Quiet pumps - big or small?

[Robert Smith]

Hi all,

I'm about to replace an older external cannister with a home-made system and was looking for feedback on pumps (submersible, for a 100L tank) that are quiet. The old Pegasso is just making too much noise.

1) Is it quieter to use a high volume rated pump at only a fraction of the rated capacity or is it better to run a smaller pump flat out?

- My existing filter just runs at constant speed and the outflow is controlled by gradually closing a valve. I could see that this half-open valve could generate noise. Is this the case?

- Can you buy pumps with variable speed or do they all just have on/off?

2) Does immersing the pump in an external 'sump' make them quieter? I assume yes.

3) Any recommendations on cheap(er) pumps, say:

- Eheim (which I assume is the gold standard)

vs

- Hailea

- Hydor

- AquaBee

- Others?

[Ira]

You must be talking water pumps? If so there isn't any way to really run them at less than full capacity. They always run flat out, the best you can do is restrict them. Like slowing a car with the throttle stuck wide open by standing on the brakes to go the speed you want.

Generally bigger is going to be noisier, quieter is going to be more expensive. In the water will be quieter.

First you need to decide how much flow you want then go from there. If you want 2000lph through the filter you'll probably want a pump rated at around 3000 or more LPH at 0 head.

I'd personally go for a Laguna pump. Good price, good performance, a bit noisier than something like an eheim, but far cheaper.

[Robert Smith]

Thanks Ira,

Yes, water pumps. I'm loathe to pay out so much for a small Eheim pump. And my previous experience with cheap pumps was bad, so I was looking for something in the middle. Thanks for the tip on Laguna.