Noisy Internal filter

[stillnzcookie]

We are shifting our 54l tank, so have bought an internal filter, as the HOB will not fit on the new shelf where it is going to be. It is a Blue Planet Tankmaid Pro 1000 and we put it in the tank to run for a while before we shifted the tank. However, it is so noisy that we couldn't run it at night (our tank is in the kitchen, but we could hear it in the bedroom) and we have just taken it out.

I am going to have a play around with it, but as far as we can tell, the glass of the tank is basically acting as a soundboard and amplifying the noise. If we hold the filter in the tank, rather than use the suction cups to attach it to the glass, the noise it makes is negligible, but as soon as we attach it, it gets a very disconcerting buzz/hum which sets your teeth on edge.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how we could muffle the sound? I'm not impressed with the suction cups anyway, as they occasionally come off (and our cories liked to sleep under the filter), so is there any other way to keep it in one place in the tank?

[breakaway]

This sounds like a broken filter.

I've owned numerous internal stick-on filters and power heads that use suction cups. None of them are that noisy. One got mildy noisy once, and I cleaned the impeller, and that shut it up good. Also, none of my filters have 'fallen off' their suction cups.

Take it back and get a refund / replacement.

[stillnzcookie]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Perhaps I should clarify that I'm a very light sleeper and a classical musician, so I'm very sensitive to noise! We had it running in the tank for a number of months, but were turning it off at night (and leaving the other filter going), so I think it's a bit late to take it back anyway. During the day, with other ambient noise around, it's not a major problem, but it is at night.

Regarding the suction cups, I find most suction cups fall off after a period of time. In most cases this isn't a problem, you can just stick them back, but I'd hate the filter to fall off and land on sleeping fish! The suction cups do seem quite small compared with the size and weight of the filter, so I may see if they can be replaced with bigger/stronger ones, but that still doesn't solve our noise problem...

[Caryl]

What is the tank sitting on? I found a filter became noisy when I shifted a tank onto a less dense cabinet. Perhaps it is vibrating with resonance (or whatever) with the stand. What sort of lid is on it? Are you able to put a small piece of wood, metal etc across the top corner of the tank then hang the filter from this with a bit of string or fishing line? Arrange it so it is almost, but not quite, touching the glass.

[stillnzcookie]

The tank is on the kitchen bench and will be moved to a side bench in the kitchen of the same construction. The units are just standard kitchen cabinetry, but the laminate bench is thicker than standard, so it is very solid.

It has a pretty standard plastic lid/light hood, which is very light, so good point - this could be contributing to the noise.

I'll have a look at suspending it and see if that would work - not sure how you would stop it moving though?

Thanks for the ideas!

[stillnzcookie]

Right, I've had a bit of a play around - please give me your thoughts, opinions and any more ideas!

I tried suspending the new filter, but it needs to be touching something, otherwise it ends up shooting water upwards out of the tank. I am considering still using the suction cups to attach it to the back of the tank, but also padding it with a bit of sponge or similar. Do you think this might help?

We had some coral rock in the filter (we need it to buffer our very soft water). This seemed to be making it slightly noisier, so I think I will take it out. If I bury the coral rock under the gravel, will it still work as a pH buffer? Otherwise I guess I can hide it amongst the plants on top of the gravel?

I am going to remove all the filter media (as the filter has been out of the tank for a few weeks now), and clean it before I put it back in the tank. Will washing it under the tap be enough, or should I boil it all?

We will put the new filter back in the tank for a while before we remove the old filter. If I ran the new filter during the day and the old filter at night, would that be enough to get the new filter growing lots of good bugs? How long should I run both filters before I remove the old one?

Thanks!

[Caryl]

You can try the sponge idea to see if it helps. No way to tell otherwise.

As long as the coral is in the water somewhere it will work. It doesn't have to be in the filter.

A rinse will be enough, unless it smells bad, then I would boil it.

What is the point of running one by day and one by night? These filters are designed to run 24/7, not be turned off and on. The water needs to be flowing through the media all the time. Keep the two of them running for 4 weeks and both should be well colonised by then. If the media is interchangeable you could put half the old media in the new filter and half the new media in the old filter. That will speed up the bacteria too.

[stillnzcookie]

Thanks Caryl. I'm worried there is too much water movement with both filters running at the same time - it doesn't seem to leave a still patch of water for the fish to sleep in. When we first put the new filter in (several months ago), we had both running during the day, but were turning the new one off at night, mainly because of the noise problem, but also to give the fish a bit of peace! I figured that the internal filter would still have water in it, even when it was turned off, so it would be ok as long as it was running every day.

I can't use the old media in the new filter, as it is in a sort of plastic frame, and I want to keep it as a backup, so I don't want to cut it up.

[Jennifer]

Nitrifying bacteria generally require oxygen to work properly and since water is relatively low in oxygen, the water must be circulating through the closed filter to support the bacteria within. In other words, shutting the filter off for several hours at a time will most likely be killing off populations of nitrifying bacteria and thus render the filter ineffective for biological filtration.

[breakaway]

Just did a google search, and you say you have a Blue Planet Tank Maid 1000? According to Blue Planet's website, the flow rate of this filter is 1000 L/Hr. On a 54L tank, isn't this simply too much flow?

[stillnzcookie]

Thanks for the replies. Hubby is a water engineer, so he chose the filter and has now modified it to cut down the flow (It was the filter size recommended for tanks 60-100L). So the flow is fine when it is the only filter in the tank, but still a bit much with both filters running. When he gets back, I'll see if he can do a temporary modification to turn it down further for the time being. I agree it would be best to have both filters running 24/7 if we can.

[Caryl]

So can you transfer the media from the old filter into the new one? I know nothing about this brand. If you can transfer the media over you can just run the new filter and shouldn't have any problems.

[breakaway]

^ Again, from the site:

Internal filters sit inside your aquarium, they contain sponge and charcoal, but you also have the option to fill with noodles and other filter media.

[stillnzcookie]

I can't use the old media in the new filter, as it is in a sort of plastic frame, and I want to keep it as a backup, so I don't want to cut it up.

I know we can put different media in the new filter, just not what is already in the old filter! One of the reasons hubby chose this filter was that it had quite a large space to fill with filter media of any sort. Even if I did cut the old stuff out of the frame, I think it would all just fall to bits.

[Caryl]

Ah. A pity the frame won't fit in the new filter :roll:

If it just made of foam etc it would not hurt to cut it out of the frame and stuff it in the new filter. Have you got another tank? Could you just move half the fish over and run the tank with the new filter, doing water changes as required until it finished cycling, then transfer the other half of the fish over later once the bacteria has built up?

[redracer77]

Is the new filter quiet yet? There is no point trying to cycle a filter that is too noisy for you to put up with.

Have you considered a different internal filter, I had an Aqua One internal and have recently replaced it with a fluval and the noise difference is amazing, the fluval is almost silent. Just another option to consider.

[Caryl]

I thought they had decided it was only too noisy when both filters were running? Perhaps I need to go back and re-read from the beginning :-?