just got one for the first time because i am about to treat the tank with prazipro. it’s a betta and a handful of shrimp in a 5g. i get that pumps make noise but the vibrations are so strong and i can even hear it from another room! it’s already sitting on a towel to soften but i still can’t believe how loud the hum is. are the vibrations stressing the fish?
it’s even attracting the cats and causing them to bat at the tank which they never do. i’m attaching a video but the audio balance isn’t doing it justice
Posted by kumabux
31 Comments
i accepted that idea long ago. unless you have a whole separate room to handle all the filtration ambient noise will be there. im almost deaf to my 4 nero 7s. almost.
There’s a lot of soundproofing you can do if you are creative…
Yeah this is exactly why I don’t use air pumps
I even bought one that was advertised all over as “whisper quiet” and it still drove me batshit
not all pumps are like this i run two tanks in the same room i sleep in and the only noise i hear is the bubbles might be an issue with ur specific pump adding padding around them helps too
Mine makes less noise sitting on a table. I’ve also hung them by the cord from hooks on the wall.
There r ones which make you rally less sound also placement is important
The HITOP Silent Aquarium Air Pumps are pretty good. I got the blue shark and it’s much quieter than my old air pump
I have the standard Tetra air pumps (2x 20 gallon pumps) but the secret is to use an aquarium stand with a built-in cabinet and closing door (I also have the air pumps resting on memory foam slabs) so there is virtually zero pump noise.
Wait till you have kids. Youll find yourself playing this sound on YouTube just to calm yourself 🤣
Pizoelectric air pumps are pretty much silent. It’s just the diaphram ones like that that both die quickly and are loud as hell
I like the little USB units. More than enough power for a sponge filter, almost silent, and in the event of power outage I can run then basically indefinitely with a battery bank.
I have one of those AQQA ones, it barely makes a sound. You also need to put them on a firmer surface and get a check valve if you are worried about water siphoning out.
I use the eHeim Air 200s. The 400s are probably more like what I actually need and I have one in the closet but I’m sound sensitive. It’s probably not all that loud but it’s a bit much for me
Yours is really loud actually. It could be placement (that is a terrible place to put that) or a very poor piece of equipment if not both
This is why I only use underwater filters.
They do tend to generate noise that you have to get used to, but yours does seem a little loud
I feel like it might be vibrating that light a bit, causing more noise. I’d def get a check valve and more tubing so you can put it on the table. If that doesn’t get rid of some of the sound then you may just have a loud air pump.
Took a while to find a decently quiet one that worked for my tank setups, it might be too powerful for your situation. But the one I like is the hitop shark.
Pay extra for a higher quality pump. Mount it remotely in a ventilated cabinet. When you install it, put a foam rubber pad under it to limit vibration. Hanging it suspended it on strings will also dampen vibrations (but takes more effort). Mine is on an inch of foam rubbber and I can’t hear my pump (just the bubbles) if I’m five feet away from the tank, except late at night when the house is dead-quiet.
I liked sleeping to it when I had an aquarium the constant buzzing is soothing.
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I have mine in the cabinet below my tank hidden away. I find wrapping it in layers of old towels help with the noise a ton. Hope that helps.
I couldn’t do it. Mine is hanging in the air, held up by a 🪴above my aquarium
My hygger is dead silent
I sleep with my tank (and air pump) in my room plus two box fans. I find peace in zero silence😌
I opted for a circulation pump, instead.
Get a better pump. That’s not necessary.
You’ll always hear it, but you can find ways to make it quieter. I ended up getting like a big hunk of bubble wrap type packing stuff that made mine so much quieter.
I’ve found that while the air pump itself is noisy, what makes the most noise for me is usually the power cord or air tubes rattling against something. I had to reposition mine and after way too much tinkering, it went from a maddening rattle to a comforting hum.
That ones loud as crap ive got 3 air pumps and none are that loud. I wrap mine in a cloth on a solid surface like a counter. The rattling noise can be stopped usually in mine by seeing if theres a loose screw or something internally. Theres youtube tutorials on it.
But maybe your model is just loud? Ive read reviews for a lot of air pumps that just make them loud
I got sound panels for 20$ and put them behind my aquarium, its not silent but I think it helps quite a bit
I have a small air pump that is suspended in a jar. I cut a hole in the jar lid to run the air tube out, then put a towel on top of the lid hole. It’s damn near silent.
No clue if this helps but I put a clean unused straight out of the package kitchen sponge under my airpump and it muffled it pretty well and I haven’t had any overheating. Not perfect but it was better then nothing
Please remove it from the top of your tank. If the sound drives you crazy imagine what that and the vibrations do to the fish.
Above the water line wont cause a siphon so that is a plus but you could use a shelf.
To try to isolate the sound get some rubber and set it on top. You could also get some silicone and dab a few legs on the bottom let it dry before you flip it but either way should lower the sound. It is possible something inside is loose or bent if isolation doesnt help. I run a massive air pump on two aquariums and another high cfm air pump on another 3 tanks. Believe there are ways.
Clean the air filter or make sure there is one!.