Is turning off the pumps during feeding benificial?

Breto

New member
Quick background:
I just started my tank recently and as part of the build I built an auto off/on button for feeding, much like you see with the reef controllers. My design is an old industrial timer I was able to get from my work for free and a modified power strip. It's quite simple in design in that you push a button and everything plugged into that power strip loses power for 20 min and then automatically comes back on.

Currently I have my power heads and my HOB skimmer plugged into it and it works great. The problem is that I just added my first fish and when the timer turns the pumps back on it seems to scare the poor little guy.

So my question is, will the fish eventually get used to this? or should I really not worry about cutting the power to my pumps during feeding?
 
IMO, one of those things some people do because other people do it. May be useful if you are target feeding corals, completely pointless otherwise. I actually pour fish food right into my power-heads so that the fish think it is moving and chase it with much greater enthusiasm.
 
Sytem pump I definitely turn off to keep food from going into the overflow.
Powerheads I like to keep running but prefer if they run at a slower pace to keep food from blowing around like crazy and behind the rocks. But I'd rather have it blow around like crazy than not at all. So if my powerheads have a "feed mode", I'll use that. Otherwise I keep them running.

Off completely for target feeding coral.
 
Thanks for the advice. I will see how my new fish likes chasing his dinner tonight.
 
I actually use my system pump to feed my tank now. It scatters the food away from the overflow and then my MP40 and my Gyre keep it moving around
 
It's just a means to keep the food in the display and out of your sump. Unless you have a fish with unique feeding needs (seahorse) not any other benefit.
 
I only turn them off when I target feed corals. For the fish, I have automated feeder and I made the magnetic acrylic square below, which I placed under the feeder. I love it. No food is lost and I get to enjoy the fish eating.

%25255BUNSET%25255D.jpg

%25255BUNSET%25255D.jpg
 
I never turn off the pumps, the fish prefer moving food. It isn't in the tank long enough to go over the overflow anyway:)
 
Back
Top