[Wetsleeve]

Has anyone taken the time to build soundproof boxes for air pumps to dull the hum? Have some ideas that I'm contemplating

 

[Immortal1]

Well, sortof. I have 4 Tetra Whisper pumps mounted in a vertical rack under the fish tank (in the back of the cabinet). The rack is made out of some particle board and 1/4" plywood. It is suspended from the top of the stand by 2 ropes. The sound does not transmit to the stand and the canister pump sits infront of the whisper pumps. Honestly, with the door on the rack shut, you do have to listen closely to hear them.

 

[Leeatl]

I have not tried to enclose my air pumps . I just place them on a piece of foam rubber or a small towel and that has kept them quite . The sound from filter splash , the air bubbling , fish them selves , etc , is louder than the air pump...lol

 

[gbb0330]

there are many ways to reduce the noise. think in terms of reducing vibration and enclosing the pump.

for example, very simple setup, get a cardboard box, cut a hole for cable and tubing, tape several layers of paper towel to the inside walls and put the air pump inside the box. very important to make sure its not airtight.

 

[Wetsleeve]

I know that friends in high school used mattress foam to sound proof jam rooms. I was thinking of building a nice little wooden box with holes at either end and a latched lid. I would line the box with foam. Any thoughts?

 

[Nordic]

Start with a pump that isn't noisy.
The Dophin ones are really quiet, they used to trade under another name for ages....
If I can hear a pump over the actual bubling, I throw it away.

A small airpump should have a little loop to hang it from a hook, this also isolates the noise, and prevents water from going in the pump.. It is normally part of the rubber base.
One powerful pump uses less power and makes less noise than a bunch of small ones. always take the largest one you can afford.

 

[Wetsleeve]

I bought a couple million air 200s. Quieter than the whisper 20. I didn't even want to use the things but I'm running sponge filters. The sound isn't so bad. They are powerful for the 15 and 20 I'm running them in. I just found the room quiet more serene. If I could mute the hum it would be perfect.