Going on Vacation Questions

[catfishcity]

I am going on vacation from June 29 - August 19. before you freak, i do have someone taking care of the fish while i am gone. but i was wondering if you could provide some things or advice for me to do to help prep this person. thanks.

 

[salt210]

you could have the food divided out for each of the feedings.
have some salt water mixed as they will prob have to do at least one water change.
make a list of detailed instructions as to what they will have to do for each visit.

 

[catfishcity]

thanks.

 

[woody189]

MAKE SURE THEY TOP IT OFF.
I went on a vactation to China for 2 weeks last year. Yes China.
I got home, and there was about 5 gallons of water missing from my 46 gallon tank. He forgot to top it off.
Mix some water for a water change, and also some extra in case he needs it.
Just tell him to feed it maybe 3-4 times while you're gone. Fish can easily go a week w/o eating. (im not sure what fish you have though, so maybe thats not a good idea)
A light timer is a good idea but not necessary. like 7$.

 

[pacmanmp]

I would also leave information on your LRS with him. My tank went crazy with algae and heat while i was gone, turns out my light timer was not shunting off, but my lrs was able to help solve the problem while i was gone and out of contact.

 

[fau8]

make sure the top off is fresh water, you know your tank better than anyone else. So what are your system problems, how fast does algea take over your tank, do you have a cyno issue? You probally should consider cutting back on feeding when you are away annd maybe decreasing your lighting schedule.
I just got back from a 2 1/2 week vacation, all was well but there were issues. First I left a day by day callender for the person maintaining my tank to follow and also left notes for worse case senarios. The worst thing I list was a chiller failure. And of course 5 days into the trip the chiller failed. An hour phone call enabled me to remove the chiller from my system and luckly it was just the in line fuse and everything was back in business.
The other thing I did not realize till I returned was that I had plugged my artinic lights into a timer that was permenantly on, and this lead to some algea issues. NOTE to adjust your times 1 or 2 days before your leave to make sure they function correctly.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by salt210
http:///forum/post/3069753
you could have the food divided out for each of the feedings.
have some salt water mixed as they will prob have to do at least one water change.
make a list of detailed instructions as to what they will have to do for each visit.
+1 this is GREAT advice! Just like a kid...make sure they have a way to contact you if they have to. A trusted friend nearby for them to consult will help too...or if they have a computer, tell them about this site..so we can help if need be.

 

[jdl]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3069875
+1 this is GREAT advice! Just like a kid...make sure they have a way to contact you if they have to. A trusted friend nearby for them to consult will help too...or if they have a computer, tell them about this site..so we can help if need be.
I disagree. You dont need to do a water change while you are gone. You really want someone else doing something like that to your tank? You want them to log on here and someone give them advice which may or may not be correct?
1. make sure your ATO is filled, if you dont have an ATO, get one
2. Have them feed your tank once a week
nothing else needs to be done. The less they touch it the better.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by JDL
http:///forum/post/3069886
I disagree. You dont need to do a water change while you are gone. You really want someone else doing something like that to your tank? You want them to log on here and someone give them advice which may or may not be correct?
1. make sure your ATO is filled, if you dont have an ATO, get one
2. Have them feed your tank once a week
nothing else needs to be done. The less they touch it the better.
I agree with you. I didn't really pay much attention to the water change idea...However having ready made saltwater on hand is a great idea, if something happens even a broken tank, saltwater in a tub can make a big difference in an emergancy.
Getting a new gadget like an ATO is not a good idea...I had to tweak my ATO for a bit before I was satisfied, and a care taker won't know anything. My sister is watching my tank while I am in transition and moving.
I went to check on the tank after two days...the ATO pump had stopped working and the tank water was so low the skimmer was sending microbubbles everywhere. I had the sensor to high and the ATO had a fail safe that if it comes on too often it just shuts down.
I am not trying to cause a scare from going on vacation, but a little thinking ahead will save lots of heart ache. A tub of ready made water is a really good idea and absolutly let the keeper know that you top off with RO water, never salt.

 

[catfishcity]

thanks for all of the replies. they are really helping me get this tank ready for when i leave. i am going to have her do a water change once because she has done that before and knows how to. i am prob going to cut back my light hourse to like 8-10 and feed only 1-2 times a week. once again, thanks for all the advice.

 

[tfolke1]

I just left mine for a week for the first time and only had a kid from the neighborhood check on it once. I turned my light cycle down to 4 hours a day to cut the amount of evaporation, and left him plenty of top-off water.