any hardy corals and fish that can handle going solo for weekends?

[fishypapas]

are there many, or any, corals (lps) and fish (small) that can handle simple automation for a few days at a time?

i'd like to make sure that leaving the reef for a few days or a week for either business or pleasure would be plausable.

the tank will be around 70 gallons or so (maybe 90 if i go custom cubish) with as large a sump as i can get, with auto top off of the vitals.

i could handle keeping it simple with a few corals, plenty of rock, and a few fish.

any suggestions?

also, can feedings be simplified for a short period of time, ie basic foods for all and not targeting anything specific, that "mom" or the non-interested friend could easily follow for a short period of time?

thanks

fp

 

[musty baby]

The only LPS I feed or do anything special to are my sun corals, and even they get a large amount of their food from the tank (or I assume, as they're growing and I've never fed them more than once a week.)

I've never kept tiny fish, but if you've got enough live rock (at least for small live rock browsing species in a reef tank) and feed before you leave I don't see any reason why you couldn't leave things be for "a few days at a time". Feedings can also be simplified, yes.

 

[clown2be]

Only thing you should have to worry about is top off water, if its only go to be a few days.

 

[bertoni]

For trips up to a week, autotopoff with limewater should keep the tank going pretty well, or autotopoff with some sort of calcium and alkalinity supplementation. That IME, anyway. The supplementation might even be optional.

 

[fishypapas]

any hardy fish or coral recommendations?

 

[Hal]

Pretty much any fish or coral ought to be good on their own up to a week.

 

[WY_REEFER]

Use an automatic feeder and top off device.
Should be fine for up to 2 weeks.
I would still have someone check on it every now and then.

 

[rhenie]

I think small fish with an auto feeder would be fine. Gobys and clowns especially. All of my corals are fine without weekly feedings directed at them...open brain, xenia, tongue coral, torch coral, green star polyps, and even the anemone (GBT) only gets fed once a week. I just worry about top off but you can automate that too.

R

 

[Pandora]

About once every other week, I leave my tank going with just top off for 3-4 days, and everything is fine. I have also left it once or twice for close to a week with no feedings, no incidents (have a maroon clown, flame angel, candy hogfish, mandarin & yellow tail damsel, all quite plump & happy; mostly LPS/softies in the current tank, but have had other tanks where this schedule worked fine too). If you go more than a week, usually a good idea to get someone who knows what they are doing (or is instructed well, I premeasure out baggies of how much to feed every other day) to petsit; or alternatively, get an auto feeder, which worked great for years.

People worry excessively about fish getting enough to eat; in reality, they can get a lot by foraging, and I believe most tanks are overfed, contributing to algae problems. The same holds even more true for corals, many of which can benefit from directed feeding, but this is really only to supplement what they get from photosynthesis.

 

[merk1_99]

I only feed evry 3-4 days when I'm home....Don't worry so much

 

[IanInDC]

Pandora, what part of MD are you from? I live in the District, and just went out to Aquarium Center for the first time: AWESOME!

 

[Pandora]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6530949#post6530949 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IanInDC
Pandora, what part of MD are you from? I live in the District, and just went out to Aquarium Center for the first time: AWESOME!

Silver Spring, very close to the border line. Join WAMAS (wamas.org) if you haven't already... they are great!

 

[IanInDC]

Yeah, I did some research on WAMAS for a story I was writing on local pet owners (I'm a reporter), got to meet the officers, became pretty good friends with John Coppolino, I should get on joining that group.

Have you been to Scales in Silver Spring? I've heard it's new...

 

[fishypapas]

well ive got a pup, well hes 8 now but hell always be my pup. so regardless of how far i go ill always have "grandma" to check on him at least twice a day. and for as long as ive had him, hes kept me close to home anyway.

but i would like to take the op at a few quality trips. ie athens,rome, and the like.

anyhow, so if i keep it simple, with baggies and the like, as well as emergency instructions, all should be ok then. :0)

looks like a deal then.

fp