Why is it so loud?

[Lissa1987]

Ok, so my tank is crazy loud, it is a drilled reef ready that was set up by a local fish store so I'm not entirely sure what the plumbing consists of without a lot of breaking stuff down... Any ideas?

 

[Max!]

That sounds like a pump. Or something vibrating against a hard surface. Try making sure your sump pump intake is fully submerged, the return lines or the pump itself isn't resting on anything (other than the feet it's supposed to be resting on). If you determine it's not that you could always check your skimmer's pump, any other pumps, powerheads, etc. Personally I have a powerhead that rawrs like a dinosaur that I'm going to replace soon enough!

 

[Danj]

It could just be my phone speakers, but I think there's definitely some noise from trickling water. Any idea where that would be coming from? First guess would be the overflow and associated plumbing. Any idea if there's a valve in that line, or better yet, what style of plumbing it is? (Herbie, durso, beananimal, etc)

 

[Orko]

I agree wih Max it could be your return pump or your skimmer pump vibrating on your sup I would lift your return pump just a bit and see if it changes the sound and do the the same for skimmer ctually you can put your hand on the pump and it will change the frequency of the humming hope it helps narrow down the sound. if it is one of

 

[Max!]

It could just be my phone speakers, but I think there's definitely some noise from trickling water. Any idea where that would be coming from? First guess would be the overflow and associated plumbing. Any idea if there's a valve in that line, or better yet, what style of plumbing it is? (Herbie, durso, beananimal, etc)

Could you attach a picture of the return line plumbing? Most reef-ready tanks are dursos by default I think

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello,

You can play csi. Unplug 1 pump at a time and see which one stops being noisy. This will help figure out which one needs the attention

 

[ca1ore]

Doesn't seem all that noisy to me. I hear some trickling and pump hum, but only if I turned my computer audio to max. What kind of pump are you using?

 

[Hemmdog]

Doesn’t seem to bad.

 

[smartwater101]

Sounds like the return pipe is above the water line? Can you extend it a bit? Hard to see where its coming in.

 

[Lissa1987]

Ok, so I think the pump problem is the skimmer...I have another i will replace it with to see.. Here are the best pictures i could get of the plumbing without taking it apart... Also, It is really loud...My phone video may not have captured that but it is not only loud in the office that the tank is located, you can hear it in the master bathroom through the walls (mostly the gurgling/tricking).

 

[Lissa1987]

Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions! Keep them coming because unless I can get this one quieter, I’m not allowed another in the room!

 

[Max!]

Is your return line a straight shot into your sump? does it angle at all?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello

If you are hearing gurgle or trickling that sounds like a separate issue caused by the standpipe drain.

 

[Lissa1987]

Does this help?

 

[Max!]

Does this help?

Yessum' So you see how your water is just flying out of that bulkhead like kids running out of school on the last day? It's likely splashing causing that lovely niagra falls noise you despise. Another thing that doesn't help is your water is falling at an accelerated rate because, well, you know, gravity and then hitting that elbow full force and being throw 90 degress to the left which makes for a rough ride which in turn means more noise. I'll show you 2 versions of my return I did Riiiiiiiiiiight

here! So that black horizontal line was my return. Mine, much like yours had the water hitting a 90 degree angle and then had the water rush to the left and into the sump. While creating an angle much like the second picture where the water (in comparison to the first return) gradually descended did help with some water noise, I don't think it's a great idea to start chopping up your plumbing until you try this next option which I will explain in the next paragraph because this paragraph is annoying me

So in the second picture you see how its that pvc coming down with a ball valve then continuing down into the sump? It is submerged far below the water level to eliminate that splashing sound of water hitting the surface of water. Ignore the bubbles it's still breaking in.

To sum that all up I would take a piece of PVC, shove it in the bulkhead where the water is flowing out of so the water no longer hits the surface of the sump but is released below the surface of the water. Then maybe add a ball valve if you're up for it.

Cheers to a second tank in that room!

-Max

 

[Max!]

BY THE WAY... I love that skimmer and sump - They're the recipe for success!

 

[Lissa1987]

unfortunately, I just looked/felt, and there is a pipe going down under the water level after the bulkhead...So I am assuming my only option is the ball valve.

 

[TheGreatWave]

I had an eShopps sump that was noisy even with the gate valve and the pipe submerged just below the surface.

It was actually the water dropping into the filter sock compartment. You may or may not want the valve for other reasons, not a bad idea but the sump still may make noise. (My systems are effectively silent, the loudest thing is always the skimmer.)

To solve the problem I cut a block of foam and put it in the top of the filter sock hole, so that the water runs down the sponge quietly to the next water level, instead of dropping and dripping into the hole.

I just cleaned the sponge every 6 months or so, it was a very coarse sponge. The eShopps sumps have similar foam in other locations, so it doesn't really change anything. I don't run a filter sock.

If by chance that is not the noise, or you want to verify, get a length of rigid pipe and hold it up to your ear, use the other end to point at things in the sump, it will become obvious when get over the noisy area.