# Do you turn off the filter during feeding?



## janusz (Apr 25, 2011)

I noticed lot of food are just swallowed by filter. Now I'm turning it off for 10-15 min.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

No harm in it.I have overflows so I soak food so it doesn't float right into filter(which it did!)


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Meh. I feed away from the filter flow, and they also know where I am feeding so they get it before the filter does.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

+1 to what Bev said. Plus I mostly feed sinking food, so I don't have to really worry about it as much.


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## Gregory (Nov 11, 2012)

Petsmart also makes feeder rings, works pretty well.


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## ArtyG (Jun 29, 2011)

All my filters are now sponge filters partly in response to the feeding problems. The sponges suck food to their surfaces where the fish can still eat it before it gets absorbed.


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## em1y386SX (Apr 10, 2012)

I leave mine running,

Pre-soak food by taking a sample of tank water and adding food to it, then pour the whole lot back into the tank at the other end away from the filter.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I used under gravel filters for a long time. Never once had all the problems described by others and I do think that it was because I kept it vacuumed.
At that time and now I turn off the filter while feeding. Funny thing is I have two tanks now and do not in one but do in the other. I got the habit of
turning it off when I had the under gravel filter because fish go by smell also and an under gravel disburses the scent all over the tank so they are
confused as to where it is. Some of the food was sinking type. Now in the tank where I do turn off the filter it is because I use sinking type but frozen
in there and first I've heard horror stories about "never let food get into your filter as it will harm the bacteria" but really I want it to sink where I want it 
to sink. It's that simple. In a clear spot and not mingled/w the plants and/or scattered about.


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## suebob28 (Feb 7, 2013)

hi i have a all pond 180 filter and yes i turn mine off for about 10 mins each evening to feed as i found that the food was going up the filter too now all seems to be ok i just switch off the power and then switch it back on.That gives them time to eat i take the dog out for a walk then back and all done hope this was some help sue x


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## Jim Albright (Jan 22, 2013)

All my cichlids eat the pellets prior to the pellets ever getting close to the overflow...When it comes to eating ---they dont mess around! I do shut off my pump in my refugium when I feed my little guys down there, cause the pellets seem to wonder toward the sponge....


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