Advise for my week long vacation, and keeping my tank alive

[reefbroao]

In January I will be heading to the keys to meet up with my family and enjoy my mother's beach house so ill be forced to leave the reef alone for the time. It will be the 9-16th. I'm planning now because I've been stressed about it for months. Automatic feeder failing, pump failing, etc, etc. What are good plans for this and how can I minimize catastrophe? I need to purchase an automatic feeder and would like to know good reliable brands/ possibly an emergency air pump to oxygenate the water.

I'm assuming ill be doing a large water change before hand to hopefully carry them through if something does go wrong and its bye bye skimmer for a few days.

one of my biggest problems is that my skimmer mag drive somehow manages to weasel itself out of the fitting sometimes and ends up just gurgling water in the tank. I cant find the right pvc connections to make a solid link rather than clamping tubing.

 

[davehead86]

There are emergency air pumps on Amazon that are cheap and work only if the power goes out ...

http://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-Sil...6656&sr=8-5&keywords=battery+powered+air+pump

I have one, it works, i love the added security. Id get like 4 of them for your tank and have the air stone close to the top to promote the best water agitation / gas exchange.

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

If you can't get a reef knowledgable friend to look after your tank, if you can't ask someone from your local reef club, then look into hiring a professional. Think of all the money and time you've invested in your tank. Do you honestly want to walk away for a week and hope for the best? I hired someone and it was an excellent investment. He went daily to feed, do maintenance and test. Then he texted me results and pictures. Dont take a chance with your tank. Don't walk away and leave it hoping for the best. That's my two cents.

 

[JBeursken]

You shouldn't go, send me your tickets....or take it with you..:bum:...I ran into the same problem..I went to my local aquarium store and the guy came one time and checked it out for me....Cost me $80.00....well worth the money spent

 

[reefbroao]

Yeah I've thought about that but my apartment is super high security because I live in seattle and even some of the residence will freak out if I gave someone my keys to get in. That what I want to do because my main LFS provides that service.

 

[gone fishin]

Yeah I've thought about that but my apartment is super high security because I live in seattle and even some of the residence will freak out if I gave someone my keys to get in. That what I want to do because my main LFS provides that service.

I say let the neighbors freak out. Notify the building manager or someone like that and enjoy your trip with some peace of mind.

 

[ucdcrew]

Yup - just tell the manager. No big deal. I travel A LOT, and having someone come over is great. I also have the DA archon so I can see what my tank is doing online.

 

[Ron Reefman]

We have 4 tanks and a cat. Every time we go to the Keys (3 to 5 times a year) we have a friend come over and take care of things. I prep food in a pill minder and a bottle of liquid and frozen food with some instructions. We also know she will be over about the same time every day so we keep a closer watch on our cell phones in case there is a problem.

BTW if you intend to do any beach or snorkel time, you might want to check out this:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2511350

There are a lot of good places to snorkel right off the beach. Bahia Honda State Park is one of the best places and they even rents snorkel gear. They also have a boat that goes out to Looe Key which is a great reef site. But there are lots of other tips and suggestions there as well.

Would love to have you participate in that thread as well!

 

[tzylak]

IMHO one week is OK to leave without ANY supervision, including feeding.
Before my 3-week absence I twice did a 'practice run' to see how the tank handles on its own. -I did have my neighbor come in every day or two to give the fish a specific dose of food. I did provide him my phone number and list of certain 'What If' notes.
The tank did GREAT!! -It is nice to have good neighbors too.
Good luck and have FUN!

 

[e048]

I did the week without feeding thinking I'd be fine came home to half my fish missing, and a really fat hawkfish and a really fat dottyback

 

[reefbroao]

This is the kicker my apt complex is totally unreasonable I didn't know until after I started this hobby that they consider fish pets on the same level as having a dog or a cat, which is a total joke. i'm not going to stop because its just asinine. therefor I cant really inform my building manager.

plus its a 100 year old building and theirs gas problems/ the electrical needs to be re-wired so if they were mad enough to evict me I say go for it.

 

[thegrun]

A good controller will allow you to monitor many of your tank's parameters and turn equipment on and off as needed. It makes a controller well worth the money for that reason alone.