question can i have a tank and travel

david wiederholt · May 25, 2020

okay here goes i had a reef tank 20 years ago. thinking of getting one again but have a question is it possible to have a reef tank and go on vacation for a month.

Dr. Phil · May 25, 2020

Welcome to R2R!

I would say it is possible. You would either need a tank sitter or an auto feeder at minimum. I have an auto feeder and DŌS connected to my apex that will feed my fish and do water changes for a couple of months without any input from me.

gideon2086 · May 25, 2020

The biggest problem will be water changes.. you’ll need a tank sitter unless you plan to immediately invest in automation.

LxHowler · May 25, 2020

I travel for work alot. I have a auto feeder, auto doser to maintain my levels and auto top off. I have been pretty successful so far. I do water changes when I am home normally I have 1 day at home a week although as I get busier I am looking at auto water changes so that I can be away for longer and still maintain my tank.
I also have as much as possible connected to internet controller so if I need to make changes from site I can.
I don't think I could have a tank without heavy automation so it is completely possible if you budget for it when building the tank

Fred2482 · May 25, 2020

Welcome! It's possible, however it will cost! Water storage system, Auto dosing, water changes, testing, feeding, etc.. I still think it's important to have someone available to call for those just in case moments. Also the live stock will be limited as autofeeders will not suffice all animals.

Dr. Phil · May 25, 2020

Agreed it will definitely cost. I haven't sat down and figured up how much I have in my automation. I would guess at least $2.5k.

It could probably be done for less. However, I've been down the budget road before and it wasn't as fun. ;Happy

Peace River · May 25, 2020

Welcome to R2R!!! The risks go up if you step away for a month. Between auto-top off, auto water changes, dosing, control system, leak detectors, and cameras, the currently technology can mitigate some of this risk. You would potentially be able to monitor the system remotely and, if you had someone to call who could make the changes you direct, you have the potential to successful maintain the tank. Whether or not that you want to go through the effort for a tank that you will not see for a month at a time is another question. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Mastiffsrule · May 25, 2020

If not, can you start when you get back? Sounds like you have the hobby bug again.

Where here either way, have a good vacation

andrewey · May 25, 2020

Welcome! I've done it- it's either costly or not too fun to go through trying all possible permutations. I would still have someone come and check on it from time to time

mike550 · May 25, 2020

Definitely possible. You should figure out when to start your tank so that you have at least a few months for things to settle. Or maybe start as a Fowlr tank and then add corals after you get back.

Mikeltee · May 25, 2020

For a decade I had a guy come out and maintain my tank every other week. I didnt even have to fill the auto feeder. Anytime something was off(twice) he was there in less than an hour. I'd to this route if I wasnt home much. I paid $75 a visit including saltwater and rodi for ato. It took him 45 minutes once it was setup right and on auto-pilot.

dwest · May 25, 2020

Welcome!

I do it! Basically, I do these things:
1. AWC with a couple months of water in system
2. ATO
3. Controller, mostly for monitoring
4. Auto-feeder
5. Liter meter 3 for kalk and 2 part
6. camera on sump and display tank
7. Redundant heaters and pumps
8. backup batteries for in tank circulation
9. avast protein skim collector
10. neighbor that I can call if needed

The biggest thing is to put all this together waaaay in advance and work out the bugs. Also, buying reliable equipment is very important.

You are welcome to pm me if you want details.

F i s h y · May 25, 2020

yes it can be done. Diligence is going to be key in planning. Plan, plan, then plan some more. Welcome to the party! Happy reefing!

mike550 · May 25, 2020

Mikeltee said:
For a decade I had a guy come out and maintain my tank every other week. I didnt even have to fill the auto feeder. Anytime something was off(twice) he was there in less than an hour. I'd to this route if I wasnt home much. I paid $75 a visit including saltwater and rodi for ato. It took him 45 minutes once it was setup right and on auto-pilot.

@Mikeltee I completely agree! I have a guy that comes out once a month just to check things over and make sure I haven’t made any major screwups. Its nice to have someone that can help you fix problems or identify ones you didn’t even know you had.

As a newbie it’s great to have someone that can look at the tank, help with sick fish etc.

Spieg · May 25, 2020

FOWLER tank is easily doable. Adding coral complicates things quite a bit. I'd not add coral to a tank for about 6 months from setup anyway, so maybe you can start with fish then add corals after vacation?

fishguy242 · May 25, 2020

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
most importantly above and beyond all exp eq,a fellow experienced reefer close and trusted

Fishbro · May 25, 2020

Welcome to R2R!!! All the advice given above is awesome I don’t have much to add!

secret_reefer337 · May 25, 2020

It can be done. Here’s my experience. My whole family went into a 3 weeks vacation. My feeding, top off and water change are all automated.Skimmer dirty water goes to a bucket. I don’t have friends who can look after my tank while we are out of the country. When the vacation is over, the tank have few algae and lost few sps. All automation worked great. The only problem that affected my tank is the heat. It os during summer and the house temp is hot during the day and since I don’t have a chiller, water might have been hot during the day. So just prepare everything a week or two before you leave and test and run.

Mikeltee · May 26, 2020

mike550 said:
@Mikeltee I completely agree! I have a guy that comes out once a month just to check things over and make sure I haven’t made any major screwups. Its nice to have someone that can help you fix problems or identify ones you didn’t even know you had.

As a newbie it’s great to have someone that can look at the tank, help with sick fish etc.

I was lucky enough to have my guy quarantine all my animals and gave me a 90 day guarantee. I never had to take him up on the guarantee. I swear to God the first visit I had cancelled in order to start taking care of it myself, Velvet took out ALL my fish in 36 hours. I'm still going to have him come once a month for several months until he gives me the green light.