Protein Skimmer Question

[Reed639]

So I am about to go on vacation for 9 days.I was wondering would it be okay if I did not run a skimmer during the vacation.I did a big water change tonight and i am leaving tommorow so let me know.

 

[Reed639]

Please Let me Know Because I Will Be Traveling Tommorow

 

[jledon4]

why turn it off???? that could be a huge mistake... make it run very dry so that it pulls out less water and fills up less the collection cup. 9 days shouldn't generate that much skimate for it to overflow.

 

[dakotasreef]

+1 or put it on a timer.

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[carlosR]

I'd leave mine running and have someone watch it. They can call you with an update or you call them. If no phone availabe where you are going then leave it on, turn it down, and go have some fun. Maybe leave emergency shut-off instructions with someone.

 

[1Der9_3hy]

Its too late now (and dont worry about it, im only mentioning it now for future refrence) but i dont like to do any big water changes/setup changes the few days before leaving for awhile just in case something was "off" or not quite right.

 

[Viva'sReef]

Do you have time to drill and install a drain on the collection cup? That way you could have it drain into a large container ie. milk jug. while your gone, and don't have to worry about it filling up and spilling over into the tank

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

+1 to viva's comment. I was going to post that.

 

[Viva'sReef]

but IMO if your system is large enough, you could probably go without a skimmer. Not something I would do if less than around 250 gallons of water

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

I dont see why you would.

When I am gone the last thing I want in my tank is a fluctuation of any sort. I also dont want there to be an accumulation of organics. This can lead to returning home to a tank that had a little more algae than when you left.

I was in LA for 17 days and two other aquarists werent capable of keeping my aquarium in proper condition. Leave as little as possible to chance.

 

[patent]

Do you have time to drill and install a drain on the collection cup? That way you could have it drain into a large container ie. milk jug. while your gone, and don't have to worry about it filling up and spilling over into the tank

You have to be careful with that though, if your skimmer goes nuts you can wind up with a drained tank and a huge mess on the floor by the milk jug. You need to make sure that the auxiliary collection cup (or milk jug) is capped such that it can't overflow. That's worse than having excess skimmate go back into the tank.