Noise Reduction

[ggenz]

ok, id like to have a tank in my bedroom but id also like to be able to sleep

im thinking a 20high with a sump and the return is low flow,

im going to start with a fowlr and when i have the money, buy some corals

how loud are the css skimmers?(illl probablygeta css65)

could i put the air intake(that whistles) in another room to make it quieter?

does anyone have some more ideas to make the tank quieter overall?

are there any products (pumps, etc.) that are significantly quieter than all the rest?

thanks

 

[kevin gu3]

Stick the sump in the room or closet on the other side of the wall next to your tank.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

for fowlr tank....i would get a canister (Fluval 304~404 would be awesome)......just my 2cents

 

[ggenz]

i woul like to do that but i dont think my parents would allow it

 

[Mike.B]

Well I just setup may tank today in my room and the sumps by far the loudest, I minimized the overflow noise to next to nothing with the use of some foam and cutting waterflow a bit.

I hear 2 things, a cheap loud pump, new pump will fix that(getting next week)

The constant creektype sound, not as loud as a waterfall, but you definetly know waters flowing. I have no idea how to rid of this, hopefully more people will respond because I want to get rid of this.

O and since my tanks in my room, I also notice about once a minute a big bubble comes from the sump intake.

 

[ggenz]

imgetting a ehiem to start so that should be quieter and i already have an emperor 280 in my room (freshwater)

does the water flowing sound anything like a hob filter?

 

[ChemE]

ggenz,

You are the ideal candidate for the low-flow sump/skimmer loop. If you get a custom made tank with the sump behind it rather than 4' below it you can get away with a MaxiJet 400 for your return pump. Many people here on RC will initially balk/laugh at this but ignore them. Every time they challenge me on this they back down. Many here have increased skimmate production by reducing the flow rate through their skimmer/sump loop. The industry standard of 5 tank volumes per hour is arbitrary and ridiculous. You need 1-1.5 tanks per hour if you are direct feeding a CC airstone skimmer and this is ideal from a noise standpoint.

Use a MJ900 for your main circulation, use a coast-to-coast toothless overflow, route *all* the overflow water from the disaply through a CC airstone skimmer, use a sump whose water line is 6" below the water level in the display, use an in-sump MJ400 for your sump return, return the water from the sump through a bulkhead in the display's back wall about 2/3 of the way down, and don't use a chiller. This will ensure a deadly silent tank. The loudest thing will be the air pump that runs the skimmer and if you choose correctly, this will be very quiet.

Most importantly, don't listen to anyone here that tries to spout "rules of thumb" at you as these generally are contrived by the mentally lazy as a means of avoiding thinking (5 turnovers per hour, 10 watts per gallon, etc., etc. All largely nonesense).

 

[ggenz]

thats sounds good, what about a css skimmer?

im probably going to get the corallife, how much louder would that be?

im assuming the maxi jet isnt very loud

there isnt any reason that the sump couldnt be on a stand next to that of the tank right?

 

[ggenz]

How much louder is the ehiem than a maxijet?"

 

[Melnick]

I just set up my css65 and you can hear it but I would not call it loud. The air intake is no problem - just add about 3 ft of airline tubing in a coil and you can't hear it at all. The pump and swirling water are what you hear and to me it sounds as loud as my Mag 7 return pump.

I have a sump and also wanted a quiet tank. A tip I picked up on this board is to drill 2 drains for your in-tank overflow, one with a tall pipe close to the level of your tank water and one shorter pipe 6-8 inches shorter. Underneath on the "short" pipe put a valve a close to the waterline of your sump and then restrict the water flow until the level in your overflow chamber is about an inch from the aquarium water line. No air is sucked in the return pipe so no gurgling and the water does not fall far into the overflow so no waterfall. The longer pipe is just a fail safe in case something were to clog the shorter pipe.

Hope this helps.

 

[ggenz]

thanks, any other ideas?

 

[ChemE]

No reason at all...

No reason at all...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6867033#post6867033 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ggenz
...there isnt any reason that the sump couldnt be on a stand next to that of the tank right?

There sure isn't. For my next tank I'm planning a 240 tall and the sump will be no more than 6" below the display and behind it. This will allow me to use 2 MJ900's as the return pump. 17 watts and $30 for an incredibly reliable and dead silent return pump for a 240 sounds like a heck of an idea to me.

 

[ggenz]

im going to move some stuff around to see if that might work

anything else?

 

[ChemE]

I'd do that and then see what is the loudest component and then address that. If you keep repeating that process you'll wind up with a very quiet tank. The loudest part of my tank is a toss up between the water falling 3 inches into the overflow box (I could raise my Durso to quiet this) or the 80 mm 12V PC fan in the canopy (I could switch to a 120 mm 7V PC fan to quiet this). Neither is louder than the central air conditioner so I'll probably not address either. I can't hear my return pump, powerheads, or skimmer at all.

 

[unit91]

if the sump is under your tank and in a stand ... have you tried insulating the stand?

 

[ggenz]

i dont have anything set up yet,im planning as of now but yes, i plan on insulating the stand

i think im going to put the sump directly below the tank, on the side would probably work better but then i will have to put stuff up around it to keep the refuge light from shining in the middle of the night, i dont really have enough room to work with