Turning the Tank off?

[brutus]

You do know that the filter is filled with aerobic bacteria and when the oxygen is used up they will begin to die.Once you turn the filter back on it will pump all the dead nasty stuff back in your tank.How long it takes to kill everything off im not sure but i would not chance it.You can put some foam or something in front of outlet to quiet the splashing sound.Or buy a canister filter and keep spray bar below the water level in tank.

[mgamer20o0]

with the aquaclear is what bothering you is the splashing of the water back into the tank or motor?

if its the water you can build with a old coke bottle a diffuser. basically just cut in half clamp it down to the tank. then you poke holes in it this breaks it up so it doesnt splash as much. also keeping the tank filled to the very top helps a lot.

if its the motor you prob want to invest in a canister filter. this goes bellow the tank and you can use foam and other things to help block any sound coming from it. i have a xp3 filter for my 120. its 2-3 feet from my head and it doesnt bother me. i dont hear it at all. i am the same way with sleeping... light sound and heat = sleepless night.

[thresholdoftime]

I went to a fish store yesterday and found out that I can trade all my community fish in there. So I might do that soon after I make the environment suitable for African Cichlids (dwarf)....since I don't have a terribly enormous tank.

I know cichlids are a lot more acceptable to little problems like someone was saying about the aerobic bacteria dieing in the filter.... so I'm going to try and sleep with the noise.. Idono actually I think the tank is REALLY quiet considering it is a 30 gallon, and my other 20 gallon was a lot louder since I spent "less" money on the equiptment for that one. I'm just picky I guess, and it is the buzzing that bothers me not the splashing cuz there really isn't any. If there was only a bit of splashing I think if anything that it would be more relaxing than anything, like a water fall or something lol. Okay I'm done with all of the complaining.

[7Enigma]

As others have mentioned, you need to keep the filter on at night. While you probably won't kill many bacteria, you are definitely not helping the ammonia levels in the tank. And without any circulation in the tank you can also run into oxygen depleted dead spots and temperature gradients. You could try some sound deadening insulation around the housing of the filter which would help, but you apparently have VERY sensitive hearing to be annoyed by the buzzing of the impeller. Home Depot sells Frost King self-adhesive insulation. Looks like aluminum foil but one side is sticky with a dense foam material. I used it to deaden the interior of my Trans Am a couple years ago and it works nicely.

I used to be like you and had a horrible time sleeping through the night. Every creak, rustle, etc. would wake me up and it took forever to get to sleep at night. Then I found the wonderful world of noise machines. We use a white noise (almost sounds like a continuous waterfall but there is no change in the sound) and it helps to block out everything. I would highly recommend you give one a shot, because if it works, you can drown out anything and sleep well.

And there's always earplugs!

[thresholdoftime]

yeah It looks like your have the same filter as me from what I can see in the picture. It's not bad really but yeah I do have those problems with falling asleep. I find that opening the window near my bed and listening to the sound of the wind, bugs, bats or whatever constant noise outside puts me to sleep. Maybe those Frost Kings will help to take away the buzzing. I guess it reminds me of a fly in my room or something like that. The water is okay though since it's more natural, unless of course the tank is 4 inches below the fill line and it sounds more like someone taking a pee.