Going Away for 8 Days - Should I turn off sump

[moneymm]

so i dont have an auto top off, i just add a gallon or whatever is needed of freshwater everyday. but i am going away for 8 days on saturday.

i was thinking that i should just shut off my sump and skimmer, and let the tank run by itself. i know the salinity might get alittle high, but shouldnt be that bad if it drop it down to 1.024 or so before i leave.

anyone think i will have any issues?

 

[scooter31707]

Yes you don't mess with the salinity as this will create stress for the livestock. You just don't turn your sump and skimmer off. How you plan on feeding the fish. You need to purchase you a ATO asap.

 

[thelawnwrangler]

What about gas exchange?

 

[thelawnwrangler]

http://www.saltyzoo.com/SaltyCalcs/EvapSalinityCalc.php

Gallons in system: 46
Salinity of system (either SG or ppt is accepted): 1.024
Gallons evaporated: 8
Resulting Salinity in PPT: 38.6
Resulting Salinity in Specific Gravity: 1.029

 

[moneymm]

http://www.saltyzoo.com/SaltyCalcs/EvapSalinityCalc.php

Gallons in system: 46
Salinity of system (either SG or ppt is accepted): 1.024
Gallons evaporated: 8
Resulting Salinity in PPT: 38.6
Resulting Salinity in Specific Gravity: 1.029

in other words too high for this?

 

[moneymm]

What about gas exchange?

not sure what you mean, would still have powerheads running.

 

[moneymm]

Yes you don't mess with the salinity as this will create stress for the livestock. You just don't turn your sump and skimmer off. How you plan on feeding the fish. You need to purchase you a ATO asap.

i have a automatic feeder set to feed a little bit of food once a day.

 

[scuzy]

a hydor autotop off is like 89 bucks i wouldn't risk it.

 

[Jade5051]

You'll need powerheads and/or a hob filter at a minimum. Cover the tank to slow evaporation leave a gap for gas exchange. I'd slowly bring your salinity down too as it will rise when you are out of town. .

 

[steallife904]

ya you need to get an ATO, 8 days is to long to leave it not running through the sump. I have an oversized Rubbermaid container I use to hold extra RODI when I go on vacation. I change my smaller 5-7 gallon container out for a 20 gallon. It doesn't fit in my cabinet so I have to leave this bigger one out on the floor but I just remove once I am back.

 

[moneymm]

ya you need to get an ATO, 8 days is to long to leave it not running through the sump. I have an oversized Rubbermaid container I use to hold extra RODI when I go on vacation. I change my smaller 5-7 gallon container out for a 20 gallon. It doesn't fit in my cabinet so I have to leave this bigger one out on the floor but I just remove once I am back.

why do i "need the sump" for these 8 days? i mean, the i got several days all the time before emptying skimmer, and i dont have anything else in the sump besides extra water.

 

[moneymm]

a hydor autotop off is like 89 bucks i wouldn't risk it.

yea but i would need it tomorrow and install it, b/c im leavign early saturday,

 

[moneymm]

i think i can have my mother in law pour in some RODI water in the middle of the week. so salinity shouldnt be that much of an issue anymore

 

[JohnnyHildo]

if you have livestock this one seems like a no-brainer seeing as how you'll eventually need an ATO anyway.

 

[reefsnfish]

I don't see a problem with it, unless maybe you're sps dominated. I have mostly softies and lps, and currently running a sumpless 75g for two years without a ato. I've took way longer than 8 days to top off the tank, even turned off the skimmer for a month or two. Just as long as you have surface agitation from the powerheads, auto feeder, and a heater in the DT you should be fine.

 

[billdogg]

And I'm going to land firmly on the side of DO NOT ADD A ATO THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding ANY piece of equipment and then leaving it is a sure recipe for disaster. Put one on if you like, but not until after you are back and can watch it for a couple weeks to make sure it is set and running properly

Overfill the sump by a gallon or two, then have the MIL add a couple 3 gallons mid-week. Have it pre-measured in a 5g bucket to avoid any mistakes. To avoid skimmer issues, I would probably go ahead and turn it off.

 

[Marchillo]

And I'm going to land firmly on the side of DO NOT ADD A ATO THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding ANY piece of equipment and then leaving it is a sure recipe for disaster. Put one on if you like, but not until after you are back and can watch it for a couple weeks to make sure it is set and running properly

Overfill the sump by a gallon or two, then have the MIL add a couple 3 gallons mid-week. Have it pre-measured in a 5g bucket to avoid any mistakes. To avoid skimmer issues, I would probably go ahead and turn it off.

Great advice here. I even do my water changes around 36 hours in advance in case something goes wrong.

Invest in an ato. But even at 8 days I'd assume a lot of containers would run dry. I have a 5 gallon ato for my 80. It needs to be filled every 2 days. Let it go a third day and I run the risk of it going dry. So I have a pet sitter top off the bucket every 2 days. Get the ato and install on a weekend when you will be around for a couple days to monitor it.

Trust me I waited a while for an ato and its so nice to just fill the container every day at my convenience instead of monitoring the water level in my dt. If and when I move my setup will hold a lot more water so I don't have to fill up as much.

Good luck.

 

[gone fishin]

And I'm going to land firmly on the side of DO NOT ADD A ATO THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding ANY piece of equipment and then leaving it is a sure recipe for disaster. Put one on if you like, but not until after you are back and can watch it for a couple weeks to make sure it is set and running properly

Overfill the sump by a gallon or two, then have the MIL add a couple 3 gallons mid-week. Have it pre-measured in a 5g bucket to avoid any mistakes. To avoid skimmer issues, I would probably go ahead and turn it off.

I agree 100%. If you want to go the extra mile put a sharpie line or something similar on the sump level. Ask the MIL to fill to the line with RO/DI.

 

[BrianKC]

And I'm going to land firmly on the side of DO NOT ADD A ATO THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding ANY piece of equipment and then leaving it is a sure recipe for disaster. Put one on if you like, but not until after you are back and can watch it for a couple weeks to make sure it is set and running properly

Overfill the sump by a gallon or two, then have the MIL add a couple 3 gallons mid-week. Have it pre-measured in a 5g bucket to avoid any mistakes. To avoid skimmer issues, I would probably go ahead and turn it off.

^^^this. Really, don't change any equipment setup for several days before you leave. Even an auto feeder should be run for a couple days before you leave to make sure it doesn't have any surprises in store for you.

 

[bat21]

You need someone to come help you. If you had a dog you wouldn't leave it to pee in the house for 8 days. You'd get someone to come walk it every day. When I go away, I find someone to come over, pour in some distilled and feed the fish.