[Todd]

I dont have a seaclone, but do have some noise problems with my tank. I use an aquaclear to provide surface agitation and carbon (as I am running a HOB Remora Pro without the surface skimmer attachment, and my water surface gets pretty bad after a few days). As my tank is between two couches near the TV, and the water falling from the aquaclear is loud when combined with light fans, skimmer and powerhead, I have put the aquaclear on a timer to run from 2 am to 8 am. Might be a nice solution to put your skimmer on a timer, then you don't have to worry about turning it on/off. You could program it to turn on when you (or more important to future purchases, your wife) know you wont be near the tank.