How To Stop Aquarium Overflow Sucking and Gurgling Noise

Aquarium overflows allow hobbyists to plumb a sump or refugium into their aquarium filtration system which provides superior filtration for live coral reef and fish only aquariums. However, the sucking and gurgling noise created by the water going down the overflow drain pipe can be enough to drive you nuts!

This leads us to the question, "How do I stop the sucking and gurgling drain noise coming from my overflow drain pipe?"

One device that can help with this is called a Durso standpipe. It is basically a PVC plumbing pipe that extends up in the overflow chamber, which has a curved plumping pipe at the top, and an air hole in the top. The Durso Standpipe can be purchased already assembled, or if you are a DIY aquarium hobbyist, you can easily build one with extra PVC parts and a drill. The downside to the standpipe method is that it takes up a lot of room in your tank overflow and can make is difficult to access this chamber for maintenance and cleaning.

 

A much easier and simpler solution is a little device called the Maggie Muffler. It is a plastic bell shaped item that is placed atop the drain standpipe and takes up very little space. It stops the annoying sucking and gurgling noise instantly, and is a snap to install and remove when you need to access the chamber for maintenance and cleaning.

 

A beautiful live coral reef or saltwater fish aquarium can be satisfying without the obnoxious water sucking sound, and it just takes a little plastic device to solve the problem.