# Quiet HOB Filter?



## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

still cant go wrong with whispers. the aquaclear ones are pretty quiet as well. 

from what i remember the 290s arent that loud. check to make sure there isnt anything in the impeller.


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## distrbd (Feb 17, 2006)

I have an Emperor 400 and is very quiet,the trick with these filters is to lift /push the intake tube until is stops making noise ,if it dosen't ,then the impeller is not good.


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## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

I am very un-impressed with the 280, the noise is just unbearable.


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## triple red (May 27, 2005)

aquaclears are pretty quiet


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

+1 vote for AquaClears.


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## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

How quiet compared so a canister? (not trying to really compare, but this emporer is really noisy). My old whisper 5 was silent.


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## triple red (May 27, 2005)

i think my aquaclear is very quiet... i only hear it "running" when my water level gets low and the water splashes a little...
i would have no trouble sleeping next to it if it was in my bedroom


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## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

thanks guys,......now i can go back to bed LOL


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## florafan (Jan 21, 2006)

I wish I had know that the Emperor 280 is noisy - I had just gotten one. I already have an Aquaclear 50 and I love how quiet it is.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Jan 27, 2006)

I think each unit and each person's experience is different. I've seen this AC vs. Emperor debate on every fish forum I frequent. The overall conclusion I draw is that the quality control of HOB's are terrible, so that getting a quiet one vs. a loud one is a hit and miss affair. I happen to have had an AC mini, AC500, and currently am using a Penguin 100. The AC mini was silent, and so is the Penguin. The AC500 made a terrible racket almost 24 hours a day. The lid rattled, the impeller clacked, and I couldn't get rid of the splash because it was on a 125 gallon where the rim was too thick. Anyway, I think the only way to ensure you get a quiet one is to get one and return it if it's loud and try another....or get a canister.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I have at least one of every aquaclear currently on the market and I would have to say they are pretty quiet. However, that being said they can get quite noisy in a few ways;

The lids to the filters can rattle, with even the slightest vibration in the filter (this is why I remove the lids)

If the impeller well gets grungy the impeller will rattle (so clean it regularly)

The "waterfall" sound can be annoying if your water level is even the slightest bit low. (so keep your tank topped up)

Even with these issues I would still recomend them. If anything, just because of the ease of use, good sized housing for media (you really can put anything in them), and low maintenance cost.


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## bastalker (Dec 8, 2004)

I have had an AC 500/AC 110 on my 55G discus tank for awhile, an I cant hear anything at all from it. I had the emporer 400 with the 2 bio wheels, an it just made noise all the time. I dropped it for an XP3...No noise at all. Plus the fact I wanted to c02 an didn't want to worry about off gassing.

Have you considered canister filters at all?


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## wood (Nov 15, 2006)

AquaClear is awesome. Highly recommended!


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## Rod Hay (Feb 11, 2006)

GDominy said:


> The lids to the filters can rattle, with even the slightest vibration in the filter *(this is why I remove the lids)*
> 
> Even with these issues I would still recomend them. If anything, just because of the ease of use, good sized housing for media (you really can put anything in them), and low maintenance cost.


DITTO - this is exactly what I do too!

Double ditto, I love how easy they are to clean. No need to purchase special cartridges as the sponges are reusable. I cut poly quilt batting to size and place between the two sponges I use to act as a finer filter.


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## debacle (Oct 2, 2010)

*i bought a new aquaclear 70, and....*

its loud as hell! i agree taking off the lid helps , but i can't believe now loud it is, i was trying to stay away from the bio wheel thing with marine land because of how it loooks like it would just make alot of noise! it just looks that way, a pin wheel spinning like an old freaking mississppi paddle boat!


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## debacle (Oct 2, 2010)

*i'm thinking of looking into a canister*

anyone have experience with this?


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

The lid of the AC does make some noise, sooner or later you may get use to it... or just take it off.


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## barbarossa4122 (Jan 16, 2010)

I bought 2 AquaClear 70 HOBs about an hour ago to complement my Rena canisters. I was getting tired of my old noisy "too big" Emperors and Aqueons.
This is funny.......2 threads on the same subject on the same day.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/117415-quiet-hob.html


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

barbarossa4122 said:


> I bought 2 AquaClear 70 HOBs about an hour ago to complement my Rena canisters. I was getting tired of my old noisy "too big" Emperors and Aqueons.
> This is funny.......2 threads on the same subject on the same day.
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/117415-quiet-hob.html


Well, this thread was created back in 2007...

I've found my AQ50 (old model) and AQ20 to be very quiet. Silent unless I'm within a two feet radius.

Sometimes the lids rattle after I clean the filter, but that's an easy fix.


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## barbarossa4122 (Jan 16, 2010)

dj2005 said:


> Well, this thread was created back in 2007...
> 
> I've found my AQ50 (old model) and AQ20 to be very quiet. Silent unless I'm within a two feet radius.
> 
> Sometimes the lids rattle after I clean the filter, but that's an easy fix.


I'll find out soon enough.


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## oaomcg (Sep 24, 2010)

debacle said:


> its loud as hell! i agree taking off the lid helps , but i can't believe now loud it is, i was trying to stay away from the bio wheel thing with marine land because of how it loooks like it would just make alot of noise! it just looks that way, a pin wheel spinning like an old freaking mississppi paddle boat!



the wheel isn't on a motor
it is silent


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## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

just fill up your tank a lot higher.


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

+1 for Aquaclear, I have my Aquaclear 50 running in my bedroom and it doesn't disturb me a bit. It is the quietest filter I own. The only time it might make noise is if the water level is low and there is splashing but that is obvious.


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## Franco (Jun 13, 2010)

I have had ACs in the past that ran perfectly quiet but I recently bought an AC 20 for a ten gal and it was really loud so I bought another one to see if it was quieter but doesn't fit snuggly in it and it is even louder than the first. I got each one for $4 so it wasn't a big deal. I wrapped polyfill around the first AC and secured it with rubber bands, now it is quiet.
I wonder if this smallest AC has too powerful of a pump and makes the whole filter vibrate. I thought about getting a whisper or something else with cartridges because it would be quieter but I love the customizations you can do to AC and they are also much smaller than other filters of the same rating. I hate the activated carbon filled cartridges because they get clogged so fast and it is a pain to chop up the cartridges to customize them.
+1 AC


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