How are you prepping for vacation away from your reef aquarium? GIVE US THREE THINGS

[chimbo84]

Here’s my vacation checklist for when I go away.

• Check RODI reservoir full
• Check salt reservoir full
• Check dosing containers full
• Fill autofeeder
  • Check batteries
• Load nori clip
• Change filter socks/floss, swap to mesh socks, or remove altogether
• Empty & clean skimmer cup
• Harvest refugium algae (if necessary)
• Clean glass

 

[bloodredyeti]

I do vacations of a few days right now, but it's more about what I can afford than the tank.

I build most of my systems to be fairly hands off, so I write up some very detailed instructions, portion things like food and salt to be mixed in, and then pay someone I trust to come learn how to do what's necessary while I'm gone and then take care of the tank.

Usually just feedings and making sure that the ATO is filled. Maybe a water change, but nothing crazy like dosing or even cleaning the tank.

 

[McPuff]

Going out of the country in a couple weeks for about 9 days. Definitely concerned. My 3 things are:

1. have everything stable as possible before leaving (done?)
2. install web cams (done!)
3. worry

I do have a couple friends that will be able visit several times while we're away. That will certainly make me feel better. Biggest concern is power loss as I don't (yet) have a whole home generator.

 

[GuppyHJD]

Perfect timing (ah two weeks late)...was in Europe for two weeks and my ATO float valve (and backup valve) both stuck. I could see it from my camera. Had to call and emergency neighbor who knows nothing but ask her to push the float valves down.

I use fish feeders (but now my Nitrates and Phosephates are high), and I have green and red algae on the sand.

And I learned the doser reset on a power outage.

Ah yes, a learning experience. The tank is fine, the corals all look ok. No fish loses. I did find two aptaisa and some bubble algae to deal with.

 

[LPS Bum]

Big time.

Circulation pumps get cleaned. ATO gets filled up to capacity. Food gets pre-portioned out for a neighbor to feed my tanks. I try not to leave much to chance when I'm gone (but not for more than a week)...

 

[BiggestE22]

Going 1,5 week first time. Stresfull because my new Ato is still not working properly.. hopefully will be fixed asap. Got an simple autofeeder ( just for 2 clowns). Planning a bigger waterchange the day before. And installed a camera near the tank to watch on my phone. Light and temperature is fixed automatically with devices.

I don’t use ATO. Love using my Ecotech Versa. Even a cheap doser works.

 

[DiloHunter]

I am going to be gone for 3 weeks of July. I'm trying to figure out how to get my watchman goby to eat enough bc I throw in endless amounts of food for it because the other fish snag it first. Namely my clownfish and royal gramma. I'm also concerned that if something goes wrong with my dragonet I'm gonna have a hard time fixing it. Thankfully, my vacation is two weeks away, one week back, and then one week away.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Maintenance on ATO components & Fill ATO reservoir
Portion food and arrange someone to feed at least every other day
Check battery back-up
Arrange "Tank Sitter" service from a tank maintenance "pro" to be on-call or stop in every few days... money well spent.
Set up Web Cam

 

[Tidal Gardens]

My (Luke) personal system at home is very easy to leave for a week.

1) I make sure EVERYTHING is topped off and changed. ATO, Additives, Kalk, Saltwater Mix, RODI and filter socks.
2) I Pre-portion all my fish food into daily baggies for someone to come and feed once a day. (THAT'S THE ONLY THING THEY NEED TO DO... (K.I.S.S) ...)
3) I make sure to spend extra time in the weeks leading up to really dial everything in so there should be ANY fluctuation in chemistry over a week. I do this by testing more often leading up and adjusting my doses accordantly if need be. Water change is done just before the trip.

So far in 8 years, nothing has happened that I got a panic call saying something is wrong.. **KNOCK ON WOOD**

 

[Reefer_punk]

-a reliable reefing buddy for emergency
-someone who feeds your fish every day and checks temp
- anti anxiety meds

 

[saltyhog]

I go on several dive trips a year, from 1 to 2 weeks in length. I have a friend that has kept my tank for me for a couple of years when we leave. She is not a reefer but I have a good friend who is one available in case of an emergency.

My tips:

1. Automate top off, dosing, heaters and all pumps so they can be monitored and controlled by you. One reason I'm not a Mobius/Bluetooth fan for my automation.

2. At least 2 cameras per tank so you can look at the tanks and see what the keeper is talking about. I take the front doors off of the stand of my big tank so I can see the sump, sump level and ATO reservoir level with a camera on that area.

3. Fill the ATO reservoir and if it's not sufficient for the entire time you will be gone, set a container with additional RO/DI next to the tank with instructions for the sitter.

We've encountered a few problems that I handled easily with these precautions. Once my UV unit actually eroded the casing to the point there were a couple of small pin hole leaks from it. Sitter called and I was able to see the problem and turn off the UV bulb and pump. Another time the smart switch the ATO for the nano tank was on kept turning off without a reason. I was able to see that and have her plug it in to an extra smart plug which I could program via the internet.

 

[Biglew11]

Vacation? What's this vacation thing you speak of?

Seriously no vacations away from tank here. I have an elderly father that needs care 24/7. And would need to pay for a sitter for him.

 

[TehBrainz]

pull socks, shut down skimmer...LRS in 1oz plastic cups with covers in freezer...extra RODI for ATO (picnic jug with eshoppes float...no automation here)

Do you shutdown skimmer to prevent cup overflows?

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I was gone for 7 weeks this winter. I often travel for weeks at a time. Nobody checks on my tank. As you can imagine, I rely on redundancy, controllers, and reliable equipment. On my recent 7 week trip, my main return pump failed that also knocked out the circuit that also included my sump camera. But my second pump, on a separate circuit kept everything humming. There’s a lot of luck involved too!

Thats deep. Thats one of my biggest fears. Upside i can usually get someone to stop in if the apex disconnects or cams go down. I do keep a powerhead and a bubbler on battery for that reason.

 

[dwest]

I go on several dive trips a year, from 1 to 2 weeks in length. I have a friend that has kept my tank for me for a couple of years when we leave. She is not a reefer but I have a good friend who is one available in case of an emergency.

My tips:

1. Automate top off, dosing, heaters and all pumps so they can be monitored and controlled by you. One reason I'm not a Mobius/Bluetooth fan for my automation.

2. At least 2 cameras per tank so you can look at the tanks and see what the keeper is talking about. I take the front doors off of the stand of my big tank so I can see the sump, sump level and ATO reservoir level with a camera on that area.

3. Fill the ATO reservoir and if it's not sufficient for the entire time you will be gone, set a container with additional RO/DI next to the tank with instructions for the sitter.

We've encountered a few problems that I handled easily with these precautions. Once my UV unit actually eroded the casing to the point there were a couple of small pin hole leaks from it. Sitter called and I was able to see the problem and turn off the UV bulb and pump. Another time the smart switch the ATO for the nano tank was on kept turning off without a reason. I was able to see that and have her plug it in to an extra smart plug which I could program via the internet.

Hi salty. Was the leak on your aqua UV sterilizer?

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

This is one of the things I thought about too when I started mine back up. I don’t have anyone to watch my tank while I’m gone especially local unless I hire a company to check on it. Right now I don’t have any fish in it. Will it be safe to turn the pump off being just live sand and rock? That way my filter doesn’t blow while I’m gone from evaporation? I’ll be gone for little over a week. Heater will still be on though.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Not totally vacation specific, but being pretty much hands off is amazing. Here I go again on feeling old, but it really wasn’t that long ago when you couldn’t really go for more than a weekend. High tech used to be rigging a 2 liter bottle to gravity top off like an old dog water bowl. Being somewhat of a tech nerd I have pretty much everything automated now. I really don’t have to do much as the tank almost runs itself and has for quite a while. It’s the only reason I’m still in the hobby. I lost most my vision not long ago and there is absolutely no way I could have kept it going otherwise. Other than cleaning the glass, the tank can run on its own for a month easy. I can stagger auto feeders to stretch the food, rodi automatically feeds a 20 gallon container (to eliminate tds creep) which in turn feeds the tank. I have an 80 gallon salt water container which handles a month of automated water changes. The Rollermat fleece lasts over a month. With the Rollermat my skimmer is mainly for aeration and goes two weeks before it needs to emptied but I can have it drain into a 5 gallon bucket to stretch that out. My dosing containers are large enough to cover a month easy, Everything but testing is automated and has redundancy built in. At this stage the tank is very stable so dosing is dialed in. However, I will say that ph goes up with no one home which increases consumption somewhat. I have dialed that in over a couple weekend getaways so I roughly know how much to adjust my dosing while I’m away. I can let the glass go for a month and it’s not horrible, the tangs, trochus, urchins, and lawnmower keep it from becoming more than just a film. I think the best advise I ever got was not to F*** with anything in the days leading to your trip, you’re just asking to create an issue that wasn’t there and when you come back, if things are off, go easy. Don’t rush in and make big sweeping changes.

 

[Majolica15]

1. Leave my husband at home
2. Leave my husband at home
3. Leave my husband at home

Works out perfectly.

 

[David_CO]

I travel 3-4 days per week most weeks.

For the QT tanks eheim auto feeders, air stones and hob filters are standard so they are mostly okay. I have tight glass lids so the evaporation is negligible. I also have a webcam to monitor both.

Display:
I have heating redundancy and multiple levels of run away heat control. I generally up the timings on my plank feeder and also supplement by manually flipping my plank on and off. I have a pan and zoom camera on my main tank. The critical system elements are split across 2 GFCI circuits. If one fails I’ll always have atleast a power head going in the display. Worst case I love the circuit with my return pump on it and thus all heating. In this case I can remotely increase the temp of my house to the mid 70’s to get by.

the only item I havnt sufficiently addressed is long term power. I have the parts for a 12v eco tech solution but am looking into more robust options because in winter I’ll need heat it the house loses power for an extended period.

 

[CNDReef]

Going to Florida tomorrow for a week
- fill ato reservoir 1 gallon extra than what I think it will need
- add some kalk to the stirrer
- eheim feeder feeding 4 times a day and full.
- keeping it simple