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Best practices for heading out of town

dmhinsf

dmhinsf

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Hi BARs Crew,

As it so happens, I am once again off on a business trip and am adding a few days of "me" time to the trip. I'll be gone 10 days total. I HATE LEAVING MY TANK FOR THAT LONG. But as others of you probably know...some times you have to do it.

I am wondering what are "best practices" that you all use to make sure your tank stays healthy while you're gone.

***AND...more than any thing, I'd like references to reliable, trustworthy, experienced people who would provide a one-time water change service during my upcoming absence (on or around 6 Mar would be perfect).***

I have someone house sit for me. But I wouldn't trust this person to do a water change.

In terms of what I have typically done so far...

I pre-rinse/supplement/portion all the fish food and supplements (garlic/vits) and freeze in ice trays. My house sitter just needs to thaw out a cube a day in tank water and pour it in.

I ask him to keep dried seaweed (pre-portioned) on the clip at all times (my fish love this stuff - everybody - including the meat eaters - even if just to play with the stuff).

I give him a supplements/coral food list with precise quantities of what to add and when. I don't supplement a lot (Ca/Alk/coral foods), so not a big deal.

(generally, I put my MP40s in "feed" mode when I feed; I forego this step for the sake of simplicity when I am out of town)

I also have my house sitter keep an eye on the skimmer cup and empty if it gets too full (which it does after a week or so).

I have a Tunze auto top-off (this simplifies a lot). My house sitter just needs to make sure the reservoir doesn't go empty and fill with RO/DI water if and when it does. (when I am away, I usually replace the 5 gal bucket that usually sites there with a 20 gal bin full of RO/DI).

Other than those basics, there is just a simple rule that if anything dies or falls over or equipment fails or there is a flood, text me a pic immediately and call me. Knock wood I have only lost one fish when I was away before.

Now...what else might I do to keep my tank healthy during my travels??? As a single guy living alone who also has to go on a half dozen or so international trips a year for work, this is one of the biggest challenges of the hobby for me.

What do you do for your tank when you travel? Thanks for advice, ideas, feedback.

Best regards all around,

Dennis
 
I would skip or reduce coral feeding for this length of trip. The corals will be just fine without feeding and the reduced feeding will reduce the skimming load. Your primary concern should be to maintain your parameters especially temp, salinity and pH. Do a big water change right before you go and the risk of parameters shifting happening is further reduced.
 
Patchin, I live in the South of Market district in San Francisco - convenient to 101/280 and Costco! LOL

Mike, Great advice and thank you. I generally do 20-30 gallon water changes every 4-5 days. If I do, say a 40 gallon water change for my 175g before I go, I wonder if I could get by without paying some one to do one while I am away.

As a rule, the minute I get out of the taxi, home from a trip, I am prepping my water change and starting maintenance IMMEDIATELY - no matter what time of day.
 
dmhinsf said:
...
As a rule, the minute I get out of the taxi, home from a trip, I am prepping my water change and starting maintenance IMMEDIATELY - no matter what time of day.
Click to expand...

Be careful about that.
I rushed around one time after coming back when I was really tired, then forgot to turn the skimmer back on.
Very minor oops, but could have been worse. Now I wait until the next day if I am tired.

My strategy is to just auto feed flake food when I am gone.
No meaty foods at all, no coral foods.
Fish can do fine on a short diet, but they die quick with poor water quality.

For skimmer, consider an external overflow container. "Skimmate Locker"

If you find yourself worrying a lot, get a controller that puts temp, PH and other stats on the web.
Makes you feel better if you can peek anytime you want.
 
I would just find a few good, honest, BAR members to help cover you on your days when you're away. Also, I wouldn't immediately rush to do a water change once you get back. You have to be in a really good state of mind when doing water changes, IMO. There are so many variables where something could go wrong due to haste. Besides, it's not like the fish will die by waiting an extra 12 hours or so and if they would, maybe there's a different issue there? :)

Whatever you can automate or monitor remotely would be your best friend but it doesn't hurt to have some trustworthy friends who know what they're doing.
 
+1 on getting a controller to monitor your tank remotely. You might want to contact Mike (CoralReefer)...he lives in SF and is a professional water changer. ;)
 
I am in the city a lot.
Put me on the list if you need emergency help for any reason. Also, Mike (coral reefer) is a pro reef tank service guy that will probably be willing to do work for you.
Have a great trip and don't worry about a thing :)
 
I'd say a bigger volume change before leaving is good, but do it a day or 2 before to make sure everything is fine. Never setup a new piece of equipment or do anything too big or different right before leaving. And I'd rather have the house sitter refill the top off than have a huge reservoir just in case ATO get stuck on.
I'm happy to help people out as an emergency contact for house sitters btw
 
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