Alright guys, I can't do no science, but I need some help...

Alright guys, I can't do no science, but I need some help. I bought this aquarium for my girlfriend because she really enjoys fishkeeping, and it works great and runs well etc.

The problem is that I guess the vibrations of the filter while running apparently carry down into the floor, and according to her dad, produce a "bloody annoying" humming noise throughout the night.

I went down into his room, and while I do think he's vastly exaggerating, there is indeed a /very/ faint hum. So I need to ask you guys, is there anything I can do to dampen or redirect this vibration?

I've attached an image of the tank with the dimensions of the tank and cabinet structure. The rules are 1) we cannot place anything between the cabinet and the tank, and 2) we cannot place anything beneath the cabinet and the floor unless it's literally the only way to fix it (since it would involve emptying and refilling the entire tank, which can be a dangerous process).

Also suggesting he wear earbuds or simply try to grow accustomed to it is apparently out of the question. As you can imagine, any help is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.

buy a different pump

Suspend it with rubber bands.

>we cannot place anything between the cabinet and the tank
Say what? There should be polyethylene foam or something to spread evenly the weight of the aquarium. If there isn't - you're in for a suprise.

There's something that came pre-installed beneath the aquarium glass already, and the manual /specifically/ says to not place anything between the tank and stand. This does sound like a swell idea, I'm just worried because the manaul says not to and I don't wanna risk it. Not to mention it'd be a risky pain to remove the tank and put it back.

Not sure if I can, everything came pre-installed, as Juwel's usually do. If it's the only possible option I'll look into it though.

There's furniture on either side of the tank, so maybe there's something I could place binding the cabinet structure to the furniture? Again, redirecting the vibration is perfectly acceptable, as well as dampening it altogether.

Get a rubber mat and put it underneath the cabinet

Is the fishtank in the same room as her dad? If so, the best you can do is soundproof curtains. You could still use those anyway and it would solve your problem anyway. Really, that's the only thing I can recommend since I don't know how the rest of that room is layed out, and I doubt you want to post a picture of her house on Veeky Forums.

Place something heavy atop the filter assmebly to dampen it?

Or if its vibration caused by the filter vibrating against the wall of the tank, maybe put little squares of tape on the corners where the plastic meets the glass?

You definitely have my attention. What material would work best if I go with the placing above the filter route?

Also, for the tape idea, I trust you and all, but how does that work? Could little bits of tape really absorb all the vibration? And what type of tape would be best to use, if you know? And would it help if I added it on more than the corners? Sorry for the question ogreload, it's just I'm in a wee bit of a rush. Thank you though, I'm eager to hear more.

You shouldn't have an aquarium on a second story without reinforcing the floor. 60g of water is 600lbs.

It's not 60 gallons my dude, it's 30-something

>Having a tank less than 60g
pleb.

i bet its freshwater, too. you disgust me.

Give me the mass of the tank and the filter's natural frequency and I'll tell you what the spring stiffness should be for the dampening material

>60g of water is 600lbs

What?

He meant G for gallon. Either way, he's wrong. 1 Gallon of water weighs 8.36 pounds, so 60 gal would be 501.6 pounds.

that's just the water not the poly or the wood holding it up

I was only talking about the water, I was just trying to clarify someone's post. Either way, that weight wouldn't be much more than ~20 lb, which just makes about a ~4% difference.

Obviously you've never lifted wood in your life.

You're going to want to suspend it with silicon fibers inside a vacuum chamber. That will cut down the vibrations.

If you put a couple of really powerful lasers inside it then you might even be able to detect some gravitational waves.

>The gauss, abbreviated as G or Gs, is the cgs unit of measurement of magnetic flux density (or "magnetic induction").
Typical Veeky Forums.

It's shorthand and context based, since you wouldn't say you had 60 gauss of water.

what's the distance between the tank and your dad's room? Additionally, if you measure the amount the filter vibrates per second, I can tell you the distance away you should put the tank in order to obtain destructive interference in the vibration waves, which should result in less sound

depends on the kind of wood, if it's just some plywood it'd be light as fuck. if it's solid red oak it'd weigh 30 pounds tops.

>Get a rubber mat and put it underneath the cabinet
Better: use Sorbtane mats.

Rubber is elastic and does not really absorb that much of the vibrations while sorbtane is specifically made to absorb the vibrations and turn this mechanical energy into heat.

This.
Let it vibrate, decouple it from its environment. You cannot dampen away low frequency vibrations.