Recently, I purchased a Vortech for my 65 gallon SPS tank. While this is an excellent product and seems to provide really nice flow, it also makes enough noise that it is noticeable from a fair distance from the tank.
In defense of the Vortech as a pump, my tank and house are really quiet. I have a basement sump and a thick hardwood floor. The ONLY two noises from my tank is a very quiet overflow gurgle and the hum of the Vortech. I seem to recall on the Icecap forum that the Vortech makes a 50 decibel noise from a distance of one or two feet from the pump. This is roughly the noise of several people whispering simultaneously, and is definitely enough to pull the attention of people in adjoining rooms of my house.
I recently posted on the general discussion forums, and got a few comments from 6000 users that these tend to be significantly more silent. One said "absolutely silent" and another said "my two 6000s can barely be heard 5 feet away"
I'm looking for advice from this forum. Is there an option here, appropriate for my type of tank, that would be really really really close to silent? Don't get me wrong - the Vortech is a top notch piece of hardware, and well worth the money. It is 100 times better then my last flow solution. Also, I am not a toy freak. I do not need the latest and greatest, and I generally dislike swapping hardware out unless there is a good reason.
However, my house is generally quieter then most, and the tank noise makes it into other rooms. If something is available that is 10 decibels quieter then a Vortech, I might be inclined to spend more of my hard-earned cash and try it. What about a 6000? What about a different model? What about the new nano-streams? How quiet are they? Will they provide appropriate flow for this size and type of tank?
In defense of the Vortech as a pump, my tank and house are really quiet. I have a basement sump and a thick hardwood floor. The ONLY two noises from my tank is a very quiet overflow gurgle and the hum of the Vortech. I seem to recall on the Icecap forum that the Vortech makes a 50 decibel noise from a distance of one or two feet from the pump. This is roughly the noise of several people whispering simultaneously, and is definitely enough to pull the attention of people in adjoining rooms of my house.
I recently posted on the general discussion forums, and got a few comments from 6000 users that these tend to be significantly more silent. One said "absolutely silent" and another said "my two 6000s can barely be heard 5 feet away"
I'm looking for advice from this forum. Is there an option here, appropriate for my type of tank, that would be really really really close to silent? Don't get me wrong - the Vortech is a top notch piece of hardware, and well worth the money. It is 100 times better then my last flow solution. Also, I am not a toy freak. I do not need the latest and greatest, and I generally dislike swapping hardware out unless there is a good reason.
However, my house is generally quieter then most, and the tank noise makes it into other rooms. If something is available that is 10 decibels quieter then a Vortech, I might be inclined to spend more of my hard-earned cash and try it. What about a 6000? What about a different model? What about the new nano-streams? How quiet are they? Will they provide appropriate flow for this size and type of tank?
