?? on HOB skimmer schedule

[suep]

I've got a lot of new filter feeders and I'm thinking about putting my skimmer on a timer so it just comes on at night. That will be easier than trying to remember to turn it back on every time I feed. (It's a HOB AquaC Remora, very effective.) I was looking at it just now and when I turn it off to feed there's a reservoir of water that doesn't drain. Is that going to be a problem? I don't want to dump stale water back into the tank and upset everybody...?

[lReef lKeeper]

i leave mine running 24/7 except for when it is being cleaned. of course it is not a HOB but i would leave it running.

[suep]

You may be right, I've left it on 24/7 ever since I got it months ago. But it does strip phytoplankton or baby brine out of the water column very quickly.

Ideally, I'd like one of those power strips with a 'Feeding' button, but I've never seen one around here.

[pbukow]

Maybe if you just set the timer to turn off for an hour or two after you feed. If you are on a regular feeding schedule, say you feed the tank at 8:00PM every day, give or take half an hour to an hour. You could set the timer to turn off at 7:00PM and not turn back on until 10:00-11:00PM, this still gives your animals a couple of hours to feed and doesn't allow too much time for the water in the resovior to become stagnant or stale. However, you would be dedicating yourself to a pretty set feeding schedule.

Another way to keep the skimmer running while not removing food is to just remove the collection cup on the skimmer for the night and put it back on in the morning. However if the cup prevents the skimmer from overflowing, especially since this is a HOB application, it may not be practical or smart. :-O Hope this helped

[suep]

It gives me more things to think about, which is always nice.

The odds of me getting on a regular daily schedule are not high, shall we say... My routine can vary by a couple hours either way, depending on the day.

[CarmieJo]

I would worry about letting water sit uncirculated in it for overnight.

Here is my feeding routine. I initially turn my Koralias and return pump off when I feed. After I target feed my candy cane, torch, fungia and rics I turn the Koralias back on but let the return off for an hour or so. The skimmer keeps the water in the sump moving and the Koralias in the tank keep the food moving for the filter feeders.

[suep]

Yeah, I've come to the same conclusion. I've removed the collection cup for an hour or so, but I've been leaving the power on. If nothing else, it adds to the flow in the tank and seems to make everybody happier.