Filtration / Protein Skimmer - How Long do you Leave them Off For when Feeding Coral

[that Fish Guy]

When Feeding your Coral (Reef Roids, Reef Chili, Coral Frenzy, etc.)

How Long do you Turn your Filtration / Protein Skimmer Off For?

[tankfull]

Mine is set to be off for an hour.

[rwb500]

in my experience the food in the water prevents the foam head from forming so I don't turn my skimmer off. it deactivates itself for a while. anyone else do this?

[AdamNC]

The only thing I put in feed mode is my WP-10. All other filtration stays on.

[s_kelley]

My skimmer runs 24/7

[Ruffoj926]

in my experience the food in the water prevents the foam head from forming so I don't turn my skimmer off. it deactivates itself for a while. anyone else do this?


Exactly, the food in the water causes the foam head on the skimmer to collapse. It takes care of itself.

But, I don't think it really matters, anyway. I bet most corals grab as much food as they're gonna consume within about 60 seconds.

[that Fish Guy]

My skimmer runs 24/7

Wouldn't all the food just get taken out right away?

The Corals wouldn't be able to Feed at all doing that I would think.

Why don't you turn Filtration off?

[Bpb]

I feed Pappone to the corals 3 times a week at lights out, and I just pull off the skimmer cup overnight and let it overflow into the sump. I replace it in the morning

[Compliance]

I turn off the return pump with the 'feed' button, but besides that 8 minutes, or whatever - all pumps stay on all the time.

[Ruffoj926]

Wouldn't all the food just get taken out right away?



The Corals wouldn't be able to Feed at all doing that I would think.



Why don't you turn Filtration off?


I suspect the corals grab as much as they can eat within about a minute anyway.

[slief]

My skimmer runs 24/7

Me too. It's not like all the tank water passes though the skimmer anyway and my skimmer is in the sump and not the display to begin with. Any food that the skimmer pulls out within the minutes, let alone hour after feeding is going to be negligible. I don't target feed my corals. As such, I don't shut my pumps off for feedings of any kind. Not for fish or for coral feeding. In fact, I use my pumps to help circulate and distribute the food and consider my pumps to be an integral part of the feeding process.

[that Fish Guy]

I suspect the corals grab as much as they can eat within about a minute anyway.

I am mostly concerned about feeding Zoanthids.

They do not close up and eat food like a few of my Paly's do.

What are your thoughts on feeding the Zoanthids?

[Ruffoj926]

I am mostly concerned about feeding Zoanthids.

They do not close up and eat food like a few of my Paly's do.

What are your thoughts on feeding the Zoanthids?


Zoanthids have big enough polyps that you could probably feed them extra-small fish food pellets. A powdered-type coral food might be too small for them.

So, you might want to shut the flow off and carefully drop some fish food pellets on them. The polyps should grab the pellets and pull them in. There are also some pelletized coral foods on the market if you want to get picky. A high protein fish food should be fine, though.

[Stackemdeep]

Mine is set to be off for an hour.

^ This. Also using Roids, twice a week. Sometimes an hour and half.
I leave two power heads running and that is it.

[JeffyT]

I reconnected my return pump and skimmer to a different power strip and moved my Kessil Controller and Mp10 Powerhead to a different strip. I don't have an apex controller to keep tabs on the switches. I turn off the return pump and skimmer while my fish feed. In my 30g nano it puts the waterline just below the overflow. The mp10 does all the work when it comes to distrbuting the food. I target feed as well