Can the tank surivie without a filter and skimmer for a couple days?

[lil.guppy]

So I am still going on vacation for 5 days and before I book a professional to come, I got my lights on timers like ya'll recomended. So I got to thinking. Can I turn my skimmer and filter off and just have my two powerheads going with my lights on timers for 5 days? If I do a good water change prior to leaving?
I figure, some people dont even have skimmers and my filter is only to catch algae that I scrap off the glass or floating debree.
So it should be ok right?

 

[marcb]

Originally Posted by lil.guppy
http:///forum/post/2950842
So I am still going on vacation for 5 days and before I book a professional to come, I got my lights on timers like ya'll recomended. So I got to thinking. Can I turn my skimmer and filter off and just have my two powerheads going with my lights on timers for 5 days? If I do a good water change prior to leaving?
I figure, some people dont even have skimmers and my filter is only to catch algae that I scrap off the glass or floating debree.
So it should be ok right?
What is your concern for leaving them on while you're away?

 

[kube]

I've turned the skimmer off for piece of mind in the past if i was worried about a flood, so yeah if you want turn the skimmer off if you want, for the filter are you talking about a HOB filter? If so I would just let it run they very reliable and would be very unlikely to cause a flood.....imo

 

[snakeblitz33]

you can turn off your skimmer, sure, but leave your filter going.
Your filter has built up a whole lot of beneficial bacteria on the media, and if you turn off your filter, then you kill all the bacteria. It could very well crash your tank, (depending on how mature the media is and how mature your tank is)
I personally would leave the filter on. They are very, very reliable, and I have never had one haphazardly leak on me.

 

[meowzer]

What are you going to do about evaporation? ANd feeding?

 

[florida joe]

if you really want to turn your filter off i would consider this You filtration is predicated on nitrification and water movement you can in fact turn off your mechanical filter for 5 days as the majority of your filtration is taking place in your tank as long as you have good flow through power heads. Whatever bacteria you loose on your filter media you will quickly reestablish. This is my own opinion but I will be more then willing to debate the subject

 

[lil.guppy]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/2951081
What are you going to do about evaporation? ANd feeding?
I only use about .5 inch every couple of days depending on how warm it is in the house. Im testing right now to see what my salinity level does throughout the days with this evaporation. If its too much I will either rig a drip line or have the professional come.
I cant have my skimmer on while I am gone because the collection cup will over flow.

 

[quads4_lif]

Just set your skimmer for more of a dryer skimmate. Also can you fit your skimmer with a drain line? It is easy to do with simple stuff from home depot. I fit my ASM skimmer with a drain and also my remora with one. Here is the one I have in my ASM G2