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View Full Version : going out of town--things to do


petere1989
01/13/2014, 02:35 PM
So I will be going on vacation in a few weeks and am starting to plan on how to set my tank up for when i'm not there. I have somebody who will come feed the fish and check my equipment on a daily basis but is there anything I need to do differently and anything I should tell the lady taking care of my tank? note that she does not know anything about reef systems. She cleans for my grandfather and is here every week and knows the tank but doesn't know what all the stuff does. I'm planing on having 32 gallons of Ro/Di water mixed for auto top off and put next to the tank with an auto top off system and then maybe put the fish food in a week pill container and then hide my food so she won't over feed (she likes to overfeed every animal she has, she had a 40 pound cat once). I basically will be monitoring the tank via apex and two ip cameras I have set up but am nervous leaving it. I've been gone for two days but not for 7. Anyway, what all do you all do for vacation and what should i tell the lady to do? easier is always better

patsfan1130
01/13/2014, 02:41 PM
I don't feed at all if I am gone for 7 days or less. I just make sure I have enough top off and I monitor the equipment remotely. I assume you have your dosing automated? Your plan sounds fine. Good luck

corpjet1
01/13/2014, 02:47 PM
Agree on the feeding, if gone for a week or less I dont feed them to avoid the risk of the care taker over feeding.

Having the auto top off full obviously is important and the only thing I really worry about when going away.

cody6766
01/13/2014, 02:51 PM
I basically did the same thing you have planned. I'd also mix up a jug of salt water and hide it. It might be good to have some on hand in the event of some unplanned-for SNAFU. I say hide it because you don't want it accidentally going into the top off. As for feeding and checking up, I just had someone pop in every other day to feed and look things over. If you have a skimmer, you may want to show her how to dump the cup if it doesn't drain automatically. As for dosing, if you need it, I'd mix it up like you do your food. Separate containers with the day on them makes screwing things up less likely. I'd also write written directions for reference. It's not cosmic, but people get nervous when dealing with the unknown.

tkeracer619
01/13/2014, 03:47 PM
Do not over complicate things. The more you try to teach her the more she will get confused.

I use little pee cups for each day of food. One cup per day.

As far as the ATO is concerned I would get that setup asap, you don't really want to do system changes right before you leave.

I know some people who have left pages of instructions. Wrong. Do not do this. 6 bullet points and a phone number. If the problem cant be solved with 6 lines of text then backup needs to arrive. always have a reef knowledgeable backup person. Even if you have to pay.

Breadman03
01/13/2014, 05:16 PM
^^^
+1

Also, Neptune just came out with an auto feeder. You might consider purchasing it so that the tank will continue to get fed. Your sitter will just have to make sure the sump is filled to your fill line and that the top off reservoir isn't dry.


-Tank filled to line
-ATO reservoir not empty
-Water flowing
-Water not flowing across the floor
-Keep fingers out of the tank
-Soda in the fridge and snacks in the cabinet.

My number is 584-295-xxxx


Keep it simple.

rlm2005
01/13/2014, 05:34 PM
If the ATO is not already running get it going asap. You don't want to set that up right before you leave just in case there are any issues. I leave food but it is portioned out in small containers and I have the sitter feed every other day. I don't know what fish you have so it may not work for them. Like was said above do not leave detailed notes, it will be confusing and likely not followed. Don't do a big water change right before leaving either but plan on doing one when you get back home.

r-balljunkie
01/14/2014, 01:49 AM
emergency reefer number a must!!!!

perhaps you can remote in and turn the tank off for feeding, or get the neptune app for here iphone/android

c

Im14abeer
01/14/2014, 04:32 AM
If you haven't already, take a marker, and mark high and low levels on your sump. Tell her to call if it's not between the lines.

thegrun
01/14/2014, 08:02 AM
I use an Eheim auto-feeder and it works great. I made an acrylic holder that has a feed tube that extends down below the waterline so the flake food doesn't get sucked into the overflow before the fish can eat it.
http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu262/greenirons/Aquarium%20Equipment/AutoFeeder002.jpg (http://s654.photobucket.com/user/greenirons/media/Aquarium%20Equipment/AutoFeeder002.jpg.html)

Fishmommy
01/14/2014, 08:05 AM
if you run socks, take them off.

petere1989
01/14/2014, 11:32 AM
if you run socks, take them off.

Will that be ok to do? I run two of them, i was just going to have her switch them once half way through, its pretty simple to do.

Thanks for all the advice! The easier the better is how I look at it. I'll have an auto top off water container hooked up with a float switch to shut down the top off system if it gets to a certain point and then have it email me letting me know its off. I'm hoping Apex Fusion will be released before I leave because I do not have the email thing set up. I may need some help with that if its not though because i do want the email thing set up when I am leaving the state. Out of town is one thing, out of state is completely different. I want to know whats going on when it goes on.

buffalo123
01/14/2014, 11:53 AM
I use an Eheim auto-feeder and it works great. I made an acrylic holder that has a feed tube that extends down below the waterline so the flake food doesn't get sucked into the overflow before the fish can eat it.
http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu262/greenirons/Aquarium%20Equipment/AutoFeeder002.jpg (http://s654.photobucket.com/user/greenirons/media/Aquarium%20Equipment/AutoFeeder002.jpg.html)

Excellent idea.

julie180
01/18/2014, 08:11 AM
There was a post some time back from a guy that had a system for leaving. I'll relay as best I can remember. He slowly lowered the salinity so it would gradually raise back up, turned off the skimmer and fed very well for several days before leaving. If I remember correctly, he would go for a week with out anyone looking at the tank.

Its also very helpful to have a true reefer on call for an emergency or even some one to take a look if you sitter is unsure.