Vacation for 4 weeks - advice

wmo168

New member
I have a Sump, Skimmer, Filtersocks, Webcam, Chiller, all hooked up to Apex. ATO to a 5 gallon bucket next to the tank...

I am going to get the Apex AFS.

Tank have 1 GB shrimp, 1 Clown, 1 Damsel, blue leg crab and ASnail, a few coral frag, Zoe, muchroom etc..

No one can come over to check on the tank, any suggestion on how to keep it alive?

I have gone to 2.5 weeks vacation and use a battery fish feeder for 14 days straight without issue, it just all algae all over the glass and on the sand and have to do a big water change when I come back...

Just want to get people thoughts on 4 weeks vacation...
 
I freak out if I have to go out of town for a week! I always have someone check my tank and feed my fish every other day. A month....wow. I would definitely have someone close on standby if needed, extra RODI water ready, extra sw ready. You'll more than likely need someone to empty the skimmer unless you have a waste collector as well.
 
You don't say what size tank, but my experience with ATO is that 5 gallons won't last a month on a 75 gallon tank.
 
I don't know if it helps, but when I travel for 8+ days, I setup another pump and another water reservoir. When my ATO Reservoir's float switch shows empty, I turn on the other pump through the APEX for a set amount of time and pump 8 gallons into my ATO Reservoir (10 Gal Res).

I also use the APEX AFS, and I remove filter socks and open my skimmer cup drain and add a tube into a gallon bucket.

I rarely am away for more than 10 days, but between that and having a web cam pointed at the tank, it provides peace of mind.
 
Definitely need more top off. I was just away 3 weeks and the person taking care of my tank had to make more water after going through the 5 gal I left him by the end of the second week. That was on a 60 gal cube with hood and air conditioning off.
 
What everyone else said, top off. For trips of up to a week, I usually have 25 gallons of top off ready to go, plus I have family members that are ready to keep watch on the tank.
 
If you have an RODI reservoir and or saltwater mixing barrel, have them filled up and ready to go for when you come back. Just in case something went wrong, you'll have some water on hand.
 
you also need to attach a hose to drain your skimmer cup to a 5gallon bucket.

you can daisy chain by siphon 2 or more 5 gallon buckets to increase your ATO water capacity.

you can set your feeder to feed every other day or even 3 days.
 
consequences of not having top off. If water levels get below pump, pump overheats, possible fire. Sell all start over when you get back, or pay someone to come by, and not a kid. Adults are dangerous enough
 
I would suggest NOT using a waste collector for the skimmer. It's a good way to drain the tank if something causes the skimmer to go haywire and over-skim. I'd rather have the skimmer fill up and effectively shut itself down or overflow into the sump versus drain the system into an overflowing bucket.
 
Web-cams. One on the Display tank. One on the sump. One on any other equipment that might be useful.
 
I would suggest NOT using a waste collector for the skimmer. It's a good way to drain the tank if something causes the skimmer to go haywire and over-skim. I'd rather have the skimmer fill up and effectively shut itself down or overflow into the sump versus drain the system into an overflowing bucket.

maybe add a float valve at the level that may look like over skim.
I think not draining it is asking for more trouble as we know with absolute certainty the skimmer cup will not be able to hold 4 weeks worth of skimmate.
 
agree with the recommendation to contact a local LFS to come by once a week. yeah, not going to be cheap, but cheaper than a crash and having to replace everything in your tank. Most LFS have a cleaning service and just do research to make sure they are reputable. Its about the only real option for that long of a trip.
 
maybe add a float valve at the level that may look like over skim.
I think not draining it is asking for more trouble as we know with absolute certainty the skimmer cup will not be able to hold 4 weeks worth of skimmate.

I see my post wasn't clear - I'd meant to indicate that if you use a waste collector, set it up such that if the waste collector overflows, it dumps back into the sump.

There are waste collectors that basically have a shutoff valve built in to an air exit, such that if the collector fills up it blocks it's own air exhaust and basically shuts the skimmer down. That was the other situation I was recommending. Again, way better than just draining your skimmer into a bucket, which could overflow and just keep dumping water onto your floor until the tank is dry (or until your ATO has dumped its entire contents into your system, so you now have both a dead return pump and an offline sump, AND a huge salinity drop).
 
Battery backup (deep cycle marine battery) with inverter to power a circulation pump if the power goes out (I have my Panworld recirc pump from my sump so configured and it'll run around 8 or 10 hours at a time, and I also have the battery on a trickle charger). The Apex can control, but it needs a battery backup too. Also agree that the greater risk is overskimming where the collection cup drains continuously to a drain, rather than underskimming - but my skimmer occasionally goes crazy as I tend to skim wet. I use an aqualifter on a timer to drain the cup a few times a day; on time is only about 10 minutes per cycle.
 
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