for the tank and your fish. And especially, your ears.
