help me design a silent system!

[smokinreefer]

Hey everyone,

I've been talking about it for a while now, but now that i'm settled in, it's time to actually start doing something!

I've decided to set up a smallish 45 gallon, 24x24x18H cube tank in my computer room. Now this room is right across from my bedroom, so i would like it to be as silent as possible.

The only thing that i cannot change is the lighting and skimmer.
lighting will consist of a single 250W DE 14,000k MH pendant.
skimming will be done by an Euro-Reef ES5-3.

only othe restraint is overall size of the system, the room is small, so i would like to keep the stand the same width/depth of the tank. there will also be a sump in the stand.

i would like to keep things as simple as possible, and because of the space limitations i dont believe i will be able to have an autotopoff, calcium reactor or a kalk reactor.

what i really need is help designing the plumbing, stand, sump in order to keep things as quiet as possible.

the tank will be clam and mushroom dominant, some zoos and maybe a couple select sps. it will be an open top system, set a little lower for easy top down viewing!

any ideas, suggestions, pics, designs and links that will help me create a nice quiet system would be appreciated!

TIA.

[muck]

Information I could use too.
tagging along for the ride... :cool:

[trilinearmipmap]

I had the same concerns. Nothing makes noise from my tank except the EuroReef.

I used the Herbie's silent sump system. If I could have found a large enough Eheim return pump I would have got one, instead I used a Mag 12. I put 2 layers of closed-cell foam under the sump. I was going to insulate the inside of the stand with sound-deadening foam but it is not necessary.

[smokinreefer]

I used the Herbie's silent sump system.

what exactly is that?

i was thinking of just using a Mag12 as well, i dont find them that loud, but would really like to keep things as dead silent as possible.

the discontinued velocity pumps are supposed to be super quiet... anyone have one of those for sale?

[Fish]

Herbies design is the one that I came across when I was struggling with my durso standpipe and believe me when I say that it is the ONLY way to make a sump quiet. I struggled with this myself and found that if you don't use a standpipe your sump is quiet but the overflow bulkhead "gurgles". If you use a standpipe your overflow is quiet but your sump boils and "hot tubs".
A member on reefcentral named Herbie suggested putting a ball valve on your drain line and closing it to the point where the water draining exactly matches the amount of water pumped by the return pump. The result of this is the water level in your overflow box stays a couple inches above your bulkhead and no air ever goes down the drain. It is totally silent! If you do this though you need to make sure that you have a second drain (raised higher or course) so that you have a backup incase the main one ever got clogged with something.
Let me know if I didn't explain this properly. I can't say enough about how pleased I am with this setup...

- Chad

[Fish]

Forgot to mention pumps. My old Ehiem 1260 was totally silent, ran cool too. I currently use a Blueline hd20 for my return. It is pressure rated and makes a barely audible hum. People say that they run quieter and cooler than Japanese made Iwakis (and cost less). I just bought a Iwaki off of ebay so I will let you know how they compare to each other.
Between the blueline pump and "Herbie overflow" my system really is quiet. The only thing I can compare it to is the noise that a large freezer makes (when the compressor ISNT running), just a faint hum. Hope this helps.

- Chad