How does sound affect a reef?

[fishfreak1242]

I love music and I'm in a band and we usually practice near my fish tank and the music is usually really loud, and I've always wondering if the noise can have a negative effect on a fish tank. I heard somewhere that sound waves move 4x faster in water but my fish and corals seem to be fine. Is there any problem with loud noises near a fish tank?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

My fish seem to react to my kids making noise in and around the tank they get startled and hide. I also wonder how the vibrations affect the tank seals.

 

[fishfreak1242]

I also wonder how the vibrations affect the tank seals.

I would cringe at the thought of my tank walls falling apart because of the silicone seal breaking.

 

[albano]

I'm in a band and ... my fish and corals seem to be fine.

If the tank continues to do well, please make a CD available for MR members! :splitspin

 

[fishfreak1242]

If the tank continues to do well, please make a CD available for MR members! :splitspin

We have recorded before but it didn't turn out so well and the quality isn't that great. We're just a small high school band.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I asked a similar question once.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/46708-home-theater-vs-reef.html

I would cringe at the thought of my tank walls falling apart because of the silicone seal breaking.

 

[Dace]

try and play some tunes observing the fish reaction, if they get startled too frequently, either play and give your tank away, or keep and play your songs on the street...

 

[Dre]

My fish hide when a stranger approaches .I think fish would get used to the noise after a while. Consider a reef with waves crashing down on top of your head every 30-60 sec. day and night that's a lot of noise.The fish will be fine.

 

[Simon Garratt]

The reef is a very very noisy place even in calmer conditions. Theres alot of grunting, scraping, digging, crunching and warbling going on thats generated by millions of life forms. the result is a veritable cacophony of background noise. Add sound waves generated by wave action and you have a high degree of sound generation.

I think the main thing is that fish become accustomed to both constant background noise, and slowly building sound levels (storm surge building over several hours). what catches them out is when there are sudden large scale changes in ambiant sound level or bursts of sound that come without warning.

Regards

Simon.

 

[basiab]

The reef is a very very noisy place even in calmer conditions. Theres alot of grunting, scraping, digging, crunching and warbling going on thats generated by millions of life forms. the result is a veritable cacophony of background noise. Add sound waves generated by wave action and you have a high degree of sound generation.

I think the main thing is that fish become accustomed to both constant background noise, and slowly building sound levels (storm surge building over several hours). what catches them out is when there are sudden large scale changes in ambiant sound level or bursts of sound that come without warning.

Regards

Simon.

Well said. And that is a really nice picture on the home page.