CitizenSneaky Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Hello everybody, I have a heavily planted 4gal nano tank, young pea puffer, and a small HOB filter (modded with coarse sponges per Cory's YouTube video and set to the lowest flow setting). I'm new to live foods and I was just wondering, do you just let the filter run when you feed brine shrimp? Or is it a bad idea to put the filter on a timer and run it like 10min ON / 50min OFF every hour to keep the brine shrimp in the tank longer and out of the filter? Or maybe I'm over thinking it. 😉 Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James V. Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I usually just leave my HOB running all the time, even when feeding brine shrimp. You could totally hook it up to a timer but it might be really loud when it turns back on, because it will be running dry. You could try it! 🤷♂️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtydave Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I have pre-filter on all my hob filters so not a problem that way.Otherwise many could be sucked into your filter.Not good. Not much different than leaving a dead fish in your tank.You might be able to get away with it but a pre-filter is inexpensive fro Aquarium coop and is added biological filtration,in addition you will have to clean your hob that much less often.A win win for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 24 minutes ago, Dirtydave said: I have pre-filter on all my hob filters so not a problem that way.Otherwise many could be sucked into your filter.Not good. Not much different than leaving a dead fish in your tank.You might be able to get away with it but a pre-filter is inexpensive fro Aquarium coop and is added biological filtration,in addition you will have to clean your hob that much less often.A win win for sure I'd say its closer to, and exactly is, leaving uneaten food in the tank. The difference between uneaten food and a dead fish as far as ammonia is concerned is mostly just the quantity. I think people also generally add only enough BBS for fish to eat in a couple min. Are pea puffers different? slower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenSneaky Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Thanks for the feedback! He's definitely a slow eater. He just meanders around and snacks. I'm sure I'll eventually find the proper amount of BBS to make and put in the tank for a single feeding. He's so small, he won't touch frozen blood worms just yet, maybe in a couple more weeks. At any rate, I have a coarse sponge on the intake, but I can see the BBS get pulled in, and I have a coarse sponge inside the filter, too. So, maybe some BBS will pass through the system and get back into the tank. I'll experiment with a timer on the filter for a few days. I assume if I'm on a 10min ON / 50min OFF timer for a few hours a day for feeding, that will keep the sponge bacteria in good shape inside the filter. Then, I'll have it come on and run full-time through the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric R Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Just keep an eye on the hob when it goes to kickback on. Many hobs don't self prime and struggle to start when turned back on, without being topped off. I have the nano hob the coop sells and I usually have to add water back into it to get it to start running again after I shut it off for a water change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtydave Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 15 hours ago, CT_ said: I'd say its closer to, and exactly is, leaving uneaten food in the tank. The difference between uneaten food and a dead fish as far as ammonia is concerned is mostly just the quantity. I think people also generally add only enough BBS for fish to eat in a couple min. Are pea puffers different? slower? I agree except for the part about people generally feeding the bbs in 5 min.maybe on this forum but in your general Facebook group i think it's doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 5 hours ago, Dirtydave said: I agree except for the part about people generally feeding the bbs in 5 min.maybe on this forum but in your general Facebook group i think it's doubtful I've just heard that as general advice. sounds like pea puffers kinda have their own rules. They do seem pretty different from your "average" fish. I'm no feeding expert, what would you say the optimal amount is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtydave Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 2 hours ago, CT_ said: I've just heard that as general advice. sounds like pea puffers kinda have their own rules. They do seem pretty different from your "average" fish. I'm no feeding expert, what would you say the optimal amount is? Yes that's good advice ,what I'm saying is that I don't believe people generally do tjat.i think you are giving the average aquarist more credit than is do because my experiences on typical Facebook groups leads me to think otherwise. God may have put a limit on man's knowledge but no limit on his stupidity. 🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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