Job Change, Now what?

[Neo Jeo]

Hello Reefers!

I have been running my 120G for almost 1 1/2 years. Time flies by, I read an article that the average saltwater hobbyist is 2 years before taking down a tank. I don't want to be that statistic.

I really enjoy the hobby, in fact I want a bigger tank! Right now my current job is stress free and I work about 35-40 hrs a week for a family business. I have extra time to play with my tank.

I was offered a better opportunity but it will come with stress and of course more hours. The compensation will also be much more . I start next month.

For the people out there that work long hours, what are some tips you have to keep a successful tank?

Here's my 120G sps/lps mix:

 

[Twocorns]

Controller, big butt ato, and auto feeder will be your bffs.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

One word - automation.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

In my field I have a "busy" season and work stupid hours from Feb through May... I'd say automate as much as possible. Also simply make time to enjoy the tank! With a hectic work schedule, a kid under 2, and another kid on the way, I often times had to make time in the later hours of the night to just sit and enjoy my tank. My system is in a separate building so it was also a nice escape.

 

[Ocelaris]

Tanks thrive on slow and steady, so really automating as much as possible is what keeps us going long term. On a daily basis, there really shouldn't be much to do except feed and maybe filter socks; get a good automated feeder and make sure your dosing is rock solid. An automated (or mostly automated) water change station is probably the most important thing that I did on my tank. I do about 30 gallons a week with my changing station and new carbon every week which takes about a half hour. Other than that, filter socks, scraping the glass, a few tests is all I do during the week. Once a month I'll do some pump maintenance, which may take an hour. Honestly the hobby is so slow, it's not that big a deal. In fact my tank likes it when I have less time to tinker. If you can get the automated water change and dosing steady, those are probably the biggest time sucks, and can be compensated with money. If you don't have an apex already, get one and keep everything on high alert, paying less attention means things will go haywire randomly and it's key to be a able to catch things in a hurry. It's easy to let maintenance go when you're used to spending an hour a day working on the tank, so make sure to dedicate even a few minutes to looking things over every day and it will be fine.

 

[Ocelaris]

double post

 

[Ocelaris]

triple post

 

[Ocelaris]

quadruple post!

 

[Ocelaris]

*never hit the back button when signing in*

 

[Ocelaris]

*what's after quadruple?*

 

[Ocelaris]

*ok, so just ignore anything I ever post again*

 

[Neo Jeo]

*ok, so just ignore anything I ever post again*

Very good points! I also believe that less tinkering in the tank makes a happier tank. I feel when I leave it alone it just looks better at times lol. My dosing is set and I test weekly. I just had an issue with a doser head but got that fixed thankfully. I clean my pumps prob every 6 months, seems to take me a few hours. Maybe I should do it more.

I dont have a Apex but I do have a heater probe that will let me know if somethings wrong. Bat backup on my return pump. Thats about it. I have a ATO and a auto system to fill up a bucket. So, I guess im very close to automated but I do not have a auto feeder. I feed frozen. Ill have to look into that.

 

[Neo Jeo]

*ok, so just ignore anything I ever post again*

lol!

 

[BeejReef]

Great looking tank Neo.

I love how you've left space for it to grow out well. It must have looked a little sparse for a while I bet. Really starting to see the rewards now though.

 

[Journeyman]

I work full time and have kids with lots of activities. I have an apex jr, which controls my lights, pumps and ato. I have a fuge with lots of pods.

I just fed Frozen when I get home. I figure everything will graze through the day anyways.

I don't use an auto feeder. My tank has enough pods that it can go a week easily without manual feeding.

I set my lights go turn on later in the day so I can enjoy my tank after work.

Honestly, I find my tank does best when I tinker less. It thrives when my work keeps me too busy to mess with it.

 

[Brett S]

Yeah, automation is the way to go. Here’s a gratuitous link to my build thread where I talk about a lot of my automation systems. My son wound up in the hospital for a few months at the beginning of this year and I probably spent a grand total of 2 or 3 hours on the tank over several months... mostly doing things like changing DI resin, adding salt to the water for my AWC, refilling my Alk and Calcium supplements and refilling autofeeders... and honestly after things started getting back to normal and I was able to clean 2+ months worth of algae growth off the front glass I discovered that the tank was looking better than ever.


My fully automated in wall 220. Visible from two rooms
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...--Visible-from-two-rooms.378035/&share_type=t

 

[PYRU]

I work a lot & travel a good bit. Streamlining your waterchange setup and mixing station is the most important to me...well besides having a significant other that can fill in. I've mentioned it in another thread you can drink bourbon in one hand and do maintenance with the other with the way I do it.

I use a lot of labeled on/off switches so my wife can step in if need be without an instruction manual.

I'll be honest with my stress and available time I don't even attempt anything close to sps. My fish etc have to be on the more hardy side. I've really been thinking about a controller if I can tell what's wrong I can advise on how to fix it instead of the trouble shooting over the phone with someone who has no idea.

Automation is nice but a lot of sensors and switches can create a lot of failure points.

 

[Xam]

First off, I would recommend making a list of all your maintenance activities, and creating a solid maintenance schedule that fits with your new work-life.

For example, I do all heavy lifting, time-consuming maintenance (e.g. cleaning equipment, water changes etc) on Saturday morning. Light, quick stuff like emptying skimmer cup and sock/media rotation a few spexific nights per week.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Great looking tank Neo.

I love how you've left space for it to grow out well. It must have looked a little sparse for a while I bet. Really starting to see the rewards now though.

Thank you! I wish I could take a picture on how it really looks. Its super bight and clear. Unfortunately phone cameras and the lighting just dont do it justice !

Yes, I made room for everything to grow and it did look empty/funny for a bit lol. Im glad I did bc it's filling in nicely.

 

[BestMomEver]

What’s with the double posts today? Sorry!

 

[BestMomEver]

Like others have said.... automation, big ATO tank, and equipment that requires less maintenance (better quality pumps, etc). I’m home all day but am trying to watch a two year old, care for aging pets, clean, laundry, etc. I don’t have near the time I want. Also, easy-to-change filter socks and a large supply of them make life easier. I can just pull one out and drop a new one in. Takes 2 minutes. If I’m running short on time, I just toss in some pellets.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Yeah, automation is the way to go. Here’s a gratuitous link to my build thread where I talk about a lot of my automation systems. My son wound up in the hospital for a few months at the beginning of this year and I probably spent a grand total of 2 or 3 hours on the tank over several months... mostly doing things like changing DI resin, adding salt to the water for my AWC, refilling my Alk and Calcium supplements and refilling autofeeders... and honestly after things started getting back to normal and I was able to clean 2+ months worth of algae growth off the front glass I discovered that the tank was looking better than ever.


My fully automated in wall 220. Visible from two rooms
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=1020&share_tid=378035&url=https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/My-fully-automated-in-wall-220.--Visible-from-two-rooms.378035/&share_type=t

Sorry to hear about your son. I hope all is well.

Your tank looks amazing

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Automation has been a huge help for me. Along with a wife who cares about the critters of the sea as much as I do. That is mainly feeding and cleaning glass though lol.

The biggest thing for me is having a huge ATO resivours for all tanks, huge refugium on all tanks, skim locker for the tanks that have skimmers, and no filter socks or media that needs to be replaced. This has worked very well on my tanks where I may be gone for a month or so at a time.

 

[Billldg]

Agree with above, a apex or ghl is a must when working long hours. I work anywhere between 50 to 90 hours a week, having a apex in my tank allows me to check on tank while at work and if I see something I need to check it gives me time to get a plan together before getting home.