Loud hob filter

[wendy fm]

I have a twenty gallon aquarium, but have been using a ten gallon hob submersible filter. As expected it became overworked, so yesterday I bought a twenty gallon filter. Compared to the ten gallon filter it’s pretty loud, a constant hum.
My question is will it get quieter? It’s bearable, but is an underlying hum in the room.

[King Fisher]

Probably not. HOB's are fairly quiet (non submersible). Even the cheap ones.

[wendy fm]

I almost bought a non submersible hob filter, but they make me nervous. I picture water all over my floor, of course my fear with the submersible ones is electrocution,so if i can’t get used to the hum, maybe I’ll try that one.

[King Fisher]

Non submersible HOB's that I've ever used or seen had an overflow that goes into the tank if the filter gets dirty and clogged up. When the power shuts off to them they generally drain back into the tank as well. I've never personally had a problem with them overflowing outside of the tank and I've had my fair share of HOB problems.

My experience with submersible types such as yours is many begin to hum within a year and don't last as long. I currently have an Aqueon Quiet Flow submersible in my betta's tank and it's probably the best one I've owned. Quiet as of 9 months now. I actually have to look inside the tank to see if it's running sometimes.

Another option is an air driven sponge filter.

[wendy fm]

I don’t like the sponge filter. So maybe I’ll try a non submersible hob