Completely Dead Silent Skimmer Recommendation

[Jeremy Willis]

Skimz is the quietest I've ever used.

 

[gacolt]

my supermarin 300 rds makes no noise at all

 

[Mjl714]

I've got a couple of Lifereef skimmers, your choice of pumps, no noticeable noise.

 

[powers2001]

I've got a Skimz recirculating and it's noisy. But my tank is not in the house, it's in the farm shop--man cave. I'd still like to have a much quieter skimmer but it's not needed right now and I don't have the money for it. I do like the Nyos but would like to have a DC pump on it.

 

[Overboard]

Expensive, but my Royal Exclusive skimmers are dead quiet. The DC pumps from them are completely silent. Have a 360 gallon DT in our family room and even my wife is shocked at how quiet it is.

 

[Ryanbrs]

As someone who deals with sound for a living, readings from one person to the next would unfortunately be worthless. Each skimmer would need to be tested in the same exact, controlled environment to get a solid comparison. Sounds like something @Ryanbrs could maybe tackle!

I haven't measured them all but there is no question, the DC versions of all skimmers are much quieter than AC so I would start there. I can add this idea to the list but the list is long : )

 

[tsav87]

I haven't measured them all but there is no question, the DC versions of all skimmers are much quieter than AC so I would start there. I can add this idea to the list but the list is long : )

Keep'em coming! Love me some BRStv! Will you be manning the booth at MACNA??

 

[DHill6]

Nyos as others stated, very quiet. Have used both the 160 and 120, extremely happy with them, nicely built, cones apart for easy cleaning.

 

[kdragon64]

So I filled up my system and got it cycling last week, and I was very pleased with how quiet everything was running. Standing next to the tank you could barely hear a thing-- 2 MP40QD and a Swine Jebao. Two days ago I flipped the switch on the Skimmer, Skimz Leopard SL183 with the new QPS pump, and it just ruins the entire atmosphere in the living space. It's not loud, per se, but it's audiable over everything else. Yes it may be ridiculous, but my tolerance for noise is not enough to simply forget about this annoying buzz from the skimmer, and it's driving me insane. I am contemplating programming the APEX to turn off the skimmer in the mornings and evenings when I am at home, but I really don't want to have to do that.

I have a budget of around $600 for a skimmer, but if money were no object, what is the absolute quietest, dead silent skimmer on the market for the 100-200 gallon range?

I love my relatively inexpensive reef octopus, which is very quiet itself, but I was able to really keep the vibration noise down even more with some inexpensive silicone hot pot mats placed between the skimmer and anything it touches in the sump.

 

[Playa-1]

Just throwing it out there. Another option for some is to remotely locate the sump and then it's not an issue.

 

[FlamingGrapes]

My decibel meter on my iPhone clocks my Skimz, right next to it, at 60 to 62 decibels. Same location with everything else on but the skimmer off is 48-50 decibels. App is called Decibel 10, the free version, running on and iPhone 7 Plus

Thanks for a decibel reading. I think that really helps with the discussion. My quiet is very different than my wife's quiet for example. This gives everyone a "universal yard stick".

 

[Laith]

Royal Exclusive without a doubt.

 

[Mark Gray]

Love my Life reef set and forget but it's big but quiet

 

[ciscomania]

do nyos use ac or dc pump?

 

[Ryanbrs]

I haven't measured them all but there is no question, the DC versions of all skimmers are much quieter than AC so I would start there. I can add this idea to the list but the list is long : )

Yup, stop on over : )

 

[MartinWaite]

I run a coral box 500 and it's that quiet I have to check that it's running as I can't hear it and yes it's running on a 24 cold dc motor a Jecod DCS2000 but like most of these pumps they make a slight noise when ran at full blast but I run mine turned down a notch same as my return pump.

 

[dangros]

It's been almost a year. Any additions to this list?
As for my contribution:
my 4yr old Vertex Omega 150 clocked in @ 51 db average. With it off, my tank was 43.2db
I measured using an iPhone 8+, Decibel X app, and sitting approximately 6' away from the skimmer which sits inside my sump, in a closed stand.
To me, this is really loud and it's a huge difference when turned off. I will certainly replace it soon as I can justify it. I need silent because the tank is located behind us as we watch TV. As an update, I'm on the lookout for a new skimmer b/c my Vertex now has a short and zaps me. Not cool.

 

[Mark Gray]

It's been almost a year. Any additions to this list?
As for my contribution:
my 4yr old Vertex Omega 150 clocked in @ 51 db average. With it off, my tank was 43.2db
I measured using an iPhone 8+, Decibel X app, and sitting approximately 6' away from the skimmer which sits inside my sump, in a closed stand.
As a side note, the difference is actually greater due to due to my herbie drain pipe overflowing and needing to be adjusted a bit.
To me, this is really loud and it's a huge difference when turned off. I will certainly replace it soon as my location is where the wife and I watch TV.

I have a Deltec on my new build I can't hear it at all, I hear a little out of my overflow I think I can fix this but nothing out of my skimmer or return pumps

 

[mcarroll]

@dangros what have you tried to quiet the Vertex so far?

 

[KJAG]

my supermarin 300 rds makes no noise at all

Second this. My BubbleKing Supermarin is absolutely silent.