I saw a manual for a filter that said that you should turn all your filters off for a little while everyday. Do you guys do that?
Do you turn your filters off?
- Thread starter Karlsbad
- Start date
What kind of filter was that?
I use AC Mini's and a Tetra Whisper 5-15 on my aquariums and never turn them off. At feeding time I turn the AC Mini's down (adjustable flow control) so the food stays put better.
I have read that turning off filters can be bad for the biological bacteria that inhabit filter surfaces, particularly sponge and floss, since they are no longer getting the dissolved oxygen in the water flowing by.
What kind of filter was that filter manual referring to?
I use AC Mini's and a Tetra Whisper 5-15 on my aquariums and never turn them off. At feeding time I turn the AC Mini's down (adjustable flow control) so the food stays put better.
I have read that turning off filters can be bad for the biological bacteria that inhabit filter surfaces, particularly sponge and floss, since they are no longer getting the dissolved oxygen in the water flowing by.
What kind of filter was that filter manual referring to?
Mine run 24/7. I see no reason to turn them off. Some people turn off their filters during feeding time, especially if feeding flake foods, but I don't see a need for that, either.
I have several filters (Whisper and AquaClear, mainly) that are very balking about restarting after being powered down. I don't shut them off unless absolutely necessary.
Jim
I have several filters (Whisper and AquaClear, mainly) that are very balking about restarting after being powered down. I don't shut them off unless absolutely necessary.
Jim
My run 24/7 exept when I buy Live brine shrimp too feed my fishies! All the shrimp try to get caught in the filter before the fishies can eat them!
mine stay running 24/7 but I think I'll try turning them off during feeding and see if I get less waste food. Kyle
Same as kveeti.
While turning a filter off for a short time won't damage the bacteria, I don't see why it would be beneficial, and I would be very worried about forgetting to turn it back on. Heck, I have mine setup so I turn off the lights at the same time, just so I have a visual reminder!
While turning a filter off for a short time won't damage the bacteria, I don't see why it would be beneficial, and I would be very worried about forgetting to turn it back on. Heck, I have mine setup so I turn off the lights at the same time, just so I have a visual reminder!
A little off-topic, but does the AC Mini turn down by turning a knob or by raising/lowering the intake? I think I might buy one, just wanted to know.
Yes, there is a little lever to adjust flow.
I leave my AC's on during filter cleaning - which is just squeezing out the sponge media in a bucket of old tank water.
It is imortant to unplug the filter for 30 seconds or so once in awhile to make sure that it will restart. If there is gunk in the impellor, it may not restart if there is a power outage, which is not good. I turn mine off every few weeks, and do a cleaning of the impellor every 3-4 months.
The "o" ring wears out, so I don't take the motor off often. Usually when it won't restart.
I have emperors and an Eheim pro and I turn the flow on all of them off for the few minutes I'm feeding my fish their tiny sinking pellets and krill. They all restart easily and I don't have any problem forgetting to turn them back on. The food will either sink or race away if I leave them on and my fish can't really hover at the surface with them on plus my oscar isn't very good at getting the food on the bottom. I have pretty fine gravel that the food gets lost in. I was thinking about getting a piece of slate or other flat rock that I could pour the food onto. For now I'm stuck basically hand feeding.
Last edited: