turning off equipment

[TheFighterFish]

I leave my filter, air pump, and lights on for at leats 12 hours a day. However, at night I turn these things off.

The only equipment that is running is the heater to keep my fish warm.

Is this okay for the fish?
And if I get more delicate fish in the future, angelfish, would this be okay?

 

[Lotus]

No, it's not OK to turn your filter off at night, it needs to run all the time, except when you're doing a water change. Your light should go off at night.

 

[Big Vine]

Is this okay for the fish?

No. Leave everything on at night except for the lights. The living organisms in your tank require the oxygenation that your filter provides (as a result of its agitating of the water's surface).

EDIT: Haha! Lotus...you beat me to it!

Big Vine

 

[TheFighterFish]

Whoops...

Maybe its time to move the tank out of my room. I always thought it was okay because the water stops moving and the fish can finally rest. Wrong I guess.

 

[Big Vine]

That's okay...now you know! The fish will find spots to rest in, so don't worry about that.

Better that you asked about it now, rather than after your fish died from some "inexplicable" reason. They may survive for a little while without filtration at night, however it definitely isn't good for them, and you'd likely lose them pre-maturely in the long-run.

Don't feel bad...you're fixing the problem now, and that's what counts.

I've often checked on fish at night too, because I was curious about their 'sleeping habits.' Surprisingly, some were able to just sort of hover and sleep right in the main current! I thought for sure they'd be swept away...it's their home though, so they're used to it.

Big Vine

 

[Osiris]

Additionally, from what I 've read, the tank needs more oxygenation at night than it does during the daytime, so definitely keep your filter running at all times.

 

[crissy7399]

No, it's not OK to turn your filter off at night, it needs to run all the time, except when you're doing a water change.

I was looking in my filter instructions and it never mentioned turning it off when doing a water change. That is something new to me. Does it matter what filter your using? Say, a cannister filter? If you have more specific info regarding that, that would be great!

Thanks Lotus

 

[The Cable Guy]

As long as you aren't lowering your water level below the suction you can leave most HOB filters on during water changes. Canisters would be the same although cleaning them requires shutting them off...

 

[FroggyFox]

I usually turn off my filters when I'm doing maintenance, mostly just got in the habit because I hate the splashing water (I get the floors wet enough as it is) and because in my tanks with a sand substrate I'll probably be stirring up the sand more than the fish usually do and I dont want it getting into and ruining my filter. I figure its mostly just a precautionary measure and its easy to unplug it while I'm down there unplugging the heater (since you REALLY need to unplug your heater assuming the water level is going down below where it needs to be on your heater).