I would have to say this is the only downfall to them. They start back up very easy by just adding a little water to the box.i actually have a harder time getting my emperors to restart than i do the penguins and even the penguin knockoffs (the aquaclear (?) marineland line made for wal-mart). i do water changes below the intakes of the filters, so they always have to reprime. the 400's can really be a pain to get restarted.