How noisy are your average fish tanks?

[JLorraine]

I don’t even have a tank yet. Hubby brought up getting a fish tank again recently now that our daughter is a little older and we are stuck at home for a few more weeks. We have a really nice local tropical fish store just minutes away as a bonus!

Anyway, We have a very small house. And I was wondering how much background noise we will have from it? It’s been YEARS since I had a fish tank (as a child) and I can’t remember. How about smell? Is there any fishy, musty, pond type odors?
Thanks!

 

[Rcslade124]

With water in aquarium at right level and good filter it can be pretty silent. Air pumps can be loudest thing if you have one. Should not smell the tank ever. If u can smell the tank on other side of the room it needs a good cleaning

 

[Dewclaw83]

I have 9 tanks in my bedroom The HOBs I use have the slightest hum, but most of my noise comes from my sponge filters, so even then it’s just a bubbling that’s actually quite pleasant! The noisiest thing is the air pump for the sponge filters, but that’s also only a quiet hum as long as they’re placed properly. I don’t find there’s much of a smell unless something is off (e.g. algae)

 

[TWiG87]

I have a 20 gallon tank in my living room and I am currently sitting about 10 feet from it and I can’t hear a thing. I run a canister filter with the return spray bar underneath the water. About 1.5” beneath the surface. It’s essentially a silent setup.

 

[david1978]

About as much as a box fan on medium.

 

[Prest12]

My filters can rattle a little bit, but it’s really only heard when the room is silent. Air pumps should make little to no noise so long as nothing is touching them. As for smell, I can’t smell anything even if I open up my tanks, and stick my face a few inches from the water.

 

[H Farnsworth]

Mine are silent when the water level is correct. Once it drops below 3 inches it kinda sounds like a small river. Orange extract can help eliminate smelll issues. Also proper maintenance will keep smell down.

 

[BlackOsprey]

It's negligible white noise for the most part. At most, you might hear the hum of a larger hang-on-back filter or air pump, or some quiet bubbling. I actually like having the sound of 2 air pumps and a HOB in my room to keep the silence from being painful. Avoid imagitarium air pumps because their hum is ridiculously loud.

A healthy, well-cared for tank shouldn't smell much like anything, maybe wet leaves at most if you've got a planted tank and put your nose right above the water. A lid further reduces any smell it might have.

 

[trahana]

All my tanks are in my bedroom, so they are super quiet! The noisiest thing is the timers, click-click-click-click, the timers that control my light and airpump are constintly making small amounts of noise. I have pillows that I put over or lean up agains them and it blocks the noise.
The second noisiest thing is my fish. They splash, and they bubble(bettas), and every time I here them splash I think one might have managed to jump out through some tiny gap in my hood and that startles me awake, and makes me grab a flashlight to count bettas.

 

[Ebreus]

Heh, lots of replies saying how quiet they are. My tank is only a few months old.
I've got a Hang on Back (HOB) filter and I thought it was a little noisy at first but it's the sort of thing one can tune out after a few hours. I don't hear the filter at all except when its nearing time for a water change... and after the change everything is nice and quiet again.
I have a horrible sense of smell but nobody I live with has said anything about an odor except one time when I removed a patch of cyanobacteria and some dead leaves from the tank. Fish aren't ferrets though, they are pretty good on not making smells.

 

[flyinGourami]

My hob does have a slight hum, but you can only hear it when you try to(and you have to be standing right next to the tank). You can hear the water, but its barely noticeable. In my opinion, the noise isn't an isn't an issue unless you have a cheap filter and the tank is in your room.
As for the smell, there is a smell if you try to smell it(for example, if you stick your nose really near the water surface). However, if everything is alright then the smell shouldn't be noticeable.

 

[Dewclaw83]

All my tanks are in my bedroom, so they are super quiet! The noisiest thing is the timers, click-click-click-click, the timers that control my light and airpump are constintly making small amounts of noise. I have pillows that I put over or lean up agains them and it blocks the noise.
The second noisiest thing is my fish. They splash, and they bubble(bettas), and every time I here them splash I think one might have managed to jump out through some tiny gap in my hood and that startles me awake, and makes me grab a flashlight to count bettas.

Same on the checking lol
But your timers click constantly? Mine only click when the lights turn on or off

 

[OniEG]

Silent

 

[StarGirl]

If you are worried about noise get a canister filter and hang your air pumps from something not touching anything. You won't hear much at all.

 

[JLorraine]

Thanks everyone! I actually like the trickling water sound. The noise wouldn’t bother me but any smell would.

 

[Debbie1986]

I don't notice a smell but I do change out filtes every month so the charcoal kills the smell for me ( stagnant pond smell)

I have two 20 gallons in my bedroom & cannot hear them over my ceiling fan.

 

[StarGirl]

I don't notice a smell but I do change out filtes every month so the charcoal kills the smell for me ( stagnant pond smell)

I have two 20 gallons in my bedroom & cannot hear them over my ceiling fan.

You are really not supposed to change those every month. You are throwing away you BB. Im surprised you dont have spikes.

 

[EbiAqua]

Mine are basically silent, unless a little too much water has evaporated. The only noise I really hear is my CO2 diffusers making a faint, whistling sound if the room is dead quiet.

 

[Debbie1986]

You are really not supposed to change those every month. You are throwing away you BB. Im surprised you dont have spikes.

yes, i know ppl say that. but I really dislike the swampy smell. I don't clean the HOB filter at same time, so the BB trapped there goes right into new filter charcoal pad. My tanks are all heavily planted so it's more forgiving.

 

[MacZ]

I only hear my tank at night in case the window is closed. Usually it's just a very subtle splishing sound and the humming from the pump I can only hear if the filter touches the casing.

 

[Sorg67]

I have five tanks in a fish room. One has a canister filter and is completely silent as long as the water level is high enough that the spray bar does not gurgle. My HOBs vary. One is completely silent. Another is barely noticeable. The third has a bit of a grinding noise.

The sponge filters make bubbling noise. The air pump is noisy. I keep it in the closet and run the air line under the closet door and I cannot hear it when the closet door is closed.

I do not notice any smell. I assume regular water changes keep the smell in check. I have also heard that carbon can reduce smell. Different people have different opinions about the use of carbon. I have not studied the pluses and minuses of carbon use.

Overall my fish room is pleasant to sit in.