Preparing for Vacation...

C

CarolynM

Can anyone give me some tips on preparing a tank for a vacation. In 3 weeks I'm leaving for Australia for 2 weeks. I have someone who will come in daily and feed, top-off and check pumps, lights, etc.

I currently top off manually, mixing up Kalk and adding to top off water which I drip in. I was wondering how long can you leave Kalkwater sitting around for? Currently, I mix and use. I just got back from a weeks vacation where I just had the tank topped off with ro water (not kalkwater) and the ph is low about 7.6 so I feel I will need to change that part of my plan. I'm not adverse to automating this just don't know how to go about it-obviously an auto top-off and then a reactor of some sort?

I also noticed the top of my tank has a bit of a film on it -what would cause this? I'd like to prevent this on my next trip. My skimmer didn't have much skimate in it, not sure why?

I plan on water changes just before I leave and to make sure all levels are good at that time. Is there anything else I can do to make sure all goes smoothly? I'm not adverse to buying some equipment to make my fish caretakes life easier and to prevent any malfunctions etc. Any suggestions on what I might change do to prepare for this vacation?

I also thought it might be a good idea to have someone that my help could call in case of emergency. Is there anyone in the Denton, Aubrey, Sherman area that would like to volunteer? I'll be away from 07/23 through 08/07.

thanks
 
We are leaving this afternoon for New Orleans for 4 days but the system is setup to run for a week or longer. In December we went on a 7 day cruise actual time way was 9 days and did not have any problems. In order to maintain things on the 200 gal tank we have an auto top-off system that holds a 14 day supply of RO/DI water. A Kalk drip that will operate for 10 days, along with a Cal Reactor so all that takes care of the tanks special needs. I have a person coming in everyday to feed the fish and to make sure that everything is working. I just did a water change the other day as well and tested all the parameters this morning to insure that everything is in tip top shape before we leave. Also cleaned the skimmer and made sure all the pumps are working properly. I have also provided the person feeding the fish with emergency contacts just incase something goes wrong.

I would strongly suggest that whoever you have coming in to watch and take care of your tank understand fully what they are doing more people have major problems with people caring for our tanks that really don’t understand how they work. Be sure that they have numbers for members that could come in if there were an emergency. One of the most important things before you leave is to make sure that everything is working. Your Kalk will keep for up to two weeks if in an airtight container. I am using a Rubbermaid 25 gal tub with lid with an IV line attached for the drip and this works just fine. You have some time before you leave so I would look into an Auto Top-off as this would mean just one less thing to worry about.

With careful planning everything will be just fine.
 
David, you know this would make a great article for the newsletter, especially with summer and vacations coming around. *hint* *hint* *hint*
 
I'm stressing some about this...my alk and ph both bottomed out in my weeks absence. I've been working furiously to get it back up in the 2 days I've been back (it doesn't seem that dripping Kalkwasser is cutting it this time around). My PH is at 7.6 and Alk at 6 dkh. My Xenia is not happy at all. I'll have to get a good hold on this for when I'm gone. I believe I'll go to the 2 part solutions dosing to keep parameters in order -maybe go 1/2 dosage to prevent accidental overdosage while gone.

I will also bite the bullet and get an auto top-off. I may also splurge on a new powerhead - one of mine must have took a spin around the tank while I was gone - I have sand drifts where I didn't have them before.
 
@CarolynM wrote:
I will also bite the bullet and get an auto top-off. I may also splurge on a new powerhead - one of mine must have took a spin around the tank while I was gone - I have sand drifts where I didn't have them before. said:
Hi Carolyn,
Whatever route you go for automating your top-off, I suggest you get it going asap so that you can get it tweaked in and verify it's working ok. Do not hastily set it up a day or two before you leave, bad things can happen.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
 
I'm investigating several top-offs but am actually thinking perhaps I'll leave that out of the equation for now and work on a tank maintenance regime. SG was about the only parameter in check when I returned LOL. Of couse this was due to just topping off with RO/DI water and not adding anything.

I've added the Alk portion of the 2 part system this AM and still my PH is at 7.63 and alk at 6 DKH. How quickly can I raise this and how soon after dosing can I test? I'd like to get this all balanced out shortly so I can figure out a regular schedule for my vacation.
 
I wouldn't raise alk more than 1 dkh per day. You also need to add the calcium part, since they're balanced. The alk coming up should bring the ph up, too.
 
@Ashlar wrote:
I wouldn't raise alk more than 1 dkh per day. You also need to add the calcium part said:
Ah...thanks good to know...I'll go test again see where we at...first round this morning did nothing...so I added a bit more...this makes me very nervous.

Oddly enough my Calcium was at like 500-520 (if I believe the test kit), so I don't believe I need the to add that part right now do I? My plan is to get DKH to at least 9 or so and PH to at least 8.0 and hopefully calcium will stay put. At that point I'll have to start seeing how quickly my tank consumes all. Geesh..and I have less than 3 weeks to get this done...
Click to expand...
 
That is weird.. Adding Alk will bring the calcium down a bit, so yah, I wouldn't worry about ca at this point. I'd keep checking it though- once you get the ca where you want it, I'd start adding part B to maintain it as the alk brings it down. (The carbonate ions- alk- bind to calcium ions.)
 
I can't stress enough the beauty of a calcium reactor here!

I travel quite a bit and my wife knows how to feed the fish and that's about it!

I can leave for weeks at a time and as long as she remembers to feed the fish everything is fine! Twice this year i've been gone for long periods of time (to China for 2 weeks, and India for 3 weeks) with no issues whatsover.

The only thing was the galss had to be scraped and my barebottom needed to be vacuumed! All my water levels were perfect.
 
I think you have to add reef buffer/builder to get the alk and ph up
faster than dripping kalk.
jmho.
 
To raise alk and pH at the same time, use baked Baking SODA. Just buy a box of Arm & Hammer, spread it out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake it in the oven at 350F for 45 mins to an hour. Allow it to fully cool, then pour it into a airtight container.

Fill a cup with RO(/DI) water, and add a few teaspoons of the baked baking soda. Stir it well. If you have a pH meter, that would be perfect. Pour some of the solution into an area of high flow, and watch the pH meter. Give it a few minutes to stabilize. Don't dump it all in because you don't know how much it will rise.

I use this stuff like a cook, in that I don't have accurate specific measurements to give you. I've used 3 to 6 teaspoons in a barrel of saltwater (55g) when the Kent Sea Salt issue arose 1.5 years ago. It would bring the pH to 8.2 and brought the alkalinity up with it. Then I would proceed with the water change.

If you are testing your pH with a test kit, then the numbers may be inaccurate. How are you determining the number currently?

Regarding your trip, create a binder so that others know what to do in case this or in case that happens. Have them come over a couple of times to get a lay of the land and so you can explain the quirks of your system. Include phone numbers to other hobbyists willing to help (over the phone at the very least) as well as your LFS's phone number.

Show them how to make more RO water, and how to turn off the water going to it when they are done.

Show them where the circuit breakers are, and which breakers might possibly be tripped.

Have lots of water ready for them. Freshwater for sure, and possibly saltwater in case of an emergency.

Put food in individual dosing containers that are clearly labeled, and show them where they will be placed.

Show them how to turn on the lights manually, and how the timers are set up.

Show them how to clean the skimmer's collection cup, and how the skimmer should be operating.

Basically they are your eyes and ears while you are gone, but they shouldn't be expected to do water changes. They should be able to discern a coral fell over and be able to prop it back up to protect it from neighboring stings or dead (face down in the sand).

If you want to dose kalkwasser, they need to know how it works and what not to do. Randy Holmes Farley makes 45g of kalkwasser once a month for his tank in a large barrel. If you want to do something similar, you'll need to set the barrel up higher than your sump and use the gravity system with a float VALVE. You will want to set this up immediately so you can see that it works properly prior to your departure.
 
Carolyn. Lots of good advice here, however . . . Anything mechanical can and will fail eventually. Trying to automate your system with such little time for trial runs is asking for trouble, IMO. I would rely more on your human tank keeper with emergency contacts. I would most certainly educate said tank keeper on how to access this forum, and then reward said tank keeper with a case of their favorite beverage on your return. 8)
 
I agree, the number one rule of leaving your tank is don't change anything for at least a couple weeks before! It's asking for trouble adding something right before you leave without it being fully tested and ensuring it's working perfectly for several "cycles".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top