how to have a quiet set up? foam under sump?

[smokinreefer]

hey all,

I've finally decided to get some friends to carry my new 65G tank/stand/sump up to my living room so I can start to transfer my old 25G over.

the tank is in the living room and even the noise from my current all-in-one tank (noise from overflow) drives me nuts. so needless to say even though the new tank is bigger and will have more and larger equipment, I need it to be as silent as possible.

first off, the stand is a prefab standard pine stand with 2 doors. the bottom of the stand is raised off the floor.

so with my sump being inside the cabinet will I need to put some sort of padding underneath the sump? will it help with possible vibration/noise from the return pump, skimmer, etc?

what else can I do to keep noise down?
I will be using a herbie overflow with a gate valve, I've read these to be reliable and quiet.

my returns will be plumbed over the top of the tank. but a bit worried with this. wont the pvc plumbing make noise/vibration since its just resting on the tank itself?

thanks for your input!

[HaZRaTTy]

Hey,

First of all it is good practise to place pink styro under your sump, and tank dude to the weight load and it tends to take pressure off corners and prevents warping and potential disaster. Some swear by it, Some swear you don't need it. Its really your decision. (I suggest you do) If your sump has a black frame around it then you would be okay without it.

As for overflow Herbies are by far the most quiet overflow I have ever ran on any system. Dead Silent! The trick is to have the valve on the main drain and fill the overflow to drain a small amount into your emergency drain. Also make sure your Main drain is far away enough from your Emergency drain so you don't cause suctioning.

You may find vibration noise from running returns up the back of your tank I would just try to minimize the amount the PVC is touching. Spa Flex is another option that may work for the return. I use it in my sump though I have my returns plumbed up through my overflow I don't have any vibration from my return.

This all being said my tank does have noise from powerheads and what not but after awhile you rarely notice the noise.

[monocus]

you could use a plastic plumbers clamp with 2 sided tape to stop vibrations,but it all comes down to what pump you use

[sphelps]

Drain noise will be eliminated by a herbie system, provided it's done properly. Vibration will source from your pumps, mainly the return pump but also the skimmer pump as well. Trying to rely on vibration pads or anything of that nature will ultimately deem unsuccessful. What you need are low vibration pumps, the tank is small enough to use a relatively small return pump so going with something like an ehiem will likely be quite enough. With skimmers however you tend to pay more for something quiet, not only in vibration but in air suction noise as well.

Also just to note if you seal up your cabinet to insulate sound you'll also prevent air circulation which will result in mold growth so the key is really to eliminate the noise by using quality equipment or relocate the sump.