# noisy filter bothering fish?



## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i have an ac110 that is very loud. it rattles, vibrates, you name it, it does it. i cant fix it but i let it run because i need the filtration. hoping to buy another cannister sooner than later.

anyway, my question is, could the noise from the hob be aggrivating my fish? they arent acting strange, i just figure if it drives me nuts, the vibrating and rattling has to be annoying to them.

is this a legit question? is it possible that they are bothered by the noise?

thank you all for the help


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I don't think it will bother the fish, but it might bother you. I am sure it would drive me nuts!


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## jboogerfinger (Apr 16, 2005)

fmueller said:


> I don't think it will bother the fish, but it might bother you. I am sure it would drive me nuts!


A-men! :thumb:


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

All my AC's rattled when they were new. If it isn't new then they rattle when the media starts getting slow, if not then the lids rattle, if not the lids then maybe the impeller isn't set just right or a snail or something is down there.

Let's put it this way. Mine are quiet now. Shh!. Maybe the next time I clean them they'll start rattlin' again. I also like to wait till the impeller slimes up, that makes them a bit quieter.

They are a good filter without a lot of gimmicks but they can be noisy but can usually be quieted, if not maybe you got a bad one.

As for bothering the fish, the smarter fish probably, those that are aware of more things that just themselves, water, food and the opposite sex.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

the guy at my lfs said to take nail clippers and clip off half the tabs on my impellar. anyone ever heard of this? i dont think its loud enough for me to risk damaging it but it was an interesting thought.


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

My AC110 is quiet most of the time, but sometimes after cleaning it it is a little noisy. Sometimes if I unplug it and plug it back in it runs quiet, but not always. I tolerate it until the next cleaning unless my wife complains too loudly. I've used AquaClears for years for HOB filters and like them very much despite the occasional noise issue. Mine run almost silent 80% of the time.


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## yogurtpooh (Jul 28, 2005)

well if it does bother the fish they wouldnt be able to tell you... so dont worry about it unless it bothers you


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

HONDO said:


> the guy at my lfs said to take nail clippers and clip off half the tabs on my impellar. anyone ever heard of this? i dont think its loud enough for me to risk damaging it but it was an interesting thought.


  I'm not a filter expert by any means, but given that the impeller is responsible for water movement, it seems that cutting half the tabs off would seriously cut down your water flow.

In my AC experience, noise is due to either brand new, or worn out parts. If it's new, let it run for awhile. If it's old, try replacing the impeller shaft. If that doesn't fix it, replace the impeller. Replacing one or the other has always fixed the noise for me. Apologies if you've already done either. HTH.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

nope, i have gone the route of just letting it run and see what happens. i think part of his logic for clipping off smoe of the impellar wings was to do just that. reduce water flow, therefore reduce power output/noise? after thinking about it this is all i could think of to explain doing it. i dont know, im glad i didnt take his advice. its one of those where alot of times i would try it then think about it and realize how dumb it was. i think i need to let the thing run for a while and let it break in. like a baseball glove. kind of.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

mine makes noise every now and again, but i think it is due to the fact that my fish sift sand, and there favorite spot is right by the intake... i've even gone as far as moving the filter over to the other half of the tank, and sure enough they dug there too... 
i have just grown accustomed to the noise, but it doesn't do it all the time... maybe 10-20%... mainly when i clean it is when it starts acting up, then the next day i come home from work, it is quiet... kinda irritating, but i think by far the best filters around for the money...


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

One of my AC110's (on a tank with play sand) developped the most anoying noise I couldn't bear it. It was definitely worn impeller shaft and impeller - not something clipping the impeller wings would address at all. I fixed it temporarily by replacing the shaft and impeller, but the new parts soon wore out as well (cichlids feeding sand to filter). You can make a makeshift pre-filter to cover the intake - that may work. In the end though I just replaced it with another cannister. I have other tanks with fine substrate and AC110's that haven't had this problem. It's down to the particular substrate and the fish in the tank..


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I've suggested this before but here it is again.
The sand that is ingested by the filter usually damages the impeller shaft more so than the impeller. Just buy a ceramic impeller shaft for an Eheim 2217 and replace the AC110 shaft. Mine have been running with no noise for almost 1 year now. BTW, this ONLY works (to my knowledge) on the AC110 filter.


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

Deeda said:


> I've suggested this before but here it is again.
> The sand that is ingested by the filter usually damages the impeller shaft more so than the impeller. Just buy a ceramic impeller shaft for an Eheim 2217 and replace the AC110 shaft. Mine have been running with no noise for almost 1 year now. BTW, this ONLY works (to my knowledge) on the AC110 filter.


Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind...


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