Can turning off return pump for a whole night could be a problem?

[fr3n0z]

Hi guys, my new tank will be in my studio that sometimes act as a guest room. It will be a problem if maybe a couple of times a month or maximum once a week i turn off the return pump for the night? (i will put a heater in display tank when i'll do that). Wavemaker will be on, just the return pump will be off.

I've got a overflow like the xaqua in/out and isn't completely silent.

 

[Garf]

Hi guys, my new tank will be in my studio that sometimes act as a guest room. It will be a problem if maybe a couple of times a month or maximum once a week i turn off the return pump for the night? (i will put a heater in display tank when i'll do that). Wavemaker will be on, just the return pump will be off.

I've got a overflow like the xaqua in/out and isn't completely silent.

What else have you got in the sump?

 

[littlebeard]

I'd say it really depends... depends on the tank size, equipment in it, inhabitants (sps? Fowlr). What do you have in the sump?

 

[GlassMunky]

If there’s a wave maker moving water and some kind of oxygen exchange (wave maker pointed slightly towards the top of the tank) you’ll be fine

no different than if the tank had a power outage

 

[Rmckoy]

What’s the reason behind turning it off for the night ?
Circulation , oxygenation , gas exchange needs to happen but by interfering might prove to become an issue.

 

[Rmckoy]

If there’s a wave maker moving water and some kind of oxygen exchange (wave maker pointed slightly towards the top of the tank) you’ll be fine

no different than if the tank had a power outage

Power outages don’t happen once per week , and not likely for 8+ hours at a time .

 

[shakacuz]

if your heaters are in your sump, then yes. they’ll just heat the sump water and not your tank water.

if you’re heaters are moved or already in your DT, just having some surface water movement will suffice

 

[I never finish anythi]

How big is the tank and sump ?

 

[homer1475]

I would be worried about the sump water going stagnant, or a significant rise in ammonia depending on whats in the sump?

I could not turn mine off as I dose into my sump, and ALK/CAL would drop to dangerous levels if I left my return off for the night.

 

[fr3n0z]

What else have you got in the sump?

I'd say it really depends... depends on the tank size, equipment in it, inhabitants (sps? Fowlr). What do you have in the sump?

if your heaters are in your sump, then yes. they’ll just heat the sump water and not your tank water.

if you’re heaters are moved or already in your DT, just having some surface water movement will suffice

What’s the reason behind turning it off for the night ?
Circulation , oxygenation , gas exchange needs to happen but by interfering might prove to become an issue.

How big is the tank and sump ?

Ok, tank is a nano 15g with 10g sump. In the sump there will be skimmer, refugium with some chaeto, dosing pump, ATO and probes.

Tank has a couple of BTA, 2 clown, 1 yellow gobi, few snails and couple of shrimps, corals are soft and a couple of easy LPS.

During the night OFF the heater will be placed in main display. The wavemaker they stay ON all night as usual. Dosing pump it will be OFF aswell during the period in wich return is OFF.

I want to turn it OFF because when someone will sleep in the room, since the xaqua in/out overflow isn't super silent, i dont want to bother guest. That will happen once a week or couple of time a month maximum. Very rarely for a couple of consecutive night .

 

[Rmckoy]

Ok, tank is a nano 15g with 10g sump. In the sump there will be skimmer, refugium with some chaeto, dosing pump, ATO and probes.

Tank has a couple of BTA, 2 clown, 1 yellow gobi, few snails and couple of shrimps, corals are soft and a couple of easy LPS.

During the night OFF the heater will be placed in main display. The wavemaker they stay ON all night as usual. Dosing pump it will be OFF aswell during the period in wich return is OFF.

I want to turn it OFF because when someone will sleep in the room, since the xaqua in/out overflow isn't super silent, i dont want to bother guest. That will happen once a week or couple of time a month maximum. Very rarely for a couple of consecutive night .

You might find the guests will appreciate the sound as comforting and southing .

 

[fr3n0z]

You might find the guests will appreciate the sound as comforting and southing .

some yes, some not, i would like to be prepared in case. I am waiting for some insonorizing foam to put in the cabinet but not sure if it'll work.

 

[Lineatus]

Eh, in my opinion you’ll be fine. with that livestock, just make sure there’s flow and surface agitation in both the sump and main display, I’d also keep a heater in the sump to keep any macroinvertebrates that end up there alive as well. It’s always a risk but a reasonably safe one.

Back when I was a kid I had a softy tank in my room that had a very loud hob filter, I turned it off almost every night so I could sleep. The animals in the display didn’t seem to care lol (this is just an anecdote and certainly not something I’d do now obviously)

 

[GlassMunky]

Power outages don’t happen once per week , and not likely for 8+ hours at a time .

No they don’t but the frequency that it happens doesn’t have any effect on the tank lol

Like somehow the tank is gonna know that it’s been off for a night more than once in a month and be upset.

that’s just silly.
it’s just water. Nothing bad will happen. No need to spread doom and fear over having a plug unplugged for a few hours.
8hours off is nothing.

I regularly unplug my return pump in the middle of the night when the ATO is empty and being loud and forget to plug it back in for a day or 2 and nothing bad happens to any of my corals or fish.
Your being overly worried about nothing

 

[stevolough]

I agree with a heater in sump as well. Sump temp will drop over night and because your sump is 2/3 of tank volume your display temp could drop quickly when you turn pump back on.

 

[mortimersnerd]

Should be OK. I'd work on quieting down the overflows. My 150 would be easy to sleep next to.

 

[Garf]

Skimmer would need to go off to stop it overflowing (maybe). If so I’d put an extra power head in and a heater. Depending on your sump, you may be best advised to circulate the chambers, with algae in there.
I would go for ear muffs.

 

[exnisstech]

Man I'm glad I don't have guests. Why not move the tank to your bedroom. Thats where my reefer 170 resides. My CBB is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning