Vacation anxiety

[leahfiish]

I'm on a short vacation away from my tank, won't be back until tomorrow and I'm so worried about my tank! It's only a few days (left on Monday) but I was expecting to be back today and it's really hot in my area this week and I'm not there to turn on the AC or open the windows at night. I don't have anyone to check on the tank either. I'm just so anxious to get back and make sure everything is okay! I should have set up a camera so I could check on it before!
Can anyone relate?

 

[jenkinscrew2578]

Yep, that's why I have an Apex connected to fusion, a nest thermostat and 2 cameras on my tank now...lol

 

[THolden]

I leave mine for for 2 or 3 days a lot and 2 weeks a couple times a year and never give it a second thought.

 

[leahfiish]

Yep, that's why I have an Apex connected to fusion, a nest thermostat and 2 cameras on my tank now...lol

I don't travel very often and most of my tank maintenance is done manually, so I don't know if am apex is really worth the $ for me. But I think I'm definitely going to have to get a camera.

I leave mine for for 2 or 3 days a lot and 2 weeks a couple times a year and never give it a second thought.

That makes me feel a little better. It's just I'm gone for a day longer than I thought I'd be, and it's really hot. I wasn't really worried when I left but now I am. [emoji54]

 

[THolden]

My ac stays on all the time. I only switch it from ac to heat to ac.

 

[CamG]

I leave my tank often for weekends, but I leave the air conditioning on the same temp as if we were home.

I like the idea of the Apex and nest thermostat.

 

[leahfiish]

My ac stays on all the time. I only switch it from ac to heat to ac.

I have a window AC that I got specifically for the room the tank is in, but I also have a lizard so I can't leave it on all the time. Usually I just turn it on for an hour or so in the morning and evening to bring the tank down to 80, then I turn it off. I have a lizard in the same room so I can't let it get too cold.

I leave my tank often for weekends, but I leave the air conditioning on the same temp as if we were home.

I like the idea of the Apex and nest thermostat.

I just have a window AC, and it doesn't have a thermostat on it.

 

[CindyKz]

I hate leaving my tank....I have only done it once for vacation. My daughter was there and I was still a nervous wreck. I have to go away again in a couple weeks....dreading it.

I can totally relate.

 

[leahfiish]

Made it back. All fish are accounted for. The tank is 86 degrees but the AC is running now so it should be back to normal pretty soon. Some of the corals fell down but it doesn't look like any damage was done.

 

[LbulletM]

After having a 4 day and a 7 day vacation within a couple months of just setting up the tank and zero issues, I've been a lot more at ease with leaving the tank. Glad everything went well!

You might want to look into something like the TP-Link (my preference) or Belkin switches. They plug in between the outlet and whatever you plug into them. They connect to wifi, so you can control them from anywhere via your phone. They're like $30 when they go on sale (often) and don't require a hub, so that's your full investment. You can even set them up on a schedule, so you can automate the hour of run time in the morning and evening.

 

[A_game43]

Apex Fusion, great device, we just got back from South Carolina, gone for 6 days and I could pull up my tank stats at will and have a look. I traveled to Budapest, Hungary last year 3 different trips for 2 and 3 weeks at a time, I would use the Apex fusion and let my wife know if anything looked weird or not - - - Peace of Mind, not bad these days.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

A controller is a must to help with vacation anxiety but I have to tell you one of the best things I have gotten recently was a $99 (4) Camera set up! Got a camera on the sump, side of the tank and front of the tank. Oh and one on the CAT! HA! It's nice to be able to just take a peak!

 

[LbulletM]

Apex Fusion, great device, we just got back from South Carolina, gone for 6 days and I could pull up my tank stats at will and have a look. I traveled to Budapest, Hungary last year 3 different trips for 2 and 3 weeks at a time, I would use the Apex fusion and let my wife know if anything looked weird or not - - - Peace of Mind, not bad these days.

New Apex was my birthday present from my wife! Almost made up for crashing my Corvette the day before....

 

[Mjl714]

New Apex was my birthday present from my wife! Almost made up for crashing my Corvette the day before....

Ouuuuuch!

Controller all the way!

 

[Branespikin]

A controller is a must to help with vacation anxiety but I have to tell you one of the best things I have gotten recently was a $99 (4) Camera set up! Got a camera on the sump, side of the tank and front of the tank. Oh and one on the CAT! HA! It's nice to be able to just take a peak!

Nice deal for 4 cameras. Leaving to Croatia for 3 weeks nect week. Was looking to get a nest cam but thats only 1 camera for like $180

 

[tony'stank]

I'm on a short vacation away from my tank, won't be back until tomorrow and I'm so worried about my tank! It's only a few days (left on Monday) but I was expecting to be back today and it's really hot in my area this week and I'm not there to turn on the AC or open the windows at night. I don't have anyone to check on the tank either. I'm just so anxious to get back and make sure everything is okay! I should have set up a camera so I could check on it before!
Can anyone relate?

I just returned from an 11 day cruise. I set up a webcam so I could see my tank wherever we had internet or dell service. After nine days I noticed a lot of bubbles in the the tank. I called my brother-in law and had him add mire RO water to the ATO reservoir. My feeding and lighting was all automated. I had no looses. I would recommend the webcam for peace of mind

 

[dangros]

Apex, apex, apex, apex!!! Fusion is the best thing ever. Combined with an Eheim auto feeder, a nanny cam, a tunze ato and the neptune DOS, and a Nest thermostat, I was able to leave my tank for 6 days. I set the Eheim auto-feeder to feed 3 times a day. The nanny cam was placed on the chair in front of the tank so I could monitor my ATO container, the sump, and the tank simply by panning around. The nest thermostat allowed me to keep the house/tank at normal temps. I made sure the Brute was filled w/RODI water and the DOS was set to auto fill the ato at a rate JUST under the evaporation rate. That way there wouldnt be a flood if I lost connection for the entire time. Honestly, I could have gone for 2 weeks - not that I would want to risk it.
The cool thing is, my other DOS was doing automatic water changes while I was gone. Apex is worth every penny.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I think controllers are a good idea for some things. when things are bound to happen they will just happen. Honestly if you on vacation like in a different state and your controller turns off your heater, lights or pump, chances are corals and or fish might not make it IF you can't get someone to get over to your house asap.

 

[jmags080307]

Vacation is good for me because it means my hands stay out of the tank!

 

[dangros]

I think controllers are a good idea for some things. when things are bound to happen they will just happen. Honestly if you on vacation like in a different state and your controller turns off your heater, lights or pump, chances are corals and or fish might not make it IF you can't get someone to get over to your house asap.

The controller can notify you of many events before they become catastrophic. If the power goes out, fusion will notify me. If a leak detector goes off or temp or pH go out of range, I get notified by specific text alarms on my phone, I get emails, and a note is sent via sky writing. Ok maybe not the sky writing
I have more than paid for my neptune with these safety measures. You are right, it's not perfect, but it closes the gap considerably if you set it up well. My old tank setup (pre apex) had 3 cases of flooding which would have either been prevented or very much minimized with a controller. My current setup has already caught 2 potential oh ohs before they became hell. And several minor issues which could have become more damaging (such as temp changes while I was out for the day).