# Quietest external filtration



## Andrew Butler (11 Feb 2016)

I am after some information about the noise made by external filters in general for starters please.

I would like some opinions about the quietest brand/type of external filter also please.
I am unsure about the exact size of aquarium I will go for but if I was to base the research on something around 1000x500x450mm.

I am also interested to hear whether running certain media help in reducing the noise made by the filter.

Andy


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## zozo (12 Feb 2016)

In most cases it's not always the pump causing all the noise, most pumps if decently constructed and running freely are pretty quiet. But when the canister is placed in a cabinet on a hard surface and it's hoses touching the cabinet side panels then this is the culprit. Every pump vibrates to a certain extend, so placing the pump on a soft surface like a piece of ½ inch thick filter sponge and make sure the canister and hoses don't touch the cabinet you'll be surpriced how quiet it can be. If the canister or a hose touches something hard connected to the cabinet where it can pass on it's vibration then the cabinet will function as a resonance box and only amplify the noise, even more when the doors are closed and drive you totaly mad. Using some soft padding to make sure the canister doesn't dance on a wooden base isn't the problem, if you can't overcome the hoses to touch anything, maybe the more expensive soft silicone tubing will reduce noise.


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## Andrew Butler (12 Feb 2016)

I don't mind spending out for platinum cured silicone and probably would go that route anyhow. Sitting the canister on some closed cell foam I had in mind also so thanks for confirming that. It's more about the pumps inside and units themselves as I assume they are sealed mechanisms to a degree and not open to much modification? I guess trapped air would be a cause of noise so ones that you could eliminate that from easily.



zozo said:


> In most cases it's not always the pump causing all the noise, most pumps if decently constructed and running freely are pretty quiet. But when the canister is placed in a cabinet on a hard surface and it's hoses touching the cabinet side panels then this is the culprit. Every pump vibrates to a certain extend, so placing the pump on a soft surface like a piece of ½ inch thick filter sponge and make sure the canister and hoses don't touch the cabinet you'll be surpriced how quiet it can be. If the canister or a hose touches something hard connected to the cabinet where it can pass on it's vibration then the cabinet will function as a resonance box and only amplify the noise, even more when the doors are closed and drive you totaly mad. Using some soft padding to make sure the canister doesn't dance on a wooden base isn't the problem, if you can't overcome the hoses to touch anything, maybe the more expensive soft silicone tubing will reduce noise.


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## zozo (12 Feb 2016)

Well if you ask me..  It was actualy ADA who gave me the idea to make the best filter i ever had. At first i fell in love with this.



But when i saw the prices i fell out off my pants.. Never the less the idea still is just geniously KIS. (Thanks ADA). It's a simple prefilter cannister with and ordinairly everyday waterpump. 

So since it's in the cabinet no need for me to go fancy on the looks.. Found me a prefilter canister and a pump and it works like a charm and snores silently like a baby. 
Just need to think of something construction whise in your planned sizes.. Something like hang the pump in rubber bands at the cabinets cieling..


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## roadmaster (12 Feb 2016)

I have been using Two eheim 2217's on my 300 litre tank for about three year's now, and I sometimes have to look and see if the surface is rippling, to know that they are operating.
Have had to replace a couple impeller's due to sand getting into the impeller housing, but I would not trade them.
Also have an old model RENA XP3 that is near silent but not as quiet as the Eheim's.


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## fleetEWD (13 Feb 2016)

zozo, is there a thread about the filter you built? if not would you mind putting some details up. Sounds interesting.


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## zozo (13 Feb 2016)

FleetEWD actualy i don't remeber if i did here at UKAPS.. Think not... But actualy it can't be more simple here is a pic, which says more than a 100 words.





I've bought a SunSun HW-603b cannister only without pump which is relatively cheap. The pump i used is a DC 5-12 volt 600 l/h which i regulate with a cheap PWM motor controler to adjust the flow. But this could also be accomplished with a 220 volt pump connected to a Variac dimmer to regulate AC motor speed. These variacs also come pretty small and cheap nowadays.

As you see the construction of the cannister,  it wont trap much air with the outlet centred. The 603b is 2,5 liter cannister content mith 19/22 mm hose connectors, if this isn't sufficient place 2 cannisters in serie there also is a 1,5 liter version with 12/16 mm connectors. Also other brands offer prefilter only cannisters but bit more expensive.

Waterpumps are available in all tastes, colors and sizes to choose from, if it brakes down, swap the pump only and keep filtering..

This setup is now already running a year now 24/7, no problems and as said snors silently like a baby.. Total cost a year ago € 25 on the cannister € 20 on the pump. As said if the pump brakes down € 20 and i'm good to go again.. A 600l/h setup from the LFS?€€? Well look your self.


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## NathanG (13 Feb 2016)

+1 for the 2217. I like the ADA idea but the price is ridiculous. I did see some £100 ada style filters on some Chinese websites. Would like to see somebody put an eheim pump on one and see how it goes.


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## fleetEWD (15 Feb 2016)

Cheers Zozo, you couldn't have made it clearer. I am all for the budget option in this game. it all adds up very quickly and the simpler the better.


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## alto (15 Feb 2016)

Eheim Classic 350 - boxing day sale - filter + media (Substrate pro, sponges etc) + double tap valves + tubing & spray bars etc  ~ € 85




Andrew Butler said:


> quietest brand/type of external filter


Go into shops with display tanks & put your ear next to various filters 
I ended up staying with Eheim, Fluval G3/G6 were also very quite & nice to see the monitored values but more expensive at the time - also bulky but probably the nicest to look at if you need to place a filter on view - I'd've also replaced some of the Fluval tubing etc so that added more $

Ask to see filters put together/taken apart for maintenance etc & see what suits you, look for the "fragile" parts, ask about shipping times on replacement parts (if you're very lucky a local shop may carry stock), warranty etc


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## parotet (13 Mar 2016)

zozo said:


> FleetEWD actualy i don't remeber if i did here at UKAPS.. Think not... But actualy it can't be more simple here is a pic, which says more than a 100 words.
> 
> View attachment 80979
> 
> ...


Hi again 

ADA filters use very expensive pumps. I can't remember the brand but the keep on being expensive even on the second hand market. I think they are industry quality diaphragm valves. According to your experience Marcel, are they necessary? It seems that your 20€ pump does the same job.

Jordi


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## zozo (13 Mar 2016)

parotet said:


> According to your experience Marcel, are they necessary? It seems that your 20€ pump does the same job



I guess it's a matter of preferences and how you look at things. Till now i do not have bad experience with the cheap China pump i bought it's already running for a year now 24/7. Factory specs state 30.000 working hours and i dismantled one to look inside and it's excactly constructed the same way as the more expensive pump (actualy also with a made in china label) i bought a few years ago in a lfs which i use in the pond. Recently i bought this one to use in the sump from my new tank and tho it's different brandname as the one i use on the canister, it's the excact same, looked inside and couldn't find a difference even the parts are interchangeable.

I see it like adding things up, in the lfs i can buy a so called branded pump for €40 or more but just say 40 or i buy 3 x cheaper pump. Till now i do not have the feeling i'm fooling myself since the cheaper pump already is running a year, day in day out, still do not hear any strange noises. And still have 2 pumps spare. And the more expensive pump i have doesn't look constructed any better nor different. Both are still running. Maybe in the end i pay the same, don't know yet, but the way it works till now if so, i have a new pump in regular 2 years intervals. Where the expensive buyer has a in quality slowly decreasing expensive pump for 6 years. This yet i do not know..

From where i stand, i'm more convinced the Name x Import x VAT x Profit (x one year warranty service included) system is fooling me with the more expensive pump from the lfs or local hardware store. And my believe lays that the Name x Profit playes the major role in this story. Service is a hoax nowadays 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs have forgotten what this word stands for. In most cases if you have a question you may call a service number already costing you 20 cents a minute extra.

When i started again last year i decided to do it this way and take my chances.. Till now nothing proved me wrong.


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## Chris Jackson (13 Mar 2016)

+1 for Ehiem here. I've had several over the years that have been reliable and near silent and my newest a Classic 2217 is the quietest and best of the lot! 
ADA filters certainly look the business, they use Iwaki magnet pumps. I have a couple of Iwaki pumps and they get very hot and aren't especially quiet or energy efficient but they are very solidly built and have a great reputation for reliability. An Ehiem classic offers all the functionality of the ADA's more quietly and more efficiently but with way less style and tactile pleasure....


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## zozo (13 Mar 2016)

What kinda helped me over the edge, is not only the pumps cost, but also this.
http://www.waterzoo.co.uk/Eheim_Impeller_2213-M764
My pump is cheaper than an eheim spare part impeller. When it comes to noise, i do not realy hear my little pump.. My pump indeed does not have those rubber on it's axle. I guess that makes the size difference, it pushes 1000 liter an hour but is 3 times smaller. But still i read topics of people using eheim also complain about noise due to passed on vibration to the cabinet. So no matter what pump you use this you need to take in consideration. Let it run freely.

Here you can hear my cheapo running sucking the canister and pushing the sand filter. You barely hear it running from less than 50 cm away, compared to the very low noise peep you hear when power is not met when starting it up..


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## Berlioz (13 Mar 2016)

Eheim 2215 was by far the quietest filter I've owned. It stayed consistently quiet until it broke (up until then I couldn't hear it unless my ear was against it). The Fluval 306 I replaced it with is not as quiet in the dead of night, but certainly not loud either.


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