REEF TANK = NEVER ENJOY A VACATION AGAIN???
- Thread starter Klyle
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monkeyCmonkeyDo
7500 Club Member
3 things needed.
A trusted tank sitter. House checker.
A trusted ato
A trusted fish feeder.
-d
A trusted tank sitter. House checker.
A trusted ato
A trusted fish feeder.
-d
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Apex gave me alot more peace of mind. But before that it was always stressful. Had 2 crashes while away over the years and i was tired of it. I swear stuff only breaks when you go away.
That's a bummer!
If you don't want to buy an apex and monitor yourself remotely it would probably be smart to organize and label your equipment.
If someone knows enough to look for your ATO to get water they would probably read a label that says RODI+KALK and pause.
And keep RODI and mixed saltwater on hand.
That plus the food you want to give and they shouldn't really be doing anything else without advice for a two day trip. making it simple on your helpers will go a long way
If you don't want to buy an apex and monitor yourself remotely it would probably be smart to organize and label your equipment.
If someone knows enough to look for your ATO to get water they would probably read a label that says RODI+KALK and pause.
And keep RODI and mixed saltwater on hand.
That plus the food you want to give and they shouldn't really be doing anything else without advice for a two day trip. making it simple on your helpers will go a long way
Dilan Patel
2500 Club Member
I leave my tanks for months at a time...I have had to automate everything: It all starts with my apex which controls my lights, pumps, heater etc with the proper alerts programmed. I just recently upgraded my jeabo dp4's to a neptune dos and it was a GREAT investment. I like that I am able to control the dosing pump anywhere in the world instead of having to text somebody to adjust it. When I upgraded my dosing pump I ended up getting a trident to upgrade from a reefbot and that was great only monthly maintenance which takes 5-10min if that. Fish are fed multiple times a day through the ehiem fish feeders and have been for 5+ years. Only things that get done by somebody is empty skimmer cup every-other week or so, ATO container fill up, and top off dosing containers and nori if they find their way into that side of the house.
OdetteDelacroix
Community Member
this is one of my biggest fears. Prior to setting up my tanks, I avoided getting coral for the longest time because I thought it would ruin my ability to vacation. I can attest that, since being fully running, I have yet to go on much of a vacation =/
mike550
Valuable Member
@Klyle I hear you. FWIW, I added an Apex controller / monitor a few months ago. "Before Apex" I would go on vacation and simply rely on my Tunze 3155 ATO and an Eheim fish feeder. Life was good. "After Apex" -- when I go on vacation I still use my Tunze 3155 ATO and the Eheim fish feeder. But now I can watch in horror as things happen that are completely outside of my control.
Simple example, my temperature goes up and down throughout the day, and I can see when my heater kicks on. While we were away, the temp started going up without the heater going on. Well I spent the next few hours of my vacation watching the temp and wondering what the heck.
Simple example, my temperature goes up and down throughout the day, and I can see when my heater kicks on. While we were away, the temp started going up without the heater going on. Well I spent the next few hours of my vacation watching the temp and wondering what the heck.
Klyle
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That's pretty much every week
I feel like i do that on a weekly basis. I have ATO, dosers for alk and calcium so besides the occasional flipping a snail over or the daily feedings, I don't do a lot with my tank until the weekends. Its only when I go out of town some unforseen event happens to pop up and give me a good scare! I'm definitely leaning towards implementing Apex on my system...
ZoWhat
7500 Club Member
I cant imagine not having my Apex.
Every year my family goes to Destin FL for two weeks straight. Never had a problem with my Apex while I'm 800 miles away.
I monitor/control everything from feedings, to lighting, to ATO, to monitoring everything.
When I walk back in on the 15th day, I know exactly what to expect.
Only issue is the glass needs cleaned
I also integrate a couple of Wyze cams as my eyes-in-the-skies.
From 800 miles away,, I thoroughly check everything about my tank every morning upon waking...and every evening upon sleeping
.
Last edited:
Philly Reefer
Valuable Member
Ok. It doesn't need to be an apex, a hydros is looking pretty good at this time.
I have an Apex EL myself and I can't imagine reefing without it anymore. I also have 2 heaters for redundancy in my 40B+20L set up
I have an Apex EL myself and I can't imagine reefing without it anymore. I also have 2 heaters for redundancy in my 40B+20L set up
mike550
Valuable Member
That‘s sort of the challenge. An Apex or controller isn’t a “must have” its definitely a “nice to have”. If someone can keep an eye on your tank then you’re probably in good shape.
Pre-Apex a friend of ours would check on the tank every day and do feedings. Luckily they were at the house when my Klir roller filter ran out. Good news / bad news — we used facetime to figure out the problem and turned off the Klir. So the tank ran a few days without a filter change and nothing truly bad happened. Apex couldn’t have helped the situation.
This is more about how do you want to handle your tank while you’re away.
In the 10 years I have been reefing I have taken at least 30 trips and never had an issue.
Take all that unnecessary equipment offline prior to going on vaca and have someone come over every day to spend 5 minutes feeding and topping off with a little fresh water if really necessary.
I usually leave them $100 if I am gone a week or two. $50 if less than a week. The price is well worth the piece of mind.
Take all that unnecessary equipment offline prior to going on vaca and have someone come over every day to spend 5 minutes feeding and topping off with a little fresh water if really necessary.
I usually leave them $100 if I am gone a week or two. $50 if less than a week. The price is well worth the piece of mind.
dvgyfresh
2500 Club Member
Right, like turn off return pumps , add hob filter or something and just worry about having someone check the tank every couple of days , fish can go a awhile on less food we probly over feed all the time anyway. When you come back the tank just needs a good cleaning no harm done
PanchoG
The Force will be with you. Always.
I was im the group of "no controller is needed" until my tank crashed while I was away due to a power failure. Since then I invested in an Apex and a camera, now I have watched another power failure and a jammed return pump. It is expensive but worth it. Now I am incorporating the ATO and leak detection sensors to enhance the system. The Apex not only allows you to detect the problem but also to stop equipment remotely to avoid further damage.
roman94
New Member
Hi lads,
I was away for 5 weeks
I’ve asked my friend to look after the tank, prepared check list in excel with daily/weekly things to do. Of course there some issues only then when you’re away... ATO water level sensors has blocked and didn’t top up evaporated water, then sponges in the back panel filter clogged ( usually use filter wool/floss as mechanical filtration that is changed every second day but didn’t want to ask my friend to spend too much time with the tank as he’s expecting a baby ).. then we had a really bad storm and protein skimmer did not start up properly after power cut off.... so many issues during that time. Water parameters like salinity, kh, NO3 weren’t stable for sure but 90% of live stock are still in really good condition thank God !
what is the best way to bring everything back to normal ? How big water change should I do ? I’m thinking about 15% water change, put some carbon for few days and then change it for fresh one and repeat it few times in the next few weeks, back to use filter wool and exchange it every day.
thanks for any advice !
I was away for 5 weeks
I’ve asked my friend to look after the tank, prepared check list in excel with daily/weekly things to do. Of course there some issues only then when you’re away... ATO water level sensors has blocked and didn’t top up evaporated water, then sponges in the back panel filter clogged ( usually use filter wool/floss as mechanical filtration that is changed every second day but didn’t want to ask my friend to spend too much time with the tank as he’s expecting a baby ).. then we had a really bad storm and protein skimmer did not start up properly after power cut off.... so many issues during that time. Water parameters like salinity, kh, NO3 weren’t stable for sure but 90% of live stock are still in really good condition thank God ! what is the best way to bring everything back to normal ? How big water change should I do ? I’m thinking about 15% water change, put some carbon for few days and then change it for fresh one and repeat it few times in the next few weeks, back to use filter wool and exchange it every day.
thanks for any advice !
I bet your friends don’t pick up the phone when they know your going on vacation
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