Does turning off return pump mess with skimmer performance?

[Muffin87]

Hello everyone,
I've only had a sumpless tank so far, now I'm finally getting a tank with a sump and I'm torn between buying:

• a DC pump that can decrease flow substantially, when feeding;
• OR an AC pump that I can just turn off when feeding.

If I get an AC pump, will skimmer performance be affected for hours when I turn the AC pump off for feedings, once or twice a day?

Thanks for your insight!

 

[C. Eymann]

Hello everyone,
I've only had a sumpless tank so far, now I'm finally getting a tank with a sump and I'm torn between buying:

• a DC pump that can decrease flow substantially, when feeding;
• OR an AC pump that I can just turn off when feeding.

If I get an AC pump, will skimmer performance be affected for hours when I turn the AC pump off for feedings, once or twice a day?

Thanks for your insight!

All depends how the sump/overflow is plumbed and set up in regards to turning off the return and water level fluctuation in the skimmer chamber.

Personally, I never turn off my return when feeding, nor do I turn off skimmer either, the dwell time for food suspensions in the display are adequate for MY liking.

It may not be good for an AC pump being turned off and on repeatedly each daylong term, DC would be fine in that regard though.

 

[Rukk]

if your setup is such that when the return pump is off the water level rises in the sump (and the skimmer) then the skimmer may very well overflow due to the higher water level. Ask me how I know.

I have RO controllable pumps on my return and skimmer that will do both 15 minutes and one hour. I work it where the skimmer goes off before the return pump and then the return pump comes on first before the skimmer comes on when everything is coming back up. Basically the skimmer is only running when the water level in the sump is "normal".

 

[Dragon52]

I don't turn off anything when feeding because of the different fish I have, if I did the bottom dwellers wouldn't get anything. When I need to turn the return pump & powerheads off to make a water change a couple gallons flow back into the tank from the return line & overflow so it can affect my skimmer.