Turning off everything 2 hours a day?

twinturbo11 · 10/28/2013, 10:13 AM

Hey guys

My reef tank is on a wall right behind my couch, right next to my ears. I was thinking of putting timers on my waterflow pumps, main pumps, and basically all other equipment in order to completely turn them off for 2 hours everyday for complete silence from 8 to 10pm when i get home every night to watch TV or just relax on the couch. Would this have any adverse reaction on my fish, corals, or water quality? For the equipment, I am assuming this will help them take a break and extend their life?

Thanks

Sugar Magnolia · 10/28/2013, 10:16 AM

Actually, the daily on/off may shorten the life of the equipment.

jahmic · 10/28/2013, 10:19 AM

Bad idea. Oxygenation becomes an issue with no flow in the tank.

Time time to upgrade to quieter pumps? My tank is at the foot of my bed and is barely audible...I wouldn't risk the livestock.

mark54321 · 10/28/2013, 11:42 AM

Depend on how much live stock you have I don't thing two hours would hurt the tank, but I would leave powerheads on for flow and surface agitation. I had the same problem as you, but decided to upgrade my return pump from supposedly quiet Eheim to Laguna Max Flo, swapped my Vortechs to Tunze and got new super quiet skimmer. Now I can enjoy my TV time in almost complete silence.

slief · 10/28/2013, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Actually, the daily on/off may shorten the life of the equipment.

+1. Most pumps don't like being turned on and off every day. If they are going to fail, that is usually when it will happen.

I'd also be concerned about O2 levels in the tank. If you were to do that, I would definitely leave a power head running and have it pointed up high enough to create some surface agitation.

That said, if it were my tank, I would try to quiet it down to acceptable levels by changing pumps and skimmers as well as addressing the overflow if that is a source of noise. The idea of shutting the tank down for hours every day just wouldn't sit well with me as you are asking for problems in my humble opinion.

breadfan · 10/28/2013, 11:57 AM

I turn my pump off for a few minutes at feeding time. I never thought much about it being hard on the pump. I may have to change my feeding method.

twinturbo11 · 10/28/2013, 01:25 PM

thanks guys, whoa i really didn't think that just 2 hours a day (~8% of the time) would really matter on livestock and equipment, but i guess it might...

I replaced my Aquamedic Oceanrunner main pump with a Reeflo, and my skimmer with an Octopus with silencer, both of which helped a lot (but not silent or buzz free). My main issue is the vortechs and the overflow box gurgling. I think i will get the Tunzes (although uglier!) to replace my vortechs, and as for the overflow "gurgling", per picture below, I have to find a solution...

twinturbo11 · 10/28/2013, 01:31 PM

May I asked which super quiet skimmer are you using? Also by any chance, would you know if the Laguna Max Flo adds heat to the water? (my aquamedic oceanrunner 6500 adds 2C/4F degrees to a 300 gallon tank! Reeflo, as an external pump, added almost no heat at all...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark54321

Depend on how much live stock you have I don't thing two hours would hurt the tank, but I would leave powerheads on for flow and surface agitation. I had the same problem as you, but decided to upgrade my return pump from supposedly quiet Eheim to Laguna Max Flo, swapped my Vortechs to Tunze and got new super quiet skimmer. Now I can enjoy my TV time in almost complete silence.

slief · 10/28/2013, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinturbo11

Also by any chance, would you know if the Laguna Max Flo adds heat to the water?

If the Laguna Maxflo add's any heat, it would be negligible. I have two of the Red Dragon version (same Laguna motor block) on my Alpha 300 protein skimmer and they are great little pumps that are virtually silent and seem to run extremely cool.

shellsea · 10/28/2013, 01:55 PM

Noisy drain - solution - Durso. google or search this site. Made a tremendous difference in my 125.

danil · 10/28/2013, 02:09 PM

I'm pretty confident you are OK to turn the skimmer off for a few hours not the circulation pump(s) though. I've seen reef tank without a skimmer at all and I was shutting off my skimmer to adjust nutrients export many times. Vortechs... those are noise monsters! I hate them for that (and for a short wet side live). They are OK if you run them below 50% but on max speed they are like turbo jet taking off. My solution - dump them. I use wp40s at this moment and super happy. Tunze are great pumps but... not so great if you check wp's prices. Overflow - it's harder to fix but possible to make it totally (repeat totally) silent. It called Herbie overflow and it's completely silent. You suppose to have emergency drain pipe for it but in the real world I saw few system without it. Still highly recommended. On the last note try to use DC return pump and some door stand insulation.
GL.

PS. Durso solution isn't bad but it's not totally silent. The only totally silent solution for drain I tried is Herbie one.
PPS. Just to encourage you to keep working on the noise issue I can say the biggest source of noise in my system is lighting fans.

aevigan · 10/28/2013, 02:27 PM

I would just keep thcirculation fans going atleast. Gotta maintain slight water movement

mark54321 · 10/28/2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinturbo11

May I asked which super quiet skimmer are you using? Also by any chance, would you know if the Laguna Max Flo adds heat to the water? (my aquamedic oceanrunner 6500 adds 2C/4F degrees to a 300 gallon tank! Reeflo, as an external pump, added almost no heat at all...)

The Laguna pump adds almost no heat as far as I know, never had a problem with this. I used Skimz SM-201 for almost two years. This skimmer is so quiet you can't hear it standing right next to it. They had a bad impeller in first generation pumps but since they fixed it, they are great skimmers. My friend bought it from me and still using it. Now I have ATI powercone and this skimmer is also silent. So far little over two months and i am very happy with it.

r-balljunkie · 10/29/2013, 01:43 AM

meh,
i turn off equipment all the time. feed the fish, empty the skimmer etc. once a day wont hurt a thing. your doing it already anyways.
i have my skimmer on a timer, off at 4:30 pm, back on at 11:00 pm....everything is fine. its nice to reduce a bit of hum while you're at home in the evening especially if you are in a smaller living area.

Crusinjimbo · 10/29/2013, 05:31 AM

Lots less expensive to invest in bluetooth headphones but seriously, start by converting over to a syphon drain and then decide what is the next noise generator to eliminate.

power boat jim · 10/29/2013, 06:16 AM

You could just turn off the pump that sends water from the sump to the tank. Generally they can take the on cycles with no problem. Its the power head type pumps that dont do well being cycled unless they are designed for use on a wavemaker. Leaving the power heads on by themself for a couple hours should keeep the tank plenty aerated for a couple hours.

dkeller_nc · 10/29/2013, 07:52 AM

Actually, the best thing to do is move your couch!

higorc · 10/29/2013, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinturbo11

My main issue is the vortechs and the overflow box gurgling.

Not sure what kind of overflow design you have, but you can re-design it to a "Durso Drain Pipe w/Reverse Durso Drain" and it would make it a lot quieter. By the pic u drew, it looks like you just have an open drain where the water in the overflow "gurgles" down it...

What size tank do you have? I have a 120G Tank/40G sump with about 2400GPH going through it, 2 MP40s and a SRO 5000SSS Skimmer (Super quiet by the way!) running 24/7 right in my living room in front of my couch and u can barely hear it. I have to say the only think I hear are the Vortechs ramping up and down. But I think I already got used to it.

My last Vertex Skimmer used to be a bit louder than my current SRO, but what drove me nuts when I set this new tank up 5 months ago was the overflow water "splashing" and drain "swoosh". Took me a few tries building a Reverse Durso drain to get it quiet it, but u can barely hear any water now...

The tank seats 10 feet away from my couch and I forget it's there sometimes...

Good luck!
Higor

schatzi · 10/29/2013, 08:57 AM

FWIW I run a Dart/Snapper hybrid as a closed loop and shut it down every night for 6 hours or so. This thread got me thinking that might be bad for the pump so I emailed reeflo earlier and asked. Just got a reply and they said it's no problem on that pump.

hkgar · 10/29/2013, 01:28 PM

How to make a Durso standpipe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz-EvQkFxso

twinturbo11 · 10/29/2013, 02:06 PM

thanks guys.

Overflow: Will definitely implement either a herbie or a durso. Currently, I have an open drain where the water in the overflow "gurgles" down it. Luckily, I have 2 drain pipes, so a Herbie setup is possible. From the little I read, it seems like a Herbie is simpler to put together than a durso? This video makes it seems fool proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pv3u0Sa1tk . The only thing I dont understand is why is it ideal for the draining pipe (not the backup pipe) to be 6 inches below water level?

Return pipe My return pipe is currently underwater/hidden in rocks. If the power goes off accidentally, this return pipe would syphon and drain all the display tank water into the sump (causing a flood). In order to avoid that, I made a small hole in the return pipe, right above water level. The problem is that when the pump is running, this small hold has a bit of water coming out and emits annoying noise. Any way to stop the sound , without risking blocking the hole?

Turning equipment on/off If I silence my main pump through a durso or herbie setup, then can I keep it on 24/7, in which case can I turn off my "whiny" vortechs for 2 hours a day?

twinturbo11 · 10/29/2013, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schatzi

FWIW I run a Dart/Snapper hybrid as a closed loop and shut it down every night for 6 hours or so. This thread got me thinking that might be bad for the pump so I emailed reeflo earlier and asked. Just got a reply and they said it's no problem on that pump.

to think of it, many pools have pretty much exactly the same type of external pumps (but larger), and they turn on and off multiple times a day , and nothing happens to them!

twinturbo11 · 10/29/2013, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by higorc

What size tank do you have? I have a 120G Tank/40G sump with about 2400GPH going through it, 2 MP40s and a SRO 5000SSS Skimmer (Super quiet by the way!) running 24/7 right in my living room in front of my couch and u can barely hear it. I have to say the only think I hear are the Vortechs ramping up and down. But I think I already got used to it.

Funnily enough we have almost the same equipment. I have a 300 gallon, equipped with the same Reef Octopus SRO 5000SSS Skimmer - it's quiet, but does emit a bit of buzz/humm. I hate my vortech MP60 and MP40, because I have them at medium power, and that's when they get loud (especiialy in reef mode). At low power , they seem ok. But the problem with replacing them is that i hate seeing a wire in the tank.... I am now considering the ecotech lights, but also really worried about their fan noise...

twinturbo11 · 10/30/2013, 08:00 AM

hjg

BossHoggin · 10/30/2013, 10:20 AM

I use a check valve on my return after plugging the hole in my return drilled for syphon breakage based on noise and water spraying the glass lid causing light blocking algae

10/28/2013, 10:13 AM	#1
twinturbo11 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 34	Turning off everything 2 hours a day? Hey guys My reef tank is on a wall right behind my couch, right next to my ears. I was thinking of putting timers on my waterflow pumps, main pumps, and basically all other equipment in order to completely turn them off for 2 hours everyday for complete silence from 8 to 10pm when i get home every night to watch TV or just relax on the couch. Would this have any adverse reaction on my fish, corals, or water quality? For the equipment, I am assuming this will help them take a break and extend their life? Thanks

10/28/2013, 10:16 AM	#2
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Actually, the daily on/off may shorten the life of the equipment. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

10/28/2013, 10:19 AM	#3
jahmic Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Denver Posts: 59	Bad idea. Oxygenation becomes an issue with no flow in the tank. Time time to upgrade to quieter pumps? My tank is at the foot of my bed and is barely audible...I wouldn't risk the livestock. __________________ Water water everywhere... Current Tank Info: 20g long zoa tank, 85g tall nem tank

10/28/2013, 11:42 AM	#4
mark54321 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: chicago Posts: 2,040	Depend on how much live stock you have I don't thing two hours would hurt the tank, but I would leave powerheads on for flow and surface agitation. I had the same problem as you, but decided to upgrade my return pump from supposedly quiet Eheim to Laguna Max Flo, swapped my Vortechs to Tunze and got new super quiet skimmer. Now I can enjoy my TV time in almost complete silence. __________________ ############## ______MARK_______ ##############

10/28/2013, 01:55 PM	#10
shellsea Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Destin, Fl. Posts: 479	Noisy drain - solution - Durso. google or search this site. Made a tremendous difference in my 125. __________________ Jack "Shellsea" 120 mixed reef, Reef Breeder Photon 48, Apex and a proud owner of a Lifereef Skimmer

10/28/2013, 11:57 AM	#6
breadfan Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 77	I turn my pump off for a few minutes at feeding time. I never thought much about it being hard on the pump. I may have to change my feeding method.

10/28/2013, 01:25 PM	#7
twinturbo11 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 34	thanks guys, whoa i really didn't think that just 2 hours a day (~8% of the time) would really matter on livestock and equipment, but i guess it might... I replaced my Aquamedic Oceanrunner main pump with a Reeflo, and my skimmer with an Octopus with silencer, both of which helped a lot (but not silent or buzz free). My main issue is the vortechs and the overflow box gurgling. I think i will get the Tunzes (although uglier!) to replace my vortechs, and as for the overflow "gurgling", per picture below, I have to find a solution...

10/28/2013, 02:09 PM	#11
danil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Concord, CA Posts: 935	I'm pretty confident you are OK to turn the skimmer off for a few hours not the circulation pump(s) though. I've seen reef tank without a skimmer at all and I was shutting off my skimmer to adjust nutrients export many times. Vortechs... those are noise monsters! I hate them for that (and for a short wet side live). They are OK if you run them below 50% but on max speed they are like turbo jet taking off. My solution - dump them. I use wp40s at this moment and super happy. Tunze are great pumps but... not so great if you check wp's prices. Overflow - it's harder to fix but possible to make it totally (repeat totally) silent. It called Herbie overflow and it's completely silent. You suppose to have emergency drain pipe for it but in the real world I saw few system without it. Still highly recommended. On the last note try to use DC return pump and some door stand insulation. GL. PS. Durso solution isn't bad but it's not totally silent. The only totally silent solution for drain I tried is Herbie one. PPS. Just to encourage you to keep working on the noise issue I can say the biggest source of noise in my system is lighting fans. Last edited by danil; 10/28/2013 at 02:17 PM.

10/28/2013, 02:27 PM	#12
aevigan Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 10	I would just keep thcirculation fans going atleast. Gotta maintain slight water movement

10/29/2013, 01:43 AM	#14
r-balljunkie Registered Reefer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Doha, Qatar Posts: 2,059	meh, i turn off equipment all the time. feed the fish, empty the skimmer etc. once a day wont hurt a thing. your doing it already anyways. i have my skimmer on a timer, off at 4:30 pm, back on at 11:00 pm....everything is fine. its nice to reduce a bit of hum while you're at home in the evening especially if you are in a smaller living area. __________________ ▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀ 58G Oceanic Illuminata rimless with GH overflow , Mazarra LED x 3, Tunze 6095 x 2, Eheim 1260, BM-180 skimmer, TLF reactors, Apex LT .

10/29/2013, 05:31 AM	#15
Crusinjimbo Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Wesley Chapel FL Posts: 751	Lots less expensive to invest in bluetooth headphones but seriously, start by converting over to a syphon drain and then decide what is the next noise generator to eliminate. __________________ Jimbo 13.5G EVO

10/29/2013, 06:16 AM	#16
power boat jim Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Wisconsin, The big peninsula Posts: 2,100	You could just turn off the pump that sends water from the sump to the tank. Generally they can take the on cycles with no problem. Its the power head type pumps that dont do well being cycled unless they are designed for use on a wavemaker. Leaving the power heads on by themself for a couple hours should keeep the tank plenty aerated for a couple hours.

10/29/2013, 07:52 AM	#17
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Actually, the best thing to do is move your couch!

10/29/2013, 08:57 AM	#19
schatzi Professional amateur Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: JC, MO Posts: 513	FWIW I run a Dart/Snapper hybrid as a closed loop and shut it down every night for 6 hours or so. This thread got me thinking that might be bad for the pump so I emailed reeflo earlier and asked. Just got a reply and they said it's no problem on that pump. __________________ 125g Mixed Reef, 46g predator tank, 25g fuge, 39g frag/fuge, 70g sump, 29g clown tank.

10/29/2013, 01:28 PM	#20
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	How to make a Durso standpipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz-EvQkFxso __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

10/29/2013, 02:06 PM	#21
twinturbo11 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 34	thanks guys. Overflow: Will definitely implement either a herbie or a durso. Currently, I have an open drain where the water in the overflow "gurgles" down it. Luckily, I have 2 drain pipes, so a Herbie setup is possible. From the little I read, it seems like a Herbie is simpler to put together than a durso? This video makes it seems fool proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pv3u0Sa1tk . The only thing I dont understand is why is it ideal for the draining pipe (not the backup pipe) to be 6 inches below water level? Return pipe My return pipe is currently underwater/hidden in rocks. If the power goes off accidentally, this return pipe would syphon and drain all the display tank water into the sump (causing a flood). In order to avoid that, I made a small hole in the return pipe, right above water level. The problem is that when the pump is running, this small hold has a bit of water coming out and emits annoying noise. Any way to stop the sound , without risking blocking the hole? Turning equipment on/off If I silence my main pump through a durso or herbie setup, then can I keep it on 24/7, in which case can I turn off my "whiny" vortechs for 2 hours a day?

10/30/2013, 08:00 AM	#24
twinturbo11 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 34	hjg

10/30/2013, 10:20 AM	#25
BossHoggin Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Compton, CA Posts: 198	I use a check valve on my return after plugging the hole in my return drilled for syphon breakage based on noise and water spraying the glass lid causing light blocking algae __________________ Josh 60B mixed reef w/ 33G sump/refugium 125G FOWLR w/ Eshopps R_300