Are Aquapods noisy?

[bitte]

I'm thinking of downgrading from a 58 gallon oceanic to a 24 gallon aquapod. I'm curious, once you put a protein skimmer on them, are they very noisy? I have a prizm (hang on the back) skimmer on my tank now and cannot watch TV when it is running. Has anyone had luck keeping inverts in the pod without a skimmer?

 

[jake123]

I have mine right next to my couch.. It also has a chiller and it is quite enough to watch tv. With out the chill you can't even hear it when the tv is on!!
If you do weekly water changes and keep the bio load low you should be fine with out a skimmer! JMO!!!

 

[d_wilson4]

I have a 12 gallon and it is pretty quiet. I wish I had gotten a chiller for mine because keeping it cool is the hardest part. I would also agree that a skimmer is not really necessary as I just pulled mine out after not running it for a month with no real negative side affects.

 

[clay12340]

A skimmer on a 24g tank vs the same skimmer on a 58g tank is going to sound the same. The aquapods in themselves are pretty much silent. They only have one small pump running in them, and maybe a cooling fan in the lighting fixture.
As to keeping inverts it depends on the inverts, but lots of people have some excellent looking reefs in 24g and even smaller tanks. Your stocking options are much more limited, but not so much that you can't make a great looking display.

 

[bitte]

Thanks for the input, everyone.
I've noticed a lot of comments in posts about controlling temperature on the aquapods. Is it the more enclosed system of the aquapod that contributes to heat build-up? I have a similar issue on my 58 (in hot, humid Houston), but can control it pretty well by adjusting the light cycle and keeping the front lid open for evaporative cooling. My magnum 350 canister filter got fried the other day (prizm overflowed, nearly started electrical fire--long story, but part of the reason I am thinking of downsizing, or quitting altogether) and since then I have noticed a 2 degree temp drop...

 

[aquaguy24]

mine is not noisy...only when the daylights are on its a little noisy cuz of the cooling fan but nothing to lose sleep over .u can barely hear it ...and no need for a skimmer..

 

[chankanaab]

Invest in a chiller. I have a 24g aquapod and the fan is noisy.

 

[clay12340]

Smaller volumes of water heat up more quickly and have less surface area to aid in evaporative cooling. I keep my apartment at 72-73 and my 12g with a 70w halide doesn't get over 79 normally. However, when our AC died at the beginning of summer and the apartment got to nearly 80 it was bad news for my tank's temp. If you don't keep the ambient air around the tank at a steady and fairly low temp they overheat much more quickly than a larger tank will.
Any pump you add to a system will generate heat and the less water you have the more quickly you notice. I've got a 3gallon mini-reef at work and with the cover on the minijet 404 keeps the tank at 80 if the light is off.