Reefers & Vacation Time

[Cscultho]

How does the fellow reefer community prepare their tanks before he/she go on vacation?

 

I've yet to setup my tank but as I'm looking forward i will be taking a 10 day vacation and I will not have anybody to help with water changes........only feeding of fishies.

 

Frankly, im not certain how to lessen the risk of something going wrong while away other than adding an additional HOB to help with filtering the water.

 

Suggestions PLEASE!!

 

thanks.

[tetraodon]

How does the fellow reefer community prepare their tanks before he/she go on vacation?

 

I've yet to setup my tank but as I'm looking forward i will be taking a 10 day vacation and I will not have anybody to help with water changes........only feeding of fishies.

 

Frankly, im not certain how to lessen the risk of something going wrong while away other than adding an additional HOB to help with filtering the water.

 

Suggestions PLEASE!!

 

thanks.

unless you have your tank set up, its hard to say. usually i would do a good size water change, put out the food thats needed in the amounts needed, 10 days isnt a very long time, if dose manually, buy some cheap syringes and preload them, write down the schedule of feeding and dosing. also get a timer for the lights. basically go through and make it as simple as possible. but you dont have a tank up so dont worry.

[RIP Sebastian]

I just do a normal water change. I feel that if O do a larger one, more will go wrong; the tank may not be stable. I don't want things to go south if I'm not there!

 

 

Nick

[Cscultho]

unless you have your tank set up, its hard to say. usually i would do a good size water change, put out the food thats needed in the amounts needed, 10 days isnt a very long time, if dose manually, buy some cheap syringes and preload them, write down the schedule of feeding and dosing. also get a timer for the lights. basically go through and make it as simple as possible. but you dont have a tank up so dont worry.

Thanks tetraodon.

 

My tank will be setup in the early spring (March) and i have a long family vacation in December. Just want to plan ahead to ensure success.

[TJ_Burton]

Having someone else feed the tank can be a disaster, and is often a point of failure for the system.
If you are going to have someone else feed, portion every day's worth of food out ahead of time, and clearly label it with the date it is suppose to be fed. That way they can not overfeed in your absence (provided they don't go off feeding extra).

I've used pill containers like this one in the past:

 

Alternatively you can buy an automatic feeder and set it well in advance so you can dial it in, and avoid human error (although they pose their own array of possible issues like batteries dying, or food clogging).

When it comes to emergency situations (like a power outage) that you don't have backup power for, leave a set of instructions that your tank sitter can follow, clear and straightforward, so that they can best manage the emergency in your absence.

You can also leave pre-mixed water with a powerhead and heater for them just in case, along with top up water.

At the end of the day, your best bet is to prepare your tank sitter for the most common issues, and keep the resolution as simple for them as possible. Means more work on your end, but with peace of mind being the end result.

[fishfreak0114]

I was gone for just over a week in November, so I left out portions of food, filter floss, top of water and anything needed in case of a tank emergency with a day by day schedule and emergency instructions in case they couldn't get a hold of me.

[burtbollinger]

have phone number of reef maintenance service handy....just in case.

[Clown79]

I don't go on vacation. I don't trust none reefers to do what needs to be done or even understand the ramifications of small errors on their part.

 

I'd pay a company to come in and maintain

[flatlandreefer]

I was very concerned about this before I started my tank. I bought a battery backup (for my mp10) right off the back when I set up my tank since we have a weak power grid where I live and storms frequently leave us without power. Before I go out of town I make sure to do a normal water change the day before. If I am going to be out of town for an extended amount of time I feed a little bit heavy a few days leading up to my departure to make sure everybody is well fed and there are a few extra pellets to scavenge while I am gone. My ATO can make it 8+ days before needing to be replenished so if it is a week or less I don't worry about anything while I am gone. When we got married in October we were gone more than ten days, on day seven I had a friend stop by and replenish the ATO reservoir and feed a pre portioned amount of food, everything looked good when we got back.

 

I think auto feeders are unnecessary if you have a reasonable fish load. IMO the most important thing is to have as many things automated as you can and use them every day when you are home, ATO, dosers, heater conroller, etc so you know everything can operate as usual while you are gone. IMO a battery backup is essential for peace of mind when leaving a tank without somebody to watch over it!!! Also test the back up to make sure it works

[jtwisconsin]

When I am away from my tank for an extended period, I do a large water change right before I leave. Then I set a small amount of food out and explain to the person watching it that this is the amount of food to use over the period of time I am gone. This helps prevent overfeeding. I would also strongly suggest an ATO for when you are gone to prevent human error.

 

My office tank regularly sees me spending 3 to 7 days away from it, and I have been gone up to 14 days with no losses. Take a few simple steps, and you should be fine.

[Cscultho]

This is all great information and is certainly helping with my early preparations. When vacation time gets closer I'm sure I will be coming back to you guys with more questions. Thanks for the info!

[Pancetta]

We have gone on several vacations and a neighbor of ours has taken care of my tank. She is not into the hobby but has done a good job.

This included a 2-1/2 week trip to Europe. My routine is below.

 

I always do a water change before we go.

Set out supplies and tools. Glass scraper etc.

Write a out a list of instructions and schedule. Daily feeding/ tasks. Weekly etc. I email and print out the list.

Have her come by and do all the tasks while I instruct her. This was her idea.

I also give her the number of another reefer or LFS contact in case of an emergency.

Check in every few days via email or text.

[squamptonbc]

I never go away longer then a week so I am never overly concerned. I do a water change a day before, make sure the auto top off container is full and can last a week, I prepare food in advance in little bags, and write 1 bag per day, so all the person has to do is open a bag and pour the food in, they don't have to fuss with anything else but feeding.

 

If I were to go for longer then a week, I would try to find an aquarium maintenance company, but considering how small the hobby is in my area, doubt there is one.

[LbulletM]

I went away for 4 days over New Years, came back for 3 days, and then left for 7 days on vacation. With an only 1.5 month old tank (at the time) I was pretty nervous both times. The longer trip, I actually had a few corals come in the day before leaving (had won one in a Facebook contest). SUPER nervous that time. Both times, I just did a double water change - 10 gallons vs the usual 5 on my 29 gallon standard. No issues :-)

 

Stock at the time:

- Potter's Angel

- Torch

- Octospawn

- 2 Roses

- Tyree Orange Rainbow Zoas

- Rainbow Acan

 

The Rainbow Acan, torch, and octospawn were the three added the day before leaving.

[lkoechle]

I automate everything and have cameras set up watching the tank. The only thing my sitters need to do is replace the ATO container (by switching it out with a prefilled one). Nothing else. The best way to keep your tank safe is to have the sitter do as little as possible. Automation is expensive, but IMO its totally worth it over losing your system due to a mistake. Also it will make your life easier and keep it more stable too.

 

And I always leave the business card of the LFS in case of an emergency and give the LFS a heads up so if I cant be reached they arent like "Are you sure?" with the sitter. Instead they'll be like "oh yeah, I remember a person said they would be out of town"

[Cscultho]

I have no experience with auto feeders but is it safe to assume all auto feeders are for dry food only?