Reef tank after-vacation help

[GpixL_]

If the tank was sitting stagnant for a month I would do a 100% water change, if possible. It doesn't have to be done all at once, but I would keep changing it until it is all new water. You can test if you want though, no harm in that.

Ok ill test then think of next steps.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I go on vacations two weeks at a time and this is what I have/do:

2 heaters with their own Inkbird controllers - one is set in the DT while out of town
automatic $15 air stone unit set in DT
ATO unit with much larger reservoir than normal
2 Eheim automatic feeders set for different times of the day - in case one fails
Wyze camera to look at tank and sump once or twice a day over the internet
2 reefer friends as backup - one comes to do a water change halfway during my trip
extra RODI and saltwater made up

This has worked out very well.

 

[GpixL_]

If the tank was sitting stagnant for a month I would do a 100% water change, if possible. It doesn't have to be done all at once, but I would keep changing it until it is all new water. You can test if you want though, no harm in that.

Ok so right now parameters are:
Ammonia - 0
Phosphate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Carbonate Hardness - 179ppm
PH - ~6-6.5

I didnt test calcium because the tank isnt full from evaporation so the test would be bad anyways. But what should I do with the water with these results?

 

[Tcook]

DO NOT spray any aerosol chemicals (Lysol) near the tank.

 

[GpixL_]

DO NOT spray any aerosol chemicals (Lysol) near the tank.

dw i wouldnt XD

 

[MaxTremors]

Ok so right now parameters are:
Ammonia - 0
Phosphate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Carbonate Hardness - 179ppm
PH - ~6-6.5

I didnt test calcium because the tank isnt full from evaporation so the test would be bad anyways. But what should I do with these results to the water?

If there was no live stock in the tank and the salinity didn’t get too crazy high, I would think that the water is still usable. I would do a 20% water change (mostly just to siphon stuff off the sand bed), turn all the pumps back on, let it run for a week (do some small ghost feedings to generate some ammonia to see if it’s being processed), test again, and if all is well, you should be good to go. If there was no mass die off in the tank, there’s no reason that the water should foul if the tank was cycled (again assuming that the salinity didn’t get too high).

Many years ago, I left a ten gallon tank with a small piece of live rock, and a few pieces of caulerpa, and left it for six months (it had a glass lid), it got some light from the window, but no filtration or flow, and the caulerpa kept growing and it was full of all kinds of microfauna. I only took it down because I was moving but I imagine it could’ve kept going. My point is, unless there were some larger organisms that died and were left to decompose in the tank, there’s no reason to think the water shouldn’t be usable (it’s probably low in oxygen, but that’s an easy fix).

 

[GpixL_]

If there was no live stock in the tank and the salinity didn’t get too crazy high, I would think that the water is still usable. I would do a 20% water change (mostly just to siphon stuff off the sand bed), turn all the pumps back on, let it run for a week (do some small ghost feedings to generate some ammonia to see if it’s being processed), test again, and if all is well, you should be good to go. If there was no mass die off in the tank, there’s no reason that the water should foul if the tank was cycled (again assuming that the salinity didn’t get too high).

Many years ago, I left a ten gallon tank with a small piece of live rock, and a few pieces of caulerpa, and left it for six months (it had a glass lid), it got some light from the window, but no filtration or flow, and the caulerpa kept growing and it was full of all kinds of microfauna. I only took it down because I was moving but I imagine it could’ve kept going. My point is, unless there were some larger organisms that died and were left to decompose in the tank, there’s no reason to think the water shouldn’t be usable (it’s probably low in oxygen, but that’s an easy fix).

Thanks for the response. I have been looking around if I accidentally forgot a fish but cannot find one so I dont think there is decomposing "stuff" in the tank. I will definitely siphon the substrate and do a water change. I have some dr tims ammonia. After I finish setting everything up would that work as a ammonia source? Then I could see if the 1-2ppm of ammonia disappears in >24 hours

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Not sure why you would need to fumigate your house or anything crazy like that. Check out my 40 gallon aquarium to see what an aquarium looks like without power for a couple weeks WITH coral and fish in it. No need to do anything crazy in my opinion. Just turn the filtration back on and let it cycle.

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[Paleozoic_reefer]

Great points already made here but vacations can be a bane in this this hobby. But having a cheap wifi camera, a good ATO, automatic feeder (depending on the amount of time you’ll be gone), and a trusted person to be on standby or to feed is all you really need.

 

[GpixL_]

Great points already made here but vacations can be a bane in this this hobby. But having a cheap wifi camera, a good ATO, automatic feeder (depending on the amount of time you’ll be gone), and a trusted person to be on standby or to feed is all you really need.

Thanks, but what should I do about the water? Do you agree that I can keep it?

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Thanks, but what should I do about the water? Do you agree that I can keep it?

It really depends on the state of the water. The water and its salinity should be fine once you get it to its original salinity level. What would concern me is are the other levels (nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, pH, etc) that would require you to have multiple test kits to ensure they’re ok. If I didn’t have those kits at home I would have my filtration system going (skimmer at the very least):

-Run a sample by my LFS so they can check all the level out before putting anything back in.

Or

-do a 90-100% water change and still run a sample at my LFS after a day or two.

 

[Mschmidt]

How is the ammonia level at 0? Did the bb "do its work"? Is it worth testing the rest of the parameters to see if the water is usable by chance?

I'd test just to be sure, and still do a water change. Better safe than sorry.

 

[GpixL_]

I'd test just to be sure, and still do a water change. Better safe than sorry.

Already listed results

 

[GpixL_]

I go on vacations two weeks at a time and this is what I have/do:

2 heaters with their own Inkbird controllers - one is set in the DT while out of town
automatic $15 air stone unit set in DT
ATO unit with much larger reservoir than normal
2 Eheim automatic feeders set for different times of the day - in case one fails
Wyze camera to look at tank and sump once or twice a day over the internet
2 reefer friends as backup - one comes to do a water change halfway during my trip
extra RODI and saltwater made up

This has worked out very well.

About how much did this cost you?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

The Inkbirds are around $30- $35 each
Air stone $15
ATO unit is a Tunze 3155 $230 at BRS and the 20 Gallon container was $25
Eheim $36 each feeder
Wyze camera $30 to $35

The Inkbirds, heaters, ATO (with 5 gal bucket) and one Eheim feeder run all the time on my DT.

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