Ways To Make Your Aquarium Filter System Quieter

Filters are necessities in fish tanks. However, they can also make unwanted noise. Before trying to make any improvements, you’ll want to check if you can locate where the noise is coming from in the filter. To do so, you can listen closely to the filter and place your hand on it to check for vibration. This can help you pinpoint any faulty hardware so that you can replace or fix any parts before you start making other improvements. If you can’t find an exact cause, you can still do things to alleviate the issue. Here are a few ways you can make your aquarium’s filtration system quieter.

Quiet Your Air Pump

The air pump is on of the most common causes of a noisy filtration system. The first thing you’ll want to check is whether your air pump is vibrating unnecessarily. You can place it in a separate cabinet, hang it up, or place it on a cushion to reduce the amount of vibration. Make sure it hasn’t become clogged from debris or algae either.

Your air pump is likely also making noise because of the bubbles popping when they reach the surface. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about this issue. However, if your tank doesn’t need as many large bubbles as it’s currently getting, you can use air stones instead, as they produce smaller bubbles, making less noise.

Raise the Water Level

A gap between the filter and the water’s surface can lead to lots of splashing and trickling sounds. Additionally, the larger the gap, the louder the noise will be. To mitigate this, you can raise the water level to thin the gap as much as possible, making the splashing sounds quieter. But if you can, submerge the filter entirely to deaden the sound.

Readjust the Flow Rate

The speed of the water can also increase the amount of noise coming from your filtration system, and the higher the flow rate, the more noise the pump will make. If your flow rate is too high, this is going to put a lot of pressure on the system, overworking your filter and making even more noise. Most pumps allow you to adjust the flow rate, so it’s easy to reduce the noise. But be careful, as your tank’s flow rate plays a vital role in filtering the water fast enough to prevent dangerous nitrite and ammonia buildups.

Lubricate the Impeller

Lastly, you can use Vaseline or silicone oil to lubricate your filter’s impeller. The easier your impeller moves, the less noise it will make. To do this, remove the shaft from the impeller and apply your lubrication of choice to the hole. Putting the metal shaft back in will evenly apply the oil, helping the entirety of the impeller run much smoother.

Now that you’re equipped with a few ways to make your aquarium filtration system quieter, you can enjoy your tank without all the noise. And if you’re having trouble finding the equipment you need to help your tank run smoothly, you can head to Fish Tanks Direct. We have everything you need to build the ultimate aquarium. Whether you want protein skimmers to bow front tanks, we have you covered!