Beginner

[Tanker125]

New to reefing but have been reading up a lot and doing lots of research before I jump into this.

Right now I am planning on two clown fish in a 20 gallon long tank.

I'm an airline pilot so just trying to figure everything out so I can plan this out properly and make sure the fish are taken care of when I'm away for 3-4 days at a time, was told autofeeders and autofillers can help with this.

Thinking I will get the tank up and running and just practice keeping water parameters and such within limits while away for work and then once I have mastered that, start adding fish.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thx.

 

[ScottJ]

Advice; research, read this forum, have patience, and research. Find a good local fish store that isn't just trying to sell you something. Oh, and research.

 

[ScubaFish802]

Plan sounds solid.
Feeding is probably the 'biggest' concern for a 4 day period.
The water stability could easily be handled by an ATO (auto top off) setup.


Another thing to think about would be things to catch an emergency while away. Say a heater goes rouge, it may be worth looking into some additional redundancy like an inkbird heater controller so that your tank is not allowed to over heat (just one example).

 

[Tanker125]

Plan sounds solid.
Feeding is probably the 'biggest' concern for a 4 day period.
The water stability could easily be handled by an ATO (auto top off) setup.


Another thing to think about would be things to catch an emergency while away. Say a heater goes rouge, it may be worth looking into some additional redundancy like an inkbird heater controller so that your tank is not allowed to over heat (just one example).

Do you think a 20 long can hold all this equipment or will it be a bit crowded? Heater, filter, lights, ATO, autofeeder, jets, backup heater etc etc..?

 

[Tiki_Reef]

Do you think a 20 long can hold all this equipment or will it be a bit crowded? Heater, filter, lights, ATO, autofeeder, jets, backup heater etc etc..?

A 20 long could hold it but might be a little unsightly, have you looked into AIO 20 gallon tanks they have compartments in the back to house such equipment.

Welcome aboard

 

[Dcloser12]

Don't over complicate things. You do not need a back up heater unless your house gets below 70. The fish will be fine for a few days if a heater fails. All you need is a basic auto feeder and an inexpensive ato unit. That's it.

 

[Rmckoy]

New to reefing but have been reading up a lot and doing lots of research before I jump into this.

Right now I am planning on two clown fish in a 20 gallon long tank.

I'm an airline pilot so just trying to figure everything out so I can plan this out properly and make sure the fish are taken care of when I'm away for 3-4 days at a time, was told autofeeders and autofillers can help with this.

Thinking I will get the tank up and running and just practice keeping water parameters and such within limits while away for work and then once I have mastered that, start adding fish.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thx.

First things first . Welcome to the wonderful world of reefing .
if we could convince you to fill your carry on bag with corals it would be a lot easier . Joking ….

for the time you would be away . Even with a auto top off to refill I’d be worried about the tank parameters going south after a few short days .
As
For feeding. A few days without food isn’t the end of the world .
If you can afford it and space allows a larger setup I would strongly recommend a larger tank . A sits easier to maintain stable parameters

imagine 2 Gal of water evaporation in a 20 gal Thats 10%
But that same 2
Gals in a 100 gal tank is minimal ( 2% ?

 

[Auquanut]

Welcome to the family!

Being a retired Navy Airedale, I know quite a few pilots. Commercial and military. I'm assuming that when you say that you'll be away for 3 to 4 days at a time, that the time that you're at home between trips is not going to be more than several days on average.

If that's the case, I would go with a slightly larger tank (40 breeder?) with a sump to help ensure the health of the tank in your absence and allow you a little wiggle room to address any issues you may encounter when you get back. If you have someone to look after the tank in your absence, that may not be an issue.

You'll definitely want to invest in an ATO, Temp controller, and auto feeder if you don't have someone looking after the tank daily. This is absolutely doable and worth the effort, just need to do your research and pre-planning on the front end.

 

[Tanker125]

What do you guys think will be my biggest threat or weak spot when leaving for 3-5 days on work? Temp, food, parameters?

 

[Rmckoy]

What do you guys think will be my biggest threat or weak spot when leaving for 3-5 days on work? Temp, food, parameters?

Being a 20 gal . Parameters If you can minimize and control the evaporation for as long as you’re away it should be ok .
I wouldn’t worry too much about food . But auto feeders can be used if needed .
Automate as much as possible

 

[Rmckoy]

A larger volume of rodi water for ato will help and assure it’s not running empty while away