Vacation upcoming for a new tank.

[xaflatoonx]

90 Gallon Tank
110 lb dry rock
80 lb live sand
Currently only DT is cycling with heater and wavemakers.
Lights are OFF.
The overflow/sump/skimmer is off.

So my tank is JUST cycled today.

My ammonia/Nitrites are 0.
Nitrate is off the chart.

Q1 - how much water change do i need to do to bring the nitrate to 0 or close.

I am about to leave for vacation for two weeks.
I will have my brother in the house for week 1 but he is also out for week 2.

Q2 - what should i do with my cycled tank?
leave it the way it is now ...

or put some snails/Crabs in and turn the lights on... expecting some algae to show up - since nothing has come yet... no Algae no diatoms.
How about if i get a fire shrimp to eat the food i have been using to cycle the tank?

How about i start the skimmer/overflow to get it ready for when i get back?

suggestions please?

 

[m0nkie]

1) do a large WC to reduce nitrate. I did 50%

2) I would just leave the tank be.. you put CUC inside, you got to feed them.. might as well let it cycle for another 2 weeks. Not going to do you any harm.

3) I would run the skimmer now. It takes a week to a month to break that thing in, and very loud while breaking in. Use your vacation time to do it. you can remove the cup and let it skim back into your tank.. or open the vent (if your skimmer has one), and let the skimmed water go back into sump

 

[Sk8r]

Get an autotopoff, to maintain salinity; give your brother a list of the proper parameters and how to keep them, and a phone number where you can be reached if something happens. Starting the skimmer when you're not there is risky: your tank can do without it at this early stage, and they tend to overflow and cause problems when new. Leave the skimmer off, get a test for alkalinity--Salifert is easy; and tell bro to track temperature, salinity, and alk as well as nitrate/ammonia, write down the result, and phone you if anything goes wonky. A 100 gallon tends to evaporate as much as 2 gallons a day. When I go on vacay, I use a 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brute trashcan for my topoff and it holds up until I get back.

 

[xaflatoonx]

Thanks guys

I was also afraid of running the skimmer... not sure he would be able to handle if anything goes wrong...

I will do the water change to bring the nitrates down.
turn off the heater to minimize evaporation.
leave the wavemakers on and set up the Tunze ATO with a 55 gallon bucket to keep the water levels good.