who turns off the return pump when they feed?

A

Aj Flip

New member
i've been turning it off when i feed my fish because i dont want any of the food being wasted by being sucked into the overflow and trapped in the filter sock (pain to remove and put back), or skimmer.

after feeding i just turn the return pump back on and i dont mind the micro bubbles it makes, they go away in minutes

anybody else do this?
 
I don't. I have a feed button on my controller that turns off my powerheads for 10 min. I don't see any food going into the overflow this way.
 
do u feed stuff that floats or sinks

im feeding flakes so it all floats and makes it way to the overflow
 
I don't turn my pumps off. In fact, I target feed with them on very successfully.

I feed a variety of foods including frozen meats and flake. With flake to get into the water column and not just float on the top of the water, take a pinch and put your fingers into the water then release after a few seconds. That way the flake will move about the tank and give everyone a chance at the food. It works!
 
Another nifty trick I do if I feed flake(very very seldom), I put a pinch in a coffee cup and drip a couple drops of Kent Zoe on it and let it soak for a while. Then just dip the cup in the tank and let it wash out. All of it is saturated enough to go straight into the water column and not float around. I do not turn my return pumps, or circ pumps off when I feed.
 
I do.
I feed thawed cubes of Marine Cuisine and half of it will float to the top and head straight for the overflow. If the pump is running it gets sucked down and into the sump. Even if I try to target feed, half of it will rise right to the top.
 
feed button on controller that can be set for 1 - 20 mins. From the input you've received I'd say experiment with different food/feeding methods and see what works best for you.
 
I turn off the pump and powerheads. The skimmer pump continues to operate in the sump. I feed a variety from time to time. Flake, frozen and fresh ocassionaly. I feed the fish and target feed at the same time. After 5-10 minutes I restart the Korallias which stirs up the food again. After another five minutes or so I restart the main pump. I also use the time to change out about 2 gallons which gives me a 1%/day water change routine.
 
So let me get this straight... every time you feed, which is daily, you turn off the pumps, put food in, wait... Then you turn on powerheads, wait some more, then turn on the return, then do a 2 gallon water change? If that works for you, God bless you! My daily feedings take a total of about 1 minute, there's no way I would devote 30 minutes to an hour every day just to feeding. If I had to micromanage my tank to the point that I couldn't live with a couple pieces of food going uneaten and ending up in the sump, it would be more like a full time job than a hobby and suck all the fun out of it for me. The day I feel like my tank is a burden and not fun anymore is a day I hope to avoid.
 
Shmax

Shmax

It's not as overwhelming or time consuming as you portray it. I designed my setup to be easy to manage and fairly carefree. The time I spend at feeding allows me to check on the health of the tank and it's inhabitants. I have time to do water testing if I desire. I like checking out the fish and corals to make sure they are well and all accounted for. It is not 30 minutes to an hour. It is 15-20 minutes, sometimes a little longer. I don't micromange anything! I enjoy it! It is probably one of my more enjoyable times with the fish and corals. What good is a reef if you don't take a little time now and again to appreciate it's beauty and amazing creatures.

I agree though. I'm not worried about a few extra pieces of food.
 
I feed daily with the return pumps left on. The pigs that my fuish are eat it long before any beneficial amount makes it to the overflows.
 
I turn my pumps off as I dont want any food decaying in the sump. At the same time i also feed my tank with phytoplankton. I wait about 15-20 minutes before turning them back on.
 
I have one of the standbys set up on my RKE to shut down the return pumps for 15 minutes. I just hit a button, throw in the food, and it returns to normal on its own 15 minutes later.
 
I dont. if anything goes down the overflow its negligable. my fish eat it quickly and what little does make its way down gives the sump critters something to feed off of.
 
only time i turn off return pump is when feeding coral food or dt`s photo. leave powerheads on then too unless target feeding. normal feedings fish eat it up before can make it to sump
 
I, too, only turn off my return pump when I decide to feed my corals. I usually feed mysis, and I never see it go in the overflow. In fact, as soon as I turn off the return pump and powerheads the fish hide. I'm not sure why, but something about no water flow freaks everyone out, so I couldn't feed them with the pumps off anyways.
 
I turn off my return, leaving the powerheads in the tank running (which I find helps float the food around better anyways so everyone even the shy fish who tend to stick to the bottom get some) I leave the return off only about 5 mins, since I have a few tanks to feed by the time I cut the return on the first and feed and make my rounds it's time to turn them all back on again.
 
i usually do the same thing, turn off return so no food flows into sump, leave powerheads on, watch fish and critters eat for about 10-15 minutes, then plug it all back in, no biggie really
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Red Sea weir overflow
Replies
9
Views
310
griss
griss
T
I'm confused...
Replies
12
Views
607
wvned
wvned
Niven
I'm back....and ready to jump back in, feet first in the deep end, speedo, everything!
2
Replies
24
Views
746
griss
griss
wvned
My weir
Replies
6
Views
1K
SantaMonica
S
L
filter roller install help
Replies
3
Views
732
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
Back
Top