Long vacation away from your reef!

[vlangel]

Hi everyone, how many of you have left your reef tank for 3+ weeks? My hubby and I are motorcyclists who have had our bikes in all the lower 48 states. This summer we are heading to Alaska and it will take 23 days.

My 56 gallon reef tank is a low tech softie/macroalgae dominant reef with fairly common, sturdy fish that are mostly omnivores. It's 7 years old and very stable. I have an auto fish feeder, an auto battery back up pump and an ATO so the plan is to have someone check on it twice a week.

It is however, the prettiest it has ever been so now I am nervous. As an aquarium tech who serviced tanks, the #1 cause of crashes (that I witnessed) were tripped circuits/power outages. I always have pumps on more than 1 circuit and always have an auto battery backup pump. The 2nd cause of crashes that I saw was malfunctioning ATO that stuck on and diluted the salinity. My reservoir is only a gallon and my tank and sump are covered so not a lot of evaporation. Finally the last main cause of crashes are malfunctioning heaters, again that stick on. I have 2 undersized heaters so if one malfunctions it won't cook the tanks. Is there anything else I should consider?

 

[bushdoc]

Don’t make last minute changes or additions. I agree with ATO issues. I have mine on timer on/of so it resets itself few times a day. Heaters should be on a controller, like apex or Inkbird or similar.

 

[exnisstech]

I would have 2 oversized titanium heaters and an external controller rather than 2 undersized using the built in heater controller. One totally fails and the second one can keep up with the temp damands. I've had too many heaters fail through the years so I stopped using any that have a built in temp controls. A wifi inkbird controller is only $50ish last time I checked and you can even get alerts on the app. I'm low tech as well with ato being the only actual automation I have outside of lighting of course. Enjoy the ride. I managed 29 states, Canada and Mexico before I quit riding.

 

[Floyd-]

Wish I could ride that much!
Enjoy and just monitor what you can and hope your person watching the tank knows what to do if things go sideways.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I do 10-14 days regularly due to work travel. I went to central america & the caribbean last year and everything was alone for just under 3 weeks. My limiting factor was ato water and I have large reservoirs for both tanks. If I know In gone for 14+ days, Ill make additional top off water for whoever is stopping in to check in the tanks. I already have cameras in place so its just someone visiting to toss frozen food. Only thing I do before I got (especially over 10+ days) is usually a 25% wc on both tanks.

 

[kenchilada]

I’m on vacation now. Trash can full of RO water. Plank feeder filled up. And I run a camera in my stand.

 

[Reefer911]

I’ll be going to Europe in June for three weeks. I’ll have my permanent ATO set up by then, which will be a line running off my mixing station directly to a ball valve in the sump, so no automation there. I’ll have more than enough water. My system is on its own circuit so I may run a back up heater from a different circuit. Auto feeder of course, and I have a GHL unit and doser so I can dose what’s needed and check up on the tank via the app. I’ll also have someone available to come out if needed, and will likely schedule her to come out a couple times each week to dose phyto and feed frozen.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi everyone, how many of you have left your reef tank for 3+ weeks? My hubby and I are motorcyclists who have had our bikes in all the lower 48 states. This summer we are heading to Alaska and it will take 23 days.

My 56 gallon reef tank is a low tech softie/macroalgae dominant reef with fairly common, sturdy fish that are mostly omnivores. It's 7 years old and very stable. I have an auto fish feeder, an auto battery back up pump and an ATO so the plan is to have someone check on it twice a week.

It is however, the prettiest it has ever been so now I am nervous. As an aquarium tech who serviced tanks, the #1 cause of crashes (that I witnessed) were tripped circuits/power outages. I always have pumps on more than 1 circuit and always have an auto battery backup pump. The 2nd cause of crashes that I saw was malfunctioning ATO that stuck on and diluted the salinity. My reservoir is only a gallon and my tank and sump are covered so not a lot of evaporation. Finally the last main cause of crashes are malfunctioning heaters, again that stick on. I have 2 undersized heaters so if one malfunctions it won't cook the tanks. Is there anything else I should consider?

I spend 4-6 weeks away for every 4 weeks at home and while I'm away the tank is on auto pilot completely unattended.

The most important things for me are automatic alkalinity management, and a reliable ATO.

 

[Gp!]

Get wyze cameras for the tank and place them so you can see the inhabitants and also verify equipment is running. Very easy to use from your phone. Check daily. If you have a problem your tank sitter can go fix

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I’d get a camera to watch your tank, something like a blink camera from Amazon or wyze is a good option too. Give a run down to someone you know you can trust just in case if something does go south they are there to potentially resolve an issue if it comes up.

 

[Timfish]

You're coverong all the same things I worry about. But I'd suggest to als fInd someone you trust and train them on basic maintenenace to do and basic indicators of issues while you're gone AND WHAT NOT TO DO.

 

[o2manyfish]

I didn't see any contingency for the event of a powerfailure. Purchasing a really large computer UPS (Back Up Power Supply) and connecting it to only a powerhead that actively disturbs the surface of your tank could give you 10-12 hrs or more of coverage for a power outage.

Dave B

 

[vlangel]

I didn't see any contingency for the event of a powerfailure. Purchasing a really large computer UPS (Back Up Power Supply) and connecting it to only a powerhead that actively disturbs the surface of your tank could give you 10-12 hrs or more of coverage for a power outage.

Dave B

My automatic battery backup pump will aerate for 4+ days if the batteries are new.

 

[InsideThePoster]

Hi everyone, how many of you have left your reef tank for 3+ weeks? My hubby and I are motorcyclists who have had our bikes in all the lower 48 states. This summer we are heading to Alaska and it will take 23 days.

My 56 gallon reef tank is a low tech softie/macroalgae dominant reef with fairly common, sturdy fish that are mostly omnivores. It's 7 years old and very stable. I have an auto fish feeder, an auto battery back up pump and an ATO so the plan is to have someone check on it twice a week.

It is however, the prettiest it has ever been so now I am nervous. As an aquarium tech who serviced tanks, the #1 cause of crashes (that I witnessed) were tripped circuits/power outages. I always have pumps on more than 1 circuit and always have an auto battery backup pump. The 2nd cause of crashes that I saw was malfunctioning ATO that stuck on and diluted the salinity. My reservoir is only a gallon and my tank and sump are covered so not a lot of evaporation. Finally the last main cause of crashes are malfunctioning heaters, again that stick on. I have 2 undersized heaters so if one malfunctions it won't cook the tanks. Is there anything else I should consider?

What are you using for battery back ?

 

[vlangel]

What are you using for battery back ?

Penn Plax Silent Air Battery Operated Aquarium Air Pump for Power Outage Automatic Turn On Keeps Fish Safe​

I like this one because it is a small investment (under $25) and will turn on and off automatically. In the past I had one run 4 full days before the power turned back on but it was still running well.

 

[Lavey29]

All good suggestions but it also really helps to have a good neighbor that can check daily for you. My neighbor did that for me while gone for a week. Fed the fish twice a day frozen and topped off the ATO but we have been neighbors for 24 years

 

[vlangel]

All good suggestions but it also really helps to have a good neighbor that can check daily for you. My neighbor did that for me while gone for a week. Fed the fish twice a day frozen and topped off the ATO but we have been neighbors for 24 years

Yes, it is awesome if you have a dependable neighbor like that. We do not. I do plan to have my sister and my son come 2Xs a week to check on the tank. I am thinking of buying a web cam too so I can see it, and get help to it if something looks off.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Yes, it is awesome if you have a dependable neighbor like that. We do not. I do plan to have my sister and my son come 2Xs a week to check on the tank. I am thinking of buying a web cam too so I can see it, and get help to it if something looks off.

Does your LFS provide tank maintenance services?

As I travel continuously my LFS are on call if I am notifed of a major problem by my monitoring systems.
Depending on the complexity and value of the tank if things go very wrong it may be worth considering.

They don't charge me for being available but do charge if they have to visit in an emergency.

 

[Wasabiroot]

You're coverong all the same things I worry about. But I'd suggest to als fInd someone you trust and train them on basic maintenenace to do and basic indicators of issues while you're gone AND WHAT NOT TO DO.

Yes. This. On my honeymoon to Australia I left for 14 days and left my brother in charge. I left clear printed instructions for how to do just about anything as I did not have phone access the entire time. Salinity and ATO were the two components that caused the most issues. I should have gone over stuff in person first so I don't hold it against him.

I'd echo that ensure you have good access to RODI water and assume your ATO will act up at some point. But I think your setup and livestock are working to your advantage here. The caveat is my cube is open topped.

Lastly, enjoy your trip. I hope it's safe and relaxing. hope to visit Alaska one day.

 

[FishTruck]

Currently... one week is about as much as I trust my system... and I am still working on that. One month is the goal.

A camera and cat sitter who is a good sport is my current backup plan.