No two part while on vaca. A problem?

[exnisstech]

I'll be going on a short vaca that will have my tanks unattended for a total of 4 days. I dose 2 part manually every morning 6ml each in one tank and 30ml each in the other tanks that are plumbed together. I can dose before I leave so the tanks will only be without dosing for 3 days. Is this something I should be concerned with? I have someone that can dump in pre-portioned food but I don't really feel comfortable having them add the 2 part.

 

[Iván Olalla]

I'll be going on a short vaca that will have my tanks unattended for a total of 4 days. I dose 2 part manually every morning 6ml each in one tank and 30ml each in the other tanks that are plumbed together. I can dose before I leave so the tanks will only be without dosing for 3 days. Is this something I should be concerned with? I have someone that can dump in pre-portioned food but I don't really feel comfortable having them add the 2 part.

What´s your daily alk consumption?

 

[exnisstech]

hmm not sure to be honest. I just know that the amounts I dose keeps it stable. I only have a couple sps frags and some lps and softies with a couple of small 3-4" clams.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Maybe some Tropic Marin All for Reef would help? It’s a time delay combo.

 

[Iván Olalla]

hmm not sure to be honest. I just know that the amounts I dose keeps it stable. I only have a couple sps frags and some lps and softies with a couple of small 3-4" clams.

Hard to say then without numbers...for peace of mind i would raise my alk a whole dkh point during the days prior to your vacation and leave it without dosing so the depletion of alk has a bigger margin, but again hard to say without numbers...eg: you mantain alk in the 8 dkh range, a daily consumption of .3 will put your tank in the 6.8 range in four days, not so bad...but it's only an example....my tank consumes 1.8 dkh daily, not dosing for two days will crash it...

 

[C. Eymann]

est water volume? How far out until you leave?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Is it to late to order a doser? I too was manually dosing and was on schedule and on point with it. Then a family vacation popped up and ordered the Jebao DP4 for $65 shipped. Best thing I ever did. It’s now on auto and I simply test the water and adjust as needed.

 

[exnisstech]

Thanks for the replies. Alk on one tank about 40 gallons total has been running right around 10dkh. The tanks plumbed to a single sump about 350 gallons total runs at 9dkh. I don't want a doser as it would require 2 and introduce another point of failure which I prefer not to do. Controlling lights and vortechs via pc/android app is as high tech as I'm interested in going right now. I will be leaving in 7 days so not a lot of time for experimentation. How would I determine how much alk I'm using a day? check it in the morning and skip a dose then test it again the next morning and do the math?

 

[C. Eymann]

You dont have time to setup anything automated and being able to safety walk awau IMO. I dont like adding things like that to the tank without having at least two weeks with it before I trust it.

Sounds like a pretty big system, so it's got dilution going for it, Do you have someone you can trust to feed your fish to maybe also add the doses? It might be wise to have a local maintenance company to make one visit 2 days after you are gone? maybe have them do a w/c, dose, clean skimmer etc etc.
I was an aquarium technician for a while and I people would have us do this all the time.

For the love of sky dont buy or trust a jeabo doser!

 

[exnisstech]

It will actually be only 3 days total without dosing 2 part. Aquarium maintenance is a no go as I am in a rural area 50 miles away from anything like that. Think I will just give it a trial run this weekend without dosing and test daily and see where the levels drop to. Fish will be fed with preportioned feeding but I don't have confidence in the caregiver to let them add chemicals to the tank. Price to pay for being anti social and having a small family I suppose.

 

[Silent]

Set up a diluted gravity dripper with airline tubing with a valve or even a pinch in the tube with a rubberband. Many diy options for an emergency. Or add kalk or add pickling lime to ato.

 

[exnisstech]

Thanks Silent didn't think of something like that. I was using kalk and didn't' dose for many months but when temps started to rise this summer the ato kalk method became to erratic due to varying amounts of evaporation. I actually preferred using kalk rather than 2 part but could not control it accurately enough during the warmer months.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

hmm not sure to be honest. I just know that the amounts I dose keeps it stable. I only have a couple sps frags and some lps and softies with a couple of small 3-4" clams.

Calculate it to see how much it will drop without dosing. It’s the only way at to judge

 

[exnisstech]

Thanks for all the replies. Alk is a little higher than I really would like so will stop dosing for a day or 2 to calculate the amount consumed and let it frop a little.. Temps are lower now so no fans are running so may just go back to kalk in the ato since its easier at least until next spring when the fans come back on.

 

[bluprntguy]

You can use your ATO water to help dose alk component while you are away and then dose the CA component (including the "catch up" doses) when you return. Main thing is to maintain alk. Slightly lower CA won't be much of an issue.

 

[DuckSlayer627]

Don't sweat it. You'll be fine for 3 days.

 

[THIEN LE]

Is it to late to order a doser? I too was manually dosing and was on schedule and on point with it. Then a family vacation popped up and ordered the Jebao DP4 for $65 shipped. Best thing I ever did. It’s now on auto and I simply test the water and adjust as needed.

Becareful with those Jebao auto dosers Tuan. 2 of mine DP4 and DP2 failed on me after 2 mos. Sometime they run othertime they don't, and one time it's bottomed up my Ca reservoir overnight. I took both apart, used only the pumps, hooked up an adapter on each pump, add dual timer (one can be programed down to a second, calibrated. It's been running flawlessly since.

 

[BeejReef]

If it were me, I'd just get some plastic bottles and sticky notes. Pre-measure your doses into plastic bottles and ask your fish feeder to pour it into the powerhead while they feed the fish. If you really have that little faith in your fish friend, then just do alkalinity.. lol.

Agree w everyone who advise not attempting system upgrade days before a vaca.