Tried running my protein skimmer 24/7 for a month and my coral actually hated it

I always heard you just run skimmers non stop so I never shut mine off. Last month the power strip died and my skimmer was off for like 3 days before I noticed. During those 3 days my torch coral opened up bigger than ever before. Now I run the skimmer 12hrs a day opposite my light schedule and everything looks way happier. Anyone else find their tank does better with the skimmer on a timer instead of always on?

2 comments

2 Comments

masondixon6d ago

...and yeah, I had a similar thing happen with my leather coral. It never looked right until I unplugged the skimmer for a day by accident. Now I run mine during the day only and my tank seems a lot less stressed.

lee.diana6d ago

Honestly, that "running it during the day only" bit is interesting. Did you notice any change in stuff like pH or oxygen levels when you switched to daytime only? I've heard skimmers can strip out a lot of stuff but never thought about the timing mattering that much. Also, are you running it 24/7 now or just during the light cycle?