New fish tank owners or aquarium enthusiasts always have that several questions about the proper maintenance of their fish tank and, of course, their beloved fish. Being a fish tank enthusiast myself, I too had a huge number of questions that I aways wanted to answer. One such question was – Can You Turn Off Aquarium Filter at Night? My experience with several experiments taught me the lesson and here I am here to share my knowledge with you guys. Want to know – Is it ok to turn off aquarium filter at night? Let us find the answers!
Quick Answer-
If you are wondering if it is fine to turn tank filter off at night, it is NOT a good idea to switch off aquarium fiter at night. Proper filtering plays a major role in the health of your fish tank and turning it off for the whole night may cause severe concerns. Just like we need fresh air for breathing, fish need fresh water for a better health. Turning it off for a day may not be a concern, but turning it off daily can pose health risk to the fish inside the tank.
Can You Turn Off Aquarium Filter at Night?
The quick answer to that question would be – NO, you should never turn off the fish tank filter at night. The life and health of your fish relies on the filter as it helps get fresh water. It is always a good idea to keep the filter always turned on. The filter induces a natural water flow and helps remove the debris such as fish waste out of the tank.
That should answer your question – Can you turn fish tank filter off at night? The aquarium filter is designed to work 24 hours a day and you should run your filter for that period time all through the week. In addition to clearing the water from the debris, it also houses the bacteria that is most essential for the proper breeding and growth of your fish in the tank.
You should never turn off aquarium filter at night. If you need to turn it off for a couple of hours and then turn it on again, that should not be a concern. However, leaving the filter off for hours can result in toxic build up in the tank and can cause your fish to die.
When fish tank users ask if they can turn the aquarium filter off, what they mean is if they can turn off the filter for 8 to 10 hours. It may be fine depending on the tank size and the number of the fish inside. It can be permissible to turn off the water filter pump once in a while. But, even then, you are risking the lives of the fish inside the tank. The fish may survive without a filter for a while, but even then I do not recommend it.
I had a horrendous personal experience with the air pump turned off at night or for prolonged hours otherwise. The filter was turned off one night while feeding the fish and it remained off inadvertently all night. When I got up in the morning, I had the huge shock of my life – as many as 6 of my fish died! Since then, I have made it a point not to miss keeping the filter pump on, and checking it regularly for a proper functioning.
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Can Fish Survive Without an Aquarium Filter for a Day?
Yes, in most of the circumstances, the fish can survive without filter for one night… not one day! However, avoid leaving them without the filter for too long. Ammonia and other harmful gases and chemicals can play havoc with their life. If you have plants in your tank, some fish can live without filter for an indefinitely longer time. Filters cause water agitation which is much needed for the fish to get enough oxygen which can be harmful to the fish.
Having said that, my experience that I shared above does not substantiate this view. My filter was off for just around 8 to 10 hours, and I had to come face to face with the death of as many as 6 of my beloved fish. That is why I do not recommend turning the filter on for most part of the day. Except for a power outage on which you may have no control. So, are you wondering if you can turn your fish tank filter off for one night, I would advise you against it.
Want to Turn Off the Aquarium Filter at Night – Check These Factors Before!
If you want to keep your tank clean and keep the fish and plants safer, even when turning off the aquarium filter at night. These factors would help you decide whether you should keep your filter on or off.
1. The Size of the fish and amount
The primary factor that would decide if it is goos idea to turn off the filter is to check the sie and the quantity of the fish. consider how large the fish are and how many fish do you have. Compare it to your tank size or its volume. The crux of the matter here is that the more fish you have, the more oxygen it would need. The size of the fish will also have a bearing as the larger fish would need more oxygen. The sie of the tank would also matter as the large tank would need better filtration.
In case you have a considerably larger tank and a lower number of fish inside, it would be fine to turn off the tank filter. In case, however, you have a small tank with a huge number of fish, it may not be advisable not to turn off the filter at night.
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2. The size of the plant and their numbers
The next factor that you need to check out would be to check the number of plants in your tank which help take care of the oxygen in the water. It may, however, be noticed that while the plants release oxygen during the day, it may be opposite at night. At night, they begin sucking up oxygen which can harm your fish.
That would mean you should never turn off the tank filter at night if you have a large number of plants and they tend to be large in size. The aquarium filtration unit helps retain the proper supply of oxygen in the tank. This will help both the fish and aquatic plants to get enough oxygen to survive.
3. The water agitation with the water filtration
The way your filter supplies the oxygen would make a difference in whether it is safe to turning it off at night. A fully submerged filter may not produce as much oxygen as the filter with a waterfall cascading. It would be advisable to check the type of filter that you are using for supplying the oxygenated water in the aquarium.
If the pump is separate from the filter, it may be safer to turn if off at night. Even when the filter may be off, the pump will keep supplying the oxygen making it a safer bet to turn off the filter and keep fish healthy.
4. Temperature of the water
The aquarium water temperature can be yet another consideration that you may need to pay enough attention to. In the summer reasons, the water is likely to get a higher temperature, and thus may lose its capacity to hold enough oxygen. The cold water can efficiently hold more oxygen. It should always be noted that warmer the water, the less oxygen level it would hold.
That would clearly mean if you have a larger tank with a lot of fish and a warmer climate, it may be advisable not to turn off the filter. On the other hand, if your tank has a few fish inside and the temperature of the water is cold enough, consider turning off the filter for a while.
I stay in Goa in India and the temperatures here soar to a higher level in April and May. The humidity further makes the weather unbearable. This is why I decided to turn off my water heater forever and choose to keep the lid of the aquarium open throughout the day. I make sure that I do not turn off the filter at night or for that matter, any time of the day – except in the cases of power outage. I keep the filter on all the time to ensure a proper means for oxygenating the water.
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Why Should A Fish Tank Filter Be On All The Time?
It is always recommended to keep your filter on all the time, as the water filter keeps the water in the tank clean and fresh. It can also help getting rid of the bad bacteria out of the tank. It offers you the best possible mechanical, chemical and biological filtration of your tank. It also assists in the oxygenation of water.
The primary reasons why it is essential to keep tank filter always On would include
It helps grow the beneficial bacteria
The tank filter assists in the growth of beneficial bacteria inside the tank. Large fish species such as goldfish need them more. The good bacterial growth can help in improving the environmental parameters of the water and the tank. When cleaning the tank, it is advisable and necessary to pay enough attention to know how to clean it without affecting the beneficial bacteria.
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It helps regulate the temperature
The good filter helps keep the temperature inside the tank at optimum levels. It my be noticed that some types of fish species are vulnerable to sudden and extreme temperature changes. You may endanger the fish by turning the filter in such cases. If your tank inhabitants belong to the category of fish that tend to be too resistant to the temperature changes, it is a good idea to turn on the filter all the time. Keeping your water cold is the best choice in ensuring better standards.
It improves water agitation
The agitation in the water is the most essential means to ensure the proper supply of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide. It would also help keep water clean. This can help promote a healthier tank. The proper water level would be one of the prerequisites for the better agitation and water quality.
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Will Your Fish Die If You Turn off the Filter?
No, the fish wont die if you turn off the filter at night every now and then. But, they can suffocate or get a little annoyed due to lack of oxygen, or even impurities in water. If you notice the fish dying, it can be due to other reasons. But, turning off filter every night is never advisable as it can deprive the fish of oxygen. It can also affect the microbial balance in the aquarium.
Turning the filter off once in a while may not be a concern. However, if you have the habit of turning it off every night, you may cause a concern for the fish and the microbes. Filter provides the much needed aeration and also helps in the removal of the debris, thereby creating a healthy environment for the fish to grow and prosper.
It is generally not necessary to turn off filter when feeding fish. Keeping the filter on can keep the food afloat in the water than pushing it down. This can help small fish like guppies to have their food easily. However, it would also be dependent on the type of food that you are feeding your fish with. Instead of turning off the filter, you can consider feeding them in small quantities so that they can eat the food well before the food sinks to the bottom.
If your filter pushes the food down to the bottom, it may be a worthy option to turn off the filter. But, make sure that you have turned it on immediately once the food has been finished. Some experts also suggest turning off the lights when feeding fish so that they do not get blinded due to the straight light in their eyes. Fish do not have eyelids and the light can affect them
Does Turning off the Filter and Turning it Back on make your Filter Dirty?
Yes, turning the filter off for a few hours and turning it back on can make the filter add more gunk to the water during the priming process. You would perhaps make the water dirtier by turning off the filter quite often.
If you are turning off the filter every night and then turn it on every morning, you are actually adding back the debris into the water. That wuldd further make the filter work hard to clean up the water. Thta should explain why it is a good practice and a perfect option when it coms to the best aquarium maintenance practices.
Do Aquarium Filters Use a Lot of Electricity?
There are a few components in the aquarium that consume electricity. Along with the water filter, the aquarium lights and heaters are the other two components that need electricity. The amount of electricity used by an aquarium filter would largely be dependent on the size of the tank and the filter used with it.
Under ideal conditions, the aquarium filters use around 62 watts of energy. But, personally, I do not recommend turning off the tank filter just because you are worried about the electricity bills.
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Are Air Bubbles Good for Fish Tank?
Yes, the air bubbles are an indication that your fish are getting enough of oxygen. A proper aeration and bubbles should be the best environment that you can provide your fish with. In fact, some varieties of fish prefer the bubbles, and they love them. Bubbles actually help aerate water and help the water move around.
A few fish species that like bubbles include Corydoras, rainbow sharks, sword tails, larger mollies, and small loaches. I have a couple of mollies, and they always make it a point to swim across air bubbles (and that makes them look quite cute!). However, as I have observed personally, Angel Fish avoids the bubbles and too many bubbles were found to disorient my Angel Fish.
In essence, as long as the bubbles appear as a result of the stones or air driven filters, they are nothing to worry much about. If the bubbles are not so foamy or do not cover the entire surface of the water, they are perfectly normal.
Can I Make My Aquarium Filter Quiet?
One of the primary reasons why people want to turn off the aqauarium filter is to reduce the noise. However, instead of turning off the filter altogether, it may be ideal to check out the reasons for the filter noise and reduce it by following the appropriate methods.
Most filters available today are quiet and do not need any measure to reduce the noise. But, the way they agitate the water can give out the noise. The reason for the noise can be due to the clogging in the intake nozzles. It may be a good idea to consider cleaning your filter in such cases. You can also use a filter that has been designed to be quieter.
You may also check out a few fish that help you clean your aquarium by eating algae, and leftover fish food.
The best and right way to make an aquarium filter quieter is to use an aquarium sponge in the gap between the filter and the aquarium glass. This sponge will absorb the vibration resulting from the filter. This will reduce any sort of vibration and help you take care of the unwanted noise.
A few of the ways that you can reduce the sound of the aquarium filter can include
- Remove debris and dirt from the filter – One primary reason for the aquarium making sound is due to the dirt and debris. Make sure that you you have been cleaning the filter regularly.
- Check the impellers – The impellers in your aquarium filter may have developed issues. Lubriacting the impellers can help avoid a the possibility of a noisy fish tank filter. Some impellers may require greasing.
- Check out the improper placement of the filter – An improper placement of the aquarium filter can also result in unwanted noise. Avoid the space between the tank glass and filter.
- Check if your water pump is defective – If you notice that your aquarium filter is making buzzing noise, you need to replace the filter. If your filter comes with the replaceable pump, you can replace the pump as well.
Are there any fish that live without a filter?
If you have fishess that can stay without water, it may be fine to turn off the water filter. It may be noticed that there are only a few species of fish that can stay without filter. Most of them are solitary in nature.
Some of the fish that can I’ve without filter inlcue
- Betta Fish
- Guppy fish
- Zebra fish
- Scarlet fish
- Pea Puffer fish
- Ember Tetras
- White Cloud Minnows
It may be noticed that you may need to use heaters with the Betta fish.
The microbes in your fish tank are quite tough. They will not get hurt if you turn off the filter for one night. Or even every now and then. But, doing so every night or for the whole day is not recommended. This will mean you are depriving your fish the much needed oxygen for eight hours a day. Even when it may not show immediately, it can affect your fish gradually, and over time they may get suffocated.
Addditonal information – How Long Should You Leave A Fish Tank Light On?
Under ideal conditions, it is essential to keep the aquarium lights on for around 10 to 12 hours per day. If you forget turning off the light at specific times, it may be a good option to buy a light that has the automatic timer.
It would be advisable to check the lighting conditions required for the specific fish species. Undertake a research into what area that your fish comes from. Baased on that, you can decide on the amount of light that you need to keep your tank light on.
The Concluding Thoughts
So, should I turn off aquarium light at night? Well, the discussion above should have provided you enough information on why it is NOT advisable to turn off water filter in an aquarium. Except when you are cleaning the filter or change the water, it is a good idea not to turn off the filter in any case. Your filter would need a cleaning once every 4 to 6 weeks. The cleaning of the tank does not take more than a few minutes to an hour or so.
So, do you turn off aquarium light at night? If you do, it is quite essential to understand that it is not something you are expected to do. Avoid turning off aquarium filter at night is never aadviable as it can kill your beloved fish.
A few FAQs
Is it okay to turn off my aquarium filter at night?
It is never a good idea to turn off pump at night . It can lead to health and safety issues for the fish, since aquarium filters help agitate the water and supply proper level of oxygen.
Do fish need the filter on at night?
Yes, the fish need oxygen and that is why it is not advisable to turn off your tank at night. Keeping the filter running will ensure that your fish will not keep gasping for air all night.
Can you turn off the filter if you have a Betta fish tank?
Betta Fish can breahe through their gills and gulp a lot of air from the surface of the water. They can survive for longer hours without filter. However. that should not necessarily mean you can turn off the filter at night for the betta fish tank.
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