The Puffer Forum

So, I've set up a 20 tank that will end up being brackish housing a figure 8 (maybe 2?) and a couple Bumble Bee gobies.
This tank is next to my bed, so I'm wondering if anyone has any good suggestions for a filter that is quiet. I've heard good things about bio-wheels, but are they loud?
I was also like the double ones, but I think they're about 400gph. Would that be too much?

20g would be good for one F8. The gobies will likely end up as lunch one day.

You should invest in a canister filter. You could tuck it away below the tank to minimize any noise. Or even have it in an enclosure.

I have a Fluval 304, and it is dead silent. Eheims are more expensive, but are very silent and highly recommended as well.

I haven't met a quiet power filter yet, but there are bound to be some quieter than others. Somebody will pipe in on suggestions soon. The Whisper filter I have is the least noisesome of all the ones I own. All of my AquaClears rattle. 400GPH seems like a lot of current for a 20 gallon tank. I use 2 150gph filters on my 20 gallon long. Some say the more filtration the better though. Just my .02 cents.

I have a whisper that is the noisiest of the bunch! The impeller likely needs replacement, though.

We installed a Rena Filstar XP1 on our bedroom 20g and it's dead quiet. If it weren't for the plants moving around in the current, I would have to check to make sure it's plugged in. In general, canister filters are going to be quieter than HOB filters since you can run the returns in below the surface of the water.

My eheim 2215 canister used to be dead quiet too but it's letting air in somehow which causes noise.

The only truely quiet filters I've heard are all canisters. Eheim, Fluval or Filstars.

My power filters can be quiet if the water level is kept all the way up and nothing is stuck to the intake tube (leaves, etc), but if the tube gets gunked up a little or the water level drops they start making all kinds of water fall/gurgling noise.

Next to a bed I'd 100% recommend paying the money for a cannister filter, and personally I like the Filstars the best.

For me, the only totally silent filters are Eheims, and preferably the Classic series. Those however are not as user-friendly as the Pro series.

I agree with the vote for canister filters and especially the comment about Eheims. I have a Pro II model and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. They are absolutely silent, easy to clean and seem to last forever.

I run an Aqualear 50 in my room. It's utterly silent.

YBeNormal wrote:I agree with the vote for canister filters and especially the comment about Eheims. I have a Pro II model and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. They are absolutely silent, easy to clean and seem to last forever.

I'd go for that.
Another suggestion is EHEIM ECCO series. It's cheaper than Pro II series and very silent and easy to clean. I have 2 in my bedroom and they are absolutely silent.

my Fluval 304 and whisper filters are very silent.

the only thing that makes noise on my SW tank is my skimmer...

I have 5 tanks in my room. Each of them have their own canisters (Fluvals and Primes) and atleast 1 HOB filter (Penguin BioWheels, AquaClears, and supprisingly some old generic filters from petsmart) for over filtration. The only sound I ever hear from them is from water to water contact from the outtake of a HOB so it sounds like trickling water but you get use to it becomes slightly soothing sometimes.

The only sound I ever hear from them is from water to water contact from the outtake of a HOB so it sounds like trickling water but you get use to it becomes slightly soothing sometimes.

I've had 3 different people give me those soothing sounding fountains as gifts. What for?

Yeah I bet you might hear enough of flowing water at home with your tanks, lol. Some people believe they bring feng shui, or however you spell it, into the home.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I do have fluvals on a couple of my tanks and they are pretty silet. I had a generic walmart filter in the bedroom before and it was silent, too. But the most recent whisper I tried was too noisy. I don't mind the trickly water noise, but I can't stand the sound of loud motors and especially rattling or grinding impeller blades. I guess maybe I should get another canister.
Or I could get a good HOB for my 29 and move the Fluval 204 into the bedroom. A Fluval 204 would be about perfect, wouldn't it? It wouldn't be too much current for a 20g, would it? How big a bio-wheel would you recommend for a 29g? (I like to overfilter)

Usually a grinding impeller means somethings worn, old, broken, and or needs replacing. (very strange right after the first post I made on this topic my impeller on my 30 longs Bio-Wheel began to grind... think another snail got in the intake tube and jammed itself in the impeller.)

Fluval 204 on a 29 would be sufficient but I would still over filter with a H.O.T. Magnum or a normal HOB Bio-Wheel. If you really like to over filter go with the largest Or if you want to overfilter by a tad go with an Emperor 280.