Most skimmers have a break-in period of a couple days to a couple of weeks. They need to build up a little skum on the inside. The microbubbles should go away if you have it adjusted right. Also some skimmers have a problem with microbubbles and overflowing if you use a slime producing additive to your tank. They recommend using Prime instead because it helps slime layer without causing problems with the skimmer. Says so right on the bottle. It shouldn't hurt to turn it on and off whenever you want. You could even put it on a timer. Alot of people only run it a few times a week but it's better if you run it constantly from a water quality point of view. Mine is not loud so I don't understand the need to turn it off at night but it's up to you and your skimmer. Good luck and be patient.