How to Quiet an Aquarium Air Pump

The chances are that you are likely to find some manufacturers claiming that their air pumps are silent. That might not always be the case for most users. This is due to the mechanism used to generate and pump their air. The mechanism is through the vibration of a rubber diaphragm for pumping the air. With such vibrations, you can be sure that an air pump will always have noise.

That being said, you can always take steps and measures to keep the noise levels down. We get to share a few ideas on how you can quiet an aquarium air pump.

Clean the air stones more often

The air stones play an important when it comes to the performance of the air pump. If the air stones are clogged, then there would be a bit of noise from the air pump. The continuous use of the air pump in water is likely to have the algae growing on the air stones. This would make it hard for their air stones to work effectively. It is the reason you have to consider cleaning them more often to have them working properly.

First, you have to make sure it is just cleaning and they do not need replacement. You have to get the air pump out of the water and disconnect the air line. Proceed to blow into the air tip of where the air line was connected. Note the ease or difficulty of blowing through the tip. If the blowing is hard, then it means that the air stone is clogged and has to be cleaned or replaced.

When it comes to the replacement, it is advisable to replace their air stones at least once per year. This is because in a year, they would have been clogged naturally by the algae, dust, fish waste, and bacteria. For those cases where the air pump does not come with an air filter, then the air stones have to replace more often. This could even be monthly.

Keep the air pump on a higher surface than the aquarium water

This is all about the amount of back pressure that can be created with the height. Keeping the air pump at a higher point above the water level in the aquarium makes a huge difference. It will also help with cutting back on the noise generated with better pressure.

This method is not just for keeping the pump silent, but still has other benefits. Let us say the pump fails due to mechanical issues or there is a power outage, then the water would be siphoned into the air line. This is only when the pump is positioned at a lower point than the water level. This could easily lead to damage of the air pump. This is easily avoided by having the air pump on a higher level.

Have the air pump placed on a solid surface

This is just basic physics and acoustics when it comes to vibrations. If the air pump is placed on a hollow container, then it is likely to make more noise. The reason is that the hollow container will amplify the vibrations making them even louder.

The same effect will be felt when you have the pump placed on a thin metal piece or glass. With the increased vibrations and noise, you are going to be irritated easily. The worst could be when you put the air pump on top a speaker of your stereo. The overall design of the speaker system is meant to amplify the sounds. You will even have larger vibrations with a speaker container.

So, what is the solution? In such a case, you might want to consider placing the air pump on a solid surface. It could also be a dense object that should help with dampening the noises. You will easily note that the room will be quieter. Having a quiet pump is always less irritating to many people.

Another mistake that people make is to place the air pump directly on the aquarium or a shelf on top of the aquarium. It is not advisable as it will easily transfer the vibrations to the tank thus making it quite irritating to the fish. You can have your fish living in a calm environment when you place the air pump further away.

Place something soft under your air pump

In most cases, you should find that your air pump comes with rubber feet. The reason is to make sure that the vibrations are kept to a minimum. You too can also keep these vibrations down further by having the air pump standing on something soft. It could be a piece of folded cloth or sponge. These materials are known to dampen the vibration largely. If you have some old socks, you could use the same for dampening the air pump.

Another great option would be using a block of foam for absorbing the vibrations. Make sure you cut a larger block that the pump easily fits so that the vibrations are easily handled. For many people who have used foam, they agree that it is something that delivers the best performance for keeping the air pump noise to a minimum. Some even create a housing for the air pump using foam where they provide passage of the power cords and air lines. This just goes on to show the effectiveness of the material.

Conclusion

Well, it does not have to be always complicated to see that you can end up with the best aquarium air pump that operates quietly. We all know how it can be irritating sitting in a room with a pump making all those noises. From the methods shown above, it is easy to see that through simple ways, you can get it done. Most people who have tried using the methods before having positive results to share as they always end up with the best performance. You too could be the next one once you get to keep the air pump quite.