evry nite i go to sleep the air pump i got always keeps me up.....is there anyway i can make it softer?

I think some people have had luck with suspending it in a sock... you might try that.

actually, what i do with mine that are on my desk (my others are on the floor, so theyre quiet) I got a pad (like, tampons and pads ) and stuck that to my desk under it! its nice and cushy, so the air pump dont rumble like a freight train, and it sticks to the desk, so it wont slide away!! granted, youll get a few funny looks from workmen(and family), that may see it, but i keep my air pump and stuff behind a picture frame i have propped up on my desk

That's creative! Though, admittedly, potentially embarrassing for some people.

Some airpumps are just plain too noisy, there is nothing more annoying than an noisy airpump in your room. They should all be tossed into a pile and burned!


I had some great luck in silencing a noisy one with a small box, some scrap cloth and some tape. Just wrap that puppy up over and over until you can barely shove it in the small box and seal it up a little with the tape. Grant it, it looks unsightly but you'll do ANYTHING at 3 in the morning to get it to stop.....

Now, I have good quality silent ones that I suspend from the back rim of my tanks, in a sock.

Hope this helps!

Paul

cool, i just put my pump in a sock and shoved it into a box and closed it.....it's a lot quieter, thanks

Mine is on a folded kitchen towel. It makes a big difference.

wouldnt the sock, make it like, overheat or something? like, being all wrapped up like that?

i was worried about it overheating......when i touched it, it was pretty hot, but it's not going to catch on fire.......i think....

yep, airpumps can run a little warm sometimes. Pretty much the only way to make sure that airpumps keep from actually overheating is to use the correct airpump for the depth of the tank in question. Thats how they are rated.

For deeper tanks, you need a larger or more powerful airpump to get the air to go that deep. AS you get deeper in any body of water, the pressure increases. Thus, the need for a more powerful pump. If you try to run too small an airpump on a deepwater tank, the rubber flanges that actually push the air can rip and cause the airpump to quit working altogether.


Whenever you wind up with an airpump that you think is a little too noisy, imagine what it was like back in the day before plastic was invented. Here's a link to a cool page that has quite a few examples of vintage airpumps: oldschool airpumps



Paul

woah those pumps look powerful

mine has these little rubber points on the bottom so its not touching the hard surface.. that quietens it a bit.. i just turn mine off at night, i think id worry too much about it bursting into flames if i wer to put it in a sock!