How loud is your canister filter?

[rengnath]

Hello,

I've been caring for a GSP for about 8 months now. I have him in a 30 gallon tank and have had an Aqueon 55 filter since I started. The filter was extremly noisy and I decided to upgrade. I really wanted a Rena Filstar FX because all the reviews commented on how quiet it was. When I was at the store however, I asked what was a better filter; the Rena Filstar ($114) or the Fluval 205 (On sale for $109, Regular $119). The employee told me both are good filters, but the Fluvals are well recognized and overall a very good brand. In comparison, the Rena is advertised for a 45 gallon tank @ 250 gph. The Fluval is advertised for a 40 gallon tank @ 180 gph. I know they are just ratings from a box so they cant be trusted, but it is what I went off of. I decided to go with the Fluval 205, figuring it was more expensive and "filtered less" than the Rena, hoping that I was buying quality, not quantity.

Now here my question; what is an acceptable amount of noise from a decent canister filter? The filter is definetly more quiet than my HOB Aqueon, but it isnt silent. Im asking because I dont know what I should be expecting. The filter is making a slight noise that cant even be heard with the old filter on, but with the old filter off you can distinctly hear it. Basically, I want to know if these filters should be silent or are they supposed to make a slight noise from the impeller. I dont want to sound like I want it dead silent, I have just never heard a canister filter and I would like to know, so any feedback from those with cansiter filters would be greatly appreciated. Im definetly interested on what anyone with a Fluval or Rena has to say, but I would also like to know how other brands perform to see if I made a good choice or not. I can always take it back if need be.

And also, do I need to aerate my water with an air stone now that I have little water disturbance? The water has ripples from the filtered water output, but nothing like that of a HOB. I dont want to get to the point where my fish are gasping for breath at the top of the surface; I would rather just get everything I need now because I get fairly busy during the week.

Thanks for all your help everyone!

[dab335]

I have a fluval 305 on one of my tanks and it's wicked quiet. You can't hear anything! Check the propeller in the top piece and make sure it's in correctly!

[riggers]

Noise is probably just vibrations, where are you keeping it? I don't know if they have anything on the bottom, but you could stick some little soft pads to the bottom or something if it is vibration noise.

As to water aeration, I believe you can get spray bar attachments which would aerate the water nicely, not sure how noisy that would be though. Is there a way you could modify the outlet, you might even be able to buy different outlet 'nozzles', although I'm not too familiar with the fluvals so not sure about that.

[rengnath]

I have a fluval 305 on one of my tanks and it's wicked quiet. You can't hear anything! Check the propeller in the top piece and make sure it's in correctly!

Thanks for your response! I just took the cover off the canister to look at the propeller. Nothing seemed to be out of place but I still removed it and replaced it correctly. It is now much quieter, you can only hear a slight "rattle" when you are close to the filter. Much better though! Im impressed with these filters for sure! It was a little more than double for what I paid for my last filter, but it just seems like such a better product. I shouldve went with canister from the beginning!

[rengnath]

Noise is probably just vibrations, where are you keeping it? I don't know if they have anything on the bottom, but you could stick some little soft pads to the bottom or something if it is vibration noise.

As to water aeration, I believe you can get spray bar attachments which would aerate the water nicely, not sure how noisy that would be though. Is there a way you could modify the outlet, you might even be able to buy different outlet 'nozzles', although I'm not too familiar with the fluvals so not sure about that.

The only noise I hear now is the motor (very slight), and then a rattle every second or so (must be from the media). Im going to let it go for 24hrs or so to see how it settles. I have a cabinet for my aquarium, and the filter sits on top of the wood base for that, behind the 2 wood doors. Maybe Ill try taking a towel and setting it underneath it.

I can bring the outlet up a little, it just splashes everywhere. I dont mind the noise of water, its in my bedroom and its quite relaxing and takes away any noise from outside/other rooms in the house while I sleep. Its the sound of plastic on plastic or loud motor noise that I find annoying. I know for aeration, its not bubbles that aerate the water, just disturbance of the surface. I just dont know how much of a disturbance you need on the surface to aerate the water enough for the 3 small fish I have.

[dab335]

With the fluval I have a couple of korelia ( I think that's how it's spelled) propeller fans on either side of the tank for extra water movement because I did have an issue one morning of waking up and my fish were gasping for air ( not fun)! Glad it worked for ya!

[dab335]

Btw, welcome to the forum! Everyone here is great and someone is always willing to offer up advise!

[rengnath]

Btw, welcome to the forum! Everyone here is great and someone is always willing to offer up advise!

Thanks for the welcome. I greatly appreciate it! I've been reading forums for a while, I just haven had anything interesting to ask yet. This is a great resource, and much more trust-worthy than my local fish stores ....

[dab335]

I know! All the saltwater specialty stores are going out of business here and all that's left are petco's and petsmarts and you can't trust any of them!

[rengnath]

I know! All the saltwater specialty stores are going out of business here and all that's left are petco's and petsmarts and you can't trust any of them!

+1
I got my filter today at petsmart, and I asked the guy about aeration of the water and he looked at me like I didnt know what I was talking about. I only go went to petsmart today because the filters at my favorite fish store are marked up 20%+, no joke. But it seems even at my favorite fish store, the staff doesnt want to help you, just sell you stuff. I would be willling to pay for marked-up merchandise if they wanted to help me when I had a question, not just try to sell me something. But it seems Im not the only one that experciences the great customer service and educated suggestions "sarcasm" at the pet stores.

[eieio]

all my filters are Fluvals!
the only time mine tend to get noisey is when there is air in the system, usually after doing filter maintenance, and air bubbles
get trapped in the canister.
a tilt to the side, or front to rear, will "burp" the trapped air.
if your canister is not well below the level of the tank, trapped air will have a difficult time rising up the outlet hose.
adjusting the level of the outlet for surface disturbance is a good idea.
if necessary, you can fix it in place with a zip-tie wrapped around the outlet hose (if it tends to "re-adjust" itself).

Welcome to the forum, rengnath!!! Glad you found us!!!

[eieio]

I know! All the saltwater specialty stores are going out of business here and all that's left are petco's and petsmarts and you can't trust any of them!

+1
I got my filter today at petsmart, and I asked the guy about aeration of the water and he looked at me like I didnt know what I was talking about. I only go went to petsmart today because the filters at my favorite fish store are marked up 20%+, no joke. But it seems even at my favorite fish store, the staff doesnt want to help you, just sell you stuff. I would be willling to pay for marked-up merchandise if they wanted to help me when I had a question, not just try to sell me something. But it seems Im not the only one that experciences the great customer service and educated suggestions "sarcasm" at the pet stores.

unfortunately, most of the employees at the "big box" chains of pet stores aren't necessarily enthusiasts or hobbyists
their product knowledge is therefore limited to (or by) their training
even more unfortunate, is the lack of knowledge at the LFSs, where one would expect some help when needed
retail is going down the tubes for these reasons, and losing sales to the internet big time
and fortunately, there are places such as The Puffer Forum!!

[rengnath]

Thanks eieio!

The only complaint I have about the Fluval is the hosing; its really hard to work with. Im going to let everything just run for a while to see how it performs. I think I got most of the air out of my canister, and now it may just be how it will sound. Correct me if Im wrong, but you can still hear your filter to a point, right? I cant imagine ever getting a filter to be dead silent, or can you?

[dab335]

Much love for the fluvals, lol! I've honestly have had mine for a while and Theyre really easy to use and pretty much trouble free!

[rengnath]

unfortunately, most of the employees at the "big box" chains of pet stores aren't necessarily enthusiasts or hobbyists
their product knowledge is therefore limited to (or by) their training
even more unfortunate, is the lack of knowledge at the LFSs, where one would expect some help when needed
retail is going down the tubes for these reasons, and losing sales to the internet big time
and fortunately, there are places such as The Puffer Forum!!

I couldnt have put that any better! It's really dissappointing when I got to my LFS and ask a question, and they answer it incompletly or with a snotty attitude. Im only 19, and have only had a brackish aquarium for under a year so I dont know everything. I have even told them right out, I want to buy a _______, what do I want to look for? And they take me to the thing Im looking for, and walk away. I now buy everything I can from http://www.thatpetplace.com. I have never dealt with them over the phone, but I have never had a problem and they have great prices. And all over their site, they post things about customer service incase you need help. The only problem with online is it can take a while to get your stuff.