water level in sump question

[Wilsontank]

Hey, I'm running a 75G tank for a couple of weeks now and every time I turn off my return pump to feed my fishes the protein skimmer overflows. I'm assuming is because the water lv is raising but I'm not sure. I also tried to turn off the skimmer and the pump when feeding but when I turn back on the pump and skimmer the water level drops lower than what I marked before. so I don't know what to do to keep the water level stable. I'm very new to this so any suggestion would help thanks !
Wilson.

 

[ericarenee]

Hey, I'm running a 75G tank for a couple of weeks now and every time I turn off my return pump to feed my fishes the protein skimmer overflows. I'm assuming is because the water lv is raising but I'm not sure. I also tried to turn off the skimmer and the pump when feeding but when I turn back on the pump and skimmer the water level drops lower than what I marked before. so I don't know what to do to keep the water level stable. I'm very new to this so any suggestion would help thanks !
Wilson.

Can you post some pics of your tanks over flow and Sump.

I never turn my pump off to feed especially skimmer. But my sump is in the basement.... Skimmer is in a Chamber that maintains water level regardless of pump on or off
The water level change may be due to the amount of water in the skimmer or over flow collection or even the water in your over flow bean animal takes a few minutes to adjust out for instance.

 

[Sk8r]

Some brands do that (AquaC)---some like Coralife will behave badly if their air intakes clog. I simply don't turn off the return to feed the fish. I figure whatever escapes feeds the CUC in the sump fuge or in the tank.

 

[gone fishin]

I would suspect the skimmer issue is directly related to the sump level rising.

FWIW I don't turn anything off except my powerhead it has a 10 minute feed mode. If it did not have feed mode then I would not turn that off.

 

[lllesley]

I agree, just turn off your power heads, leave your return and skimmer running.
Easier that way and fish get plenty to eat.

 

[OurLifeAquatic]

+1 To all who said not to shut down your return pump and skimmer while feeding - it really is not necessary. You are correct that your skimmer overflows due to your sump level rising. This is common of many skimmer designs. That said, I am curious as to the cause of the water level issue you're experiencing once you turn everything back on. Do you notice that it equalizes over time? Is the water level in your display tank holding steady or does it seem a bit higher than normal once you turn everything back on? The flow rates between your overflow and return pump could be mismatched. Which return pump are you using and what size drain is feeding your sump?

 

[hotelbravo]

I do not turn off my return pump or my two powerheads when I feed. Out of curiosity whats the reason you do that?

 

[jayball]

I don't turn off any of my pumps either. I get a much more energetic feeding response from my fish that way.

 

[Mcgeezer]

I always leave everything running when feeding because it elicits a response to chase the food. The ocean doesn't shut off so fish can eat...so why should you?

 

[Crooked Reef]

I do not turn off my return pump or my two powerheads when I feed. Out of curiosity whats the reason you do that?

I think people do it so that the overflow doesn't suck the food down into the sump away from the fish. I can see benefits either way. My setup has live rock rubble in a sump chamber with all sorts of life in it so I leave my pumps on. There are a couple of emerald crabs in the chamber to take care of any stray food anyway. If I was running a completely empty sump, and by empty I mean just equipment and water with no refugium, then I may shut off my return pump. I probably wouldn't though because if you have that sort of sump it is very easy to vacuum out.

 

[Isaacs55]

I always leave everything running when feeding because it elicits a response to chase the food. The ocean doesn't shut off so fish can eat...so why should you?

+1
just leave everything on so everyone gets a chance to eat.

 

[Wilsontank]

Thanks everyone for their reply. I'm going to go with not turning off my pump when feeding. It makes sense and my fishes do get enough food. I'll probably just turn off 1 power head that's angled to the surface, so that will reduce the food getting sucked by the overflow.