Just a Thought on Tank Noise

sundog101 · Oct 8, 2017

Most tanks today are fairly quiet (at least from our perspective), but if you’ve ever put your ear up to the glass or listened to an underwater video of a tank, it’s a different story. I’m not sure exactly how loud fish would sense the hum of pumps to be, but I imagine it’s different than living in the ocean. For people, long plane rides, especially small planes and even more so twin engines where the engines are not perfectly synced will about drive you crazy. I wonder if the constant low drone in tanks could negatively effect fish health or cause stress. Could some fish that are said to be better left in the ocean maybe be more sensitive to noises in tanks? Obviously pumps are going to create vibration, but should we place more emphasis on reducing noise inside of tanks? Just a thought.

Flippers4pups · Oct 8, 2017

I not aware of any studies done on noise in our tanks and how that effects fish or coral health. I have see underwater videos of natural reefs that have sound with them and it’s quite noisy.

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 8, 2017

sundog101 said:
Most tanks today are fairly quiet (at least from our perspective), but if you’ve ever put your ear up to the glass or listened to an underwater video of a tank, it’s a different story. I’m not sure exactly how loud fish would sense the hum of pumps to be, but I imagine it’s different than living in the ocean. For people, long plane rides, especially small planes and even more so twin engines where the engines are not perfectly synced will about drive you crazy. I wonder if the constant low drone in tanks could negatively effect fish health or cause stress. Could some fish that are said to be better left in the ocean maybe be more sensitive to noises in tanks? Obviously pumps are going to create vibration, but should we place more emphasis on reducing noise inside of tanks? Just a thought.

If you ever get the chance to dive on a reef, you'll quickly realize they aren't quiet places. Pistol shrimps, for instance, can number in the thousands in a very small area in natural reefs and their constant clicking can be deafening. Parrot fish also make really loud crunching noises as they process algae from rocks and corals by chewing them up. Waves crashing, fish calls, and many other sounds are always present on the reef and while I can respect that aquarium sounds can be very different from natural reef sounds, I believe that the fish get used to them just as we do with the sounds of our A/C units, fridges, ceiling fans, etc.

However, noises from tapping on the glass are loud, unexpected, and differ from the normal sounds that fish experience every day and I do believe tapping on the glass can freak some fish out.

Flippers4pups · Oct 8, 2017

That and loud TVs, home stereos. Banging doors, floors, kids and toys........ you know life in general can be loud.

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 8, 2017

I just did some quick reading and read that ship noises, air cannon blasts, and some other loud underwater noises can cause fish to produce a stress hormone which can inhibit egg production and cause lethargic behavior in some fish. I highly doubt the regular and much quieter hum of aquarium pumps can be compared in any way to those noises. The only noise any of my fish seem to have a problem with is the sound of my ATO pump vibrating the tank stand and such and even then the only fish that hates it is my yellow watchman goby and his pistol shrimp. I suspect this may be due to them both being on the floor of the tank and also being relatively new additions to the tank.