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Originally Posted by Cho89  what about when cleaning the filter casing and intake tubes. Is it still bad for the fish to not have a filter going for a short amount of time? |
Don't clean the filter casing. You're killing off your bacteria if you do. Maybe a couple times a year you should check and clean the impeller and impeller housing. You can just brush algae buildup off the outside of the intake tube.
A fishtank is not supposed to be all spic-and-span. It has to have some undisturbed areas for the beneficial bacteria to colonize. Clean algae off your glass and anywhere else it is conspicuous, vacuum your gravel including under ornaments with weekly water changes, and swish your filter pad in dechlorinated water; and periodically (I do this two or three times a year) do some filter maintenance, and that's all you do. You should never break the tank down to do a big cleaning on it, and you mustn't try to keep your filter housing all shiny clean.
As for the OP, if your filter is run by an air pump, that's the noise source. Place a rubber mouse pad or something similar under it to damp the noise. If that doesn't help you can try a different brand of air pump.