My tolerance is shot....

[Daddy-o]

I turn off half the stuff at night. Fans off, skimmer off, 1/2 return pump off

 

[vetteguy53081]

I wear ear plugs to drown out my minute hand of favorite corvette clock. I dont hear the tanks either once ear plugs are in

 

[saltcats]

Try this

For the air pump itself I found putting it on a mousepad almost totally silenced mine - the squishy floppy kind of mousepad, not the ones with the hard top.

 

[Bleigh]

I’m in a studio. I eventually just got used to the sound. The one sound that still bugs me is the sound of my mixing pump. That usually gets unplugged at night and plugged back in the next morning.

you could probably get a cheap outlet controller. I use one for my Halloween lights. Then it will turn itself off at night and turn back on in the morning and drive you a little less batty?

 

[andrewkw]

Once you see some progress you'll forget about the sounds and be happy Seriously though I think you will get used to it. In the mean time perhaps you can partially cover them, or slow the bubble rate down at night. Maybe some sheets of foam around everything in sorta a makeshift box would work if you have room to store them during the day.

I am the exact opposite while I have no tanks in my bedroom if the power goes out while I'm asleep the no humming from pumps in the house (door open) or fan noise and I'm up right away.

 

[reefruss]

My tank is in the living room so at night I wouldn't hear anything anyway. But it was still noisy when all the equipment was in the the cabinet below the tank so I drilled holes though my floor and moved the sumps (I have two) to the garage below. It's good to be on the 2nd floor for this to work. Now all I hear is the circulation pumps.

 

[Derrick Henry]

....when it comes to dealing with sounds at night. After 5 ish years of no aquariums bubbling, I can’t sleep with an air pump in the room. This would be great....if studios were the same price as 1 bedroom apartments. And no, I’m not asking for commentary about housing or living prices anywhere, please keep that to yourself.

Does anybody have tips on how to make loud things less noisy? Specifically regarding air bubbles? I know about the fluffy rule (wrap anything noisy in cloth to make it less noisy), but the air bubbles from sponge filters and brine shrimp hatcheries is simply too much....

Hi.i don't think you can 100% eliminate all noise but as one who designs system for a living it is possible to get a near silent tank.the key is going to be selecting your equipments carefully .it also helps if you are able to also customize your aquarium setup.first i would start with an aquarium that allows for a good overflow configuration plenty of surface skim and multiple drains ideally three.plumb with hard plumbing with as little turns as possible. Too large a plumbing is problematic, so match the size plumbing to the return pump capacity. Bigger is not always better. Plumb the drains in a full siphon / half siphon/emergency configuration paying attention to the normal running water hight in the overflow box: you want it as close to the water height in the main tank so as to eliminate the splashing as it goes from the main tank into the overflow box .fine tune the drains to eliminate all gurgling and air. be sure the sump is designed to have the drains under water so as to reduce splashing noise as it enters sump.run water level in the sock area high, also for the same reason. it may be necessary to run a reduced flow through the overall system to reduce turbulence are water travels through sump. Select as quiet as possible return pumps. dc pumps seems to be the preferred option for this and running it in sump as opposed to external allows for more noise dampening. Make sure returns enter tank under water to avoid surface splashing. Choose a DC pump skimmer.be sure it has rubber feet and an air silencer. It can be further assisted if the air intake can be safely routed outside (be sure to protect intake from critters and fumes this option is based on your location ).it help to also select light that have quiet fan operations and be sure the fans are kept clean so as not to rattle. Some will run at slower speeds if intensity is not set high. select powerheads that are quiet to begin with and set modes that are noisier ( pulse etc. )in the daytime .keep powerheads clean of algae and well maintained with regular vinegar soaks so all parts run freely. Hopefully this helps

 

[bsr2430]

More you drink, less you hear.

 

[Tamberav]

Uhh I find All in one tanks with the right wav/return pumps and and no skimmer can be run near silent. I use those in my bedroom.

 

[Uncle99]

Bubbles....in a reef tank.....
Why is this required?
Many other ways to provide movement for gas exchange.

 

[bsr2430]

Bubbles....in a reef tank.....
Why is this required?
Many other ways to provide movement for gas exchange.

Bubbles are required, haven’t you watched Finding Nemo? If this isn’t true, well my mind will be blown!

 

[Rp8]

Try drowning it out with another noise. My tank isn't bad, but I use an air purifier. It cleans the air and is a constant background noise.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Bubbles....in a reef tank.....
Why is this required?
Many other ways to provide movement for gas exchange.

Brine shrimp hatcheries, air powered sponge filters for freshwater tanks, etc.

 

[Weasel1960]

Can you make a box out of pink insulation board? Keep noisy stuff inside box with some ventilation holes or a small computer fan to draw air through the box if needed.

 

[KWT]

You might consider yourself lucky, it would be nice to hear a lot more things today, that is not always possible.

 

[gentlefish]

....when it comes to dealing with sounds at night. After 5 ish years of no aquariums bubbling, I can’t sleep with an air pump in the room. This would be great....if studios were the same price as 1 bedroom apartments. And no, I’m not asking for commentary about housing or living prices anywhere, please keep that to yourself.

Does anybody have tips on how to make loud things less noisy? Specifically regarding air bubbles? I know about the fluffy rule (wrap anything noisy in cloth to make it less noisy), but the air bubbles from sponge filters and brine shrimp hatcheries is simply too much....

That’s unfortunate. I have tried with piezoelectric air pump myself. It’s more quiet, but not dead silent. Less air comes out in finer bubbles. Best of Luck!

 

[Mike from TN]

When I was younger, I lived in a studio right across from a rail yard. Every night, they would keep the crossing gates down while they linked cars.
ding ding ding ding ding, ALL night EVERY night.
Got used to it and when I moved, I couldn’t sleep to save my life. True story!

 

[Laith]

A tank as silent as possible was one of my main criteria when I was planning my tank.

So the only choice I had was to spend more money on equipment that does not make noise. For example, I can't even tell if my skimmer is on or off unless I look... or the return pumps...

A noisy large tank in our living room was not going to pass the spouse test... or mine either for that matter. Nothing like watching the tank and just hearing a quiet hum. ;Happy