el_dante Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Well, I'm off to Brazil tomorrow for two weeks and I am scared s*@tless that when I return, my tank will be a bloody mess. I have a tank sitter that knows nothing of reef keeping, so I wrote everything down for him in specific detail. Auto-top off is cool, timers are right, and he'll be dosing and feeding. Any tips from those who have travelled and had a clueless tank sitter watch over their prized reef possession? Link to comment
ucsd reefer Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Haven't done that yet. But I can foresee potential errors in overfeeding/overdosing. I'd suggest making sure that you're clear on all those things. Link to comment
eddie29 Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Originally posted by el_dante Well, I'm off to Brazil tomorrow for two weeks and I am scared s*@tless that when I return, my tank will be a bloody mess. I have a tank sitter that knows nothing of reef keeping, so I wrote everything down for him in specific detail. Auto-top off is cool, timers are right, and he'll be dosing and feeding. Any tips from those who have travelled and had a clueless tank sitter watch over their prized reef possession? Its kinda like asking a blind person to watch over something....:| Go to church and pray nothing goes wrong is what i suggest.. Eddie Link to comment
Quash Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Ive heard Automatic feeders are accurate... just what I have heard tho... Link to comment
Crakeur Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 I am going to be meeting my two tank sitters over the next two days. 12 days away for me and I have decided to forgo the top off as it will most likely trip the fuse and kill what's left in the tank. Also, at a gallon to a gallon and a half a day, that's a big freaking bucket of water. Instead, I have the guy who takes care of the 180 and my dad's 72 coming every other day and my doorman popping in to make sure water levels are ok. My suggestion. Don't let the sitter dose anything. Depending on the livestock, you can probably get away with little or no dosing. If you have an sps heavy tank or a large quantity of calcium users, than you might want to consider dosing b-ionic or c-balance but elements and whatnot are probably fine over 2 weeks. As for feeding. Do not let them feed liquid foods such as marine snow or phytoplankton. Past experience has taught me that people with no reef knowledge will pour in the suggested amount and when the fish don't do anything they will keep adding. If you have fish in the tank, a tiny amount of flake will suffice. I rarely fed my old 7 when it was in full swing. The pods and other critters in the tank were plenty of food for the two fish and all the corals etc. My prayers will be split between my own tank and yours. Link to comment
Angel Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 I wouldn't let them dose either, but if you must, I would suggest to put the amounts (of food and such) in individual containers and label them by the day. This way, they only have to pick up that container, corresponding to that day, and be done with it. I would also stress to them to keep their hands out of the YOUR tank. Link to comment
NanoBound Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 As far as dosing, couldn't you premix it into all of your top off water the sitter will be using, at the acurate levels before hand, thus elevating them needing to do so? Just a suggestion. As far as the feeding, Angels suggestion sounds great. Link to comment
el_dante Posted August 20, 2003 Author Share Posted August 20, 2003 Thanks for all your tips and your future prayers (Crak)...lol. I recently started using B-Ionic and the results have been amazing. I finally have coralline growing all over the place (including back glass which I really wanted), corals are growing like mad, and all my parameters are really stable. I'd hate to cut that out for two weeks and I can't mix that stuff into the top-off water. I have to make the decision of either trusting my friend's competency or just going two weeks low on Calcium and Alk. When he stops by tomorrow, I'll make my decision then. If he looks dumbfounded after I run it by him, then I'll just spark up the B-Ionic when I return, if there is anything still alive of course. Link to comment
kennerd Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Do yourself a favor, and if the individual is reasonably computer-literate, set him up with a registration here and @ Manhattanreefs.com That way, if he runs into any massive trouble, or anything that doesn;t "seem right" to the layman, he/she can bounce it around the boards, or get a local to stop any hemmorhage in the tank in time. Link to comment
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