When Feeding Fish or Corals, Do you turn off your Return Pump ?

[Invert]

Information is the Key to Success.

When feeding your Fish or Corals,
Do you turn off your Return Pump ?

If you do not,
Is most your your food going down the Overflow ?
And
Not being consumed by your your Fish or Corals ?

Some may think this is a silly question.
or
Why does Invert ask so many question.

There are Hobbyist that do not want / Know the questions to ask.
or
Sign up to a Forum to find information without ever Posting a Question.

If this Hobby is to succeed,
Information needs to be readily available to those that,
Look and do not speak,
Which is a large majority of Hobbyist.

[Mike]

I dont turn any pumps off. I figure it is more natural for them to feed from the water column.

[Chelle's Ocean]

I also do not turn anything off.....I used to, in the beginning of the hobby- but not for a long time now. I add a majority of my coral/fish food to my sump..... and let it flow into the tank- broadcast feeding everything :) works nicely. I also target a few select corals- i.e. my duncans - frogspawn - and hammer - and I used to hand feed my naso -- but he has long been gone, :( so I am on the hunt for a baby one for xmas .... but no, I do not turn my tank or any compnents off when I feed.

[Sir Patrick]

I keep all my pumps on, not including the return. i turn the return off for about 10 minutes or so. I have a frag area in the sump, or I would leave it off longer. Keeping all my pumps on keeps the water in suspension until the return kicks back on, and makes sure it doesnt settle.

If I leave the return on, ALOT of food goes down into the sump, and a majority of that food gets sucked up by the skimmer. My water pumps are all organized to keep dead spots moving, and also sweep all debris into the overflow, so the overflow is pretty efficiant. Some food passes the skimmer, because of the design of my sump, but not too much. Hate to feed the skimmer. Rather see the fish/corals get most of it.

[Invert]

During Main Feeding,
Closed Loop Pump stays on & Return is Redirected.

My Feather Dusters appreciate the extra chances to capture food.

[gablett]

I leave everything on. With my voracious feeding fish the corals don't even really get anything.

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[weasel]

Overflow and return off, power heads off till the main fish and large corals can eat. Then powerheads back on and any small filter feeding type food added. Let that go for about 15-20 min. then main pump back on.

[jolson10450]

i have all pumps besides the skimmer on my reefkeeper stand by, i turn them off then feed, after 15 mins whatever hasn't been eaten goes down to the first chamber where a baffle and rock rubble restricts it from going further and bacteria eats it there, the skimmer is also in that first chamber so as soon as it converts it can get hit by the skimmer to get skimmed out.

[BK's Reef]

turning a pump on and off repetitively will start to wear down the pump, so i do not turn it off and anyways if food goes down the overflow it goes to my coral in my sump lol but most of the time i feed mysis which my fish LOVE so non gets left behind really.

[stunreefer]

I do not turn anything off.

Feed an amount that your fish can consume before it would get sucked down into the overflow (and continue doing so until they're full).

[rmalone]

I also turn nothing off. I put the food/foods in a plastic cup w/tank water make sure nothing is floating and make those fish chase the food. Anything that does make it into the overflow or sump is pod food.

[MizTanks]

Return off for about 5min so all corals feed, fish also. Then on for filter feeders. I find I feed less this way knowing everything gets eaten, less waist.

[jolson10450]

yeah my fish are used to it now, they know the sound when the pump goes off to head to the water surface and get ready lol.

[Fordris]

I am running sumpless So when i feed i turn off my HOB filter and my power heads i leave the HOB skimmer on.
We start by target feeding certain corals then broadcast feed the filter feeders then i let it sit for about 5 min then i kick on only the power head for about 5-10 min to let all the filter feeders grab anything loose once the tanks looks pretty clear of food i Kick back on the HOB filter.

[schminksbro]

I put my Vortechs on feed mode and feed the fish what they will eat before it touches bottom. I then repeat several times.