Partially turning off filter at night

[Orca2013]

Hello, I got internal box filter with atman 102 pushing water through it. But, at nigh I cant sleep cause its noisy. so I was thinking to buy tetra aps 150 which would be in another room so I wont hear it.
During the day both pumps would push water through filter which is about 640l/h on 100L tank,and that is good enough. But over nigh I would like to turn of atman 102 pump which would live me with 140l/h for about 8 hours.

I would do this every night.
Will It harm my fishes?

Note:
I got internal box filer

 

[jwh0818]

What kind of fish do you have?

Most of the time even 4 hours is too long. Fish need the added oxygen in the water to survive. They will most likely die at an 8 hour time period

 

[Orca2013]

What kind of fish do you have?

Most of the time even 4 hours is too long. Fish need the added oxygen in the water to survive. They will most likely die at an 8 hour time period

No fish yet.

 

[khoifish89]

Hello, I got internal box filter with atman 102 pushing water through it. But, at nigh I cant sleep cause its noisy. so I was thinking to buy tetra aps 150 which would be in another room so I wont hear it.
During the day both pumps would push water through filter which is about 640l/h on 100L tank,and that is good enough. But over nigh I would like to turn of atman 102 pump which would live me with 140l/h for about 8 hours.

I would do this every night.
Will It harm my fishes?

Note:
I got internal box filer

When I had my fish tank in my bedroom before I moved it out to the living room, I turn off my filter at night every night. Personally I don't see any harm to the fish.

 

[Orca2013]

When I had my fish tank in my bedroom before I moved it out to the living room, I turn off my filter at night every night. Personally I don't see any harm to the fish.

Did u had any sensitive fish

 

[JacobThomson]

If you had an air stone that would provide enough oxygen so I don't see any problem in turning the filter off!

 

[jwh0818]

From knowledgeable experience, 4 or more hours no oxygen can kill most any fish that we keep.

 

[JacobThomson]

From knowledgeable experience, 4 or more hours no oxygen can kill most any fish that we keep.

But surely an air stone would provide enough oxygen?

 

[Orca2013]

But surely an air stone would provide enough oxygen?

I do have air stone

 

[Mebbid]

Unless the tank is seriously overstocked then leaving it off overnight shouldn't be an issue with oxygen although temperature fluctuation from the heater could be problematic. But what is the sound coming from? is it the motor itself or the noise of the water hitting the surface?

Have you thought about adding a timer to the filter that would turn it back on an hour after you fall asleep?

 

[Bix22]

I do have air stone

My air stone is noisier than my filter lol

 

[Orca2013]

Unless the tank is seriously overstocked then leaving it off overnight shouldn't be an issue with oxygen although temperature fluctuation from the heater could be problematic. But what is the sound coming from? is it the motor itself or the noise of the water hitting the surface?

Have you thought about adding a timer to the filter that would turn it back on an hour after you fall asleep?

Its from motor. actually its not laud at all but i cant stand any sound.
I was considering timer
I will remind you that filter would not be completely off. It would have 140l/h flow over night.

 

[Scouser]

Its from motor. actually its not laud at all but i cant stand any sound.
I was considering timer
I will remind you that filter would not be completely off. It would have 140l/h flow over night.

You mean you're just reducing the flow through the filter to cut out the noise?

I had an issue with a noisy filter and the best solution I found was a new filter lol

 

[Orca2013]

You mean you're just reducing the flow through the filter to cut out the noise?

I had an issue with a noisy filter and the best solution I found was a new filter lol

Im turning off submersible pump but air pump which is in another room will still make flow of 140l/h so I will have 140l/h over night

 

[Orca2013]

OK. This is the best I can do:
During the day flow rate will be 800L/h
During the night (4h) flow rate will be 300L/h + air stone

Tank volume is about 100L
Fishes will feel good in my tank?

 

[Mebbid]

Yeah. they will be fine

 

[7Enigma]

Good God I don't think anyone actually read your OP!

To answer your question, yes you will be fine at a reduced flow as long as it is still going through the filter. And to correct the other "wonderful" advice here goes:

-turning off a filter (ie no flow through it) is recommended to be kept less than 8 hours. Even 1-2 starts to be bad as the bacteria that make up the biological filter will soon create anaerobic conditions and begin to die (this will cause a latent effect on the fish if too much bacteria die and you get an ammonia spike that can't be taken care of quickly). During power outages I'm always pouring tank water through the HOB filters to prevent this every hour or so (UPS/generators obviously if available). But the FISH will be fine for even an extended period of time with no water movement (people have been known to keep goldfish in a bowl ya know...). The only exception would be if you had a heavily stocked tank with a sealed top which is uncommon for most people (talking fancy display tanks here) not a glass top that has cutouts.

HTH

 

[Mebbid]

Good God I don't think anyone actually read your OP!

To answer your question, yes you will be fine at a reduced flow as long as it is still going through the filter. And to correct the other "wonderful" advice here goes:

-turning off a filter (ie no flow through it) is recommended to be kept less than 8 hours. Even 1-2 starts to be bad as the bacteria that make up the biological filter will soon create anaerobic conditions and begin to die (this will cause a latent effect on the fish if too much bacteria die and you get an ammonia spike that can't be taken care of quickly). During power outages I'm always pouring tank water through the HOB filters to prevent this every hour or so (UPS/generators obviously if available). But the FISH will be fine for even an extended period of time with no water movement (people have been known to keep goldfish in a bowl ya know...). The only exception would be if you had a heavily stocked tank with a sealed top which is uncommon for most people (talking fancy display tanks here) not a glass top that has cutouts.

HTH

I think you are seriously overstating the prowess of bacterial respiration. Not to mention ignoring the effect of diffusion. If we were talking about a canister filter then I could see some validity in your point of the bacteria creating anaerobic conditions, but there is too much exposure to oxygen in an average HOB filter to allow anaerobic conditions to develop.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Have you thought about isolators to reduce the noise. Suction cups on the bottom of pumps etc can help a lot. The most low tech answer i know is o put a piece of floss under the pump and make sure any hoses are not in touch with the housing. I think some type of resonation is keeping you awake. If you can isolate the source of the noise, floss, foam padding or dynamat will be wise choices. I forgot to ask, how old is the pump. If the impeller is going bad or worn out, replacing it can also help with the noise.
Good luck!
D

 

[7Enigma]

I think you are seriously overstating the prowess of bacterial respiration. Not to mention ignoring the effect of diffusion. If we were talking about a canister filter then I could see some validity in your point of the bacteria creating anaerobic conditions, but there is too much exposure to oxygen in an average HOB filter to allow anaerobic conditions to develop.

Well unfortunately I'm not. Bacteria are one of the most prolific organisms because of that ability to consume vast resources and multiply faster than their competitors. When resources are in abundance this is great, but it works in the opposite direction when non-ideal conditions occur. Diffusion is worthless at the rate a healthy bacterial population IN WATER (this is key) consumes oxygen. Most HOB filters have a plastic top with about an inch or less of air space. Then there are inserts where the biological media is blocked by foam/floss. So where the majority of your bacteria reside (in the filter) are below the surface of the water, sometimes several inches down. Here when there is no water flow, the gas transfer is very poor and the oxygen will be depleted extremely fast due to the large number of bacteria living here.

When we have had extended outages here and the pouring water through my HOB's became difficult (middle of the night/etc.) I would take the filter inserts and drop them into the tank. While not ideal, at least here they have a constant supply of fresh water that is partially oxygenated compared to the enclosed space of a HOB with stagnant water.