diff --git a/storage/fanout.go b/storage/fanout.go
index a9a3f904b..e52342bc7 100644
--- a/storage/fanout.go
+++ b/storage/fanout.go
@@ -89,7 +89,9 @@ func (f *fanout) Querier(mint, maxt int64) (Querier, error) {
 			}
 			return nil, errs.Err()
 		}
-		secondaries = append(secondaries, querier)
+		if _, ok := querier.(noopQuerier); !ok {
+			secondaries = append(secondaries, querier)
+		}
 	}
 	return NewMergeQuerier([]Querier{primary}, secondaries, ChainedSeriesMerge), nil
 }
diff --git a/storage/merge.go b/storage/merge.go
index b4ebb440f..bcb0f66fb 100644
--- a/storage/merge.go
+++ b/storage/merge.go
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ type mergeGenericQuerier struct {
 //
 // In case of overlaps between the data given by primaries' and secondaries' Selects, merge function will be used.
 func NewMergeQuerier(primaries, secondaries []Querier, mergeFn VerticalSeriesMergeFunc) Querier {
+	if len(primaries)+len(secondaries) == 0 {
+		return NoopQuerier()
+	}
 	queriers := make([]genericQuerier, 0, len(primaries)+len(secondaries))
 	for _, q := range primaries {
 		if _, ok := q.(noopQuerier); !ok && q != nil {