Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've kept aquariums for 45 years and these particular air pumps, while not exactly "silent", are as quiet as it gets - unless of course you put the pump in an adjacent room and run the tubing through the wall and into the tank. Don't laugh, this is actually quite common among serious aquarists that love bubbles and can't take the noise. You see, I've had just about every popular and affordable air pump over the years AND NONE OF THEM ARE "SILENT". Many are downright offensive. The quietest thing to do is avoid air pumps altogether, but if like me, you just can't live without those beautiful bubbles - and BTW... bubbles aren't necessary in a properly stocked and filtered tank - then these Whisper air pumps are the quietest ones currently available. However, you will still find yourself tweaking and re-positioning even these from time to time just to "knock the edge off" the noise. This is just an aquarium air pump owner's fact of life. I have three of these particular pumps running in the house right now. Two of them are over three years old and still going strong. And I can tell you they are a tremendous improvement over the traditional "box-shaped" air pumps, most of which will almost rattle pictures off the wall. One trick I discovered that will deaden the sound of any air pump even more is to set it on an old, thick and soft mouse pad. It's okay if you need to cut it to fit the particular space you have. I do this for the Whisper pump in the bedroom and it does make the quietest affordable air pump you can get even quieter. And BTW... that crazy loud pump in the "Do not buy this" video review is big time defective and should be sent straight back for a replacement. I think the chance of getting one like that is really low. Good luck. UPDATE: Just bought 2 more of these. They work great and put out more air than any other pump you can get that is anywhere near this pricepoint. My others are all still running silently enough after several years. The trick to pump longevity is to never use overly restrictive airstones or ornaments with any inexpensive air pump. If it is making really small bubbles it is probably exerting a good deal of pressure on the pump diaphragm and this will greatly shorten it's lifespan. I stay away from really restrictive devices and my pumps last for years and years. I seek out stones that make larger bubbles and I often will just use an open-ended tube. The best stones I have found for this lately are the cheap, plastic, colored ones that screw together. And always buy the right pump for the depth of your tank. The different tank recommendations are all about depth of the water as it takes more force to push the air in the deeper tanks.