Re: is noise driving my cichlids crazy??

[Frederick Burroughs]

sleddog wrote:
>
> I know in their natural environment they dont have the BUZZZ
> and RATTTTLE of electric pumps, filters, etc. and am wondering
> if all the 24 hour a day nonstop noise has made them lose their minds.

Just revived my 75 gallon tank. I have a powerhead at the bottom so I
have to use an air pump to feed it air. With only enough hose to set
the air pump on the glass top of the tank, the cichlids were VERY
unhappy due to the loud vibration. As soon as I got enough hose to
place the air pump away from the tank they got bright and chipper
again. I think the heavy spray of air bubbles may dampen the whirring
noise of the powerhead's impeller.


--
The lock upon my garden gate's a snail, that's what it is.

-Donovan's prescient response to homeland security.

[Jim Brown]

sleddog > wrote in message
. 4.10...
> I have a 20 gallon tank with an electric blue johanni melanochromis and a
> jewel cichlid. My setup has been running for about 3 months and my tests
> show the water quality is good. Lately, they both have strange looks on
> their faces and are acting somewhat deranged. I know in their natural
> environment they dont have the BUZZZ and RATTTTLE of electric pumps,
> filters, etc. and am wondering if all the 24 hour a day nonstop noise has
> made them lose their minds.
>
> Consider that noise travels in water a lot better than in air and just put
> your ear to your tank and you will be surprised at the noise and vibration
> level.
>
> I turned off the aeration pump which is the biggest offender at the risk
of
> not having enough oxygen but with the hope of giving them a break from the
> torture of the noise, though I still have a mini-penguin hangon filter
> doing its share of vibrating. Any suggestions as to how to overcome this
> problem? I thought of having a sump and doing all the filtration and
> aeration done there, but if theres a better alternative please let me
know.
> Thanks. Sleddog.

There's a lot of noise in Nature, too. Waterfalls, babbling brooks, boats,
fish noises, thunderstorms, that sort of thing.
I do consider vibration to be something the fish don't need. But since
water carries sound and noise very well, even a pump 50 feet away will cause
some in tank vibration. About all we can do is buy quality equipment which
is usually the quietest, and do all we can to isolate the tank from noise
sources.

Jim

[sleddog]

"Joshua Stewart" > wrote in
:

> sleddog,
> when you say water is good what do you mean? the jewel comes from pH
> neutral, where as the melanochromis come from the rift lakes therefore pH
> should be 8.0-9.0 this could be the problem.
> josh
>

hey josh, my PH is 7.4, i didnt know the melanochromis needed 8+. Is my PH
harming both fish at this level? i did notice the jewel is looking more
depressed than her tankmate. i hate to separate them as they are good
buddies but if necessary i will, please advise, thanks.

[sleddog]

Frederick Burroughs > wrote in
:

> , the cichlids were VERY
> unhappy due to the loud vibration. As soon as I got enough hose to
> place the air pump away from the tank they got bright and chipper
> again.

fred, thanks for your story, it definitely magnifies my suspicion that
noise can torture cichlids, your idea is great, airline hose is cheap so i
will immediately move the airpump far away. ill report any changes.

[NetMax]

"sleddog" > wrote in message
. 4.10...
> I have a 20 gallon tank with an electric blue johanni melanochromis and
a
> jewel cichlid. My setup has been running for about 3 months and my
tests
> show the water quality is good. Lately, they both have strange looks on
> their faces and are acting somewhat deranged. I know in their natural
> environment they dont have the BUZZZ and RATTTTLE of electric pumps,
> filters, etc. and am wondering if all the 24 hour a day nonstop noise
has
> made them lose their minds.
<snip>

I suspect that any noise which is constant will be tuned out like white
noise. You can see this by the fish's reaction to a power failure. They
react like the sound of silence is momentarily deafening. Irregular &
intermittent noises would IMO more likely stress them out.

NetMax

> Thanks. Sleddog.