Vacation

Im going on vacation for a week and a half. What should i do? Should i leave my lights off since i have no coral and so algae wont grow? Would that hurt my live rock? How long can my fish go with eating. I have 2 clown fish. What should i do?

 

Do you have an ATO with a big enough reservoir for 10 days?

 

No, it usually takes atleast 2 weeks before i need a top off so i'm not worried about that.

 

+1 and Automatic fish feeders are good. I don't know about the lights probably wouldn't but to leave them on, but if you want to kill algae, 10 days off will do.

 

well i thought i saw some green hair algae on my sand but i can't don't know what it really is. I think it hair because it looked like hair lol but it was really really light green and it was in a small spot. But i have a lot of crabs and snails so i guess i shouldn't worry about it. What is a good auto feeder?

 

Here's my routine for when I go on vacation:
1. Clean everything prior to going. Big waterchange, want everything prestine!
2. I have coral, so I leave my lights on and they are timed.
3. My ATO only has about 5 days worth of water in it, so I have someone check on it every couple days and fill it up.
4. I do not feed while I am gone. If I do, I have someone do it once or twice (tops). I pre-portion out food in pill containers (those ones that have the days of the week on it) so I know my fish aren't overfed. I don't want to worry about water issues that I can avoid, so I go as light on feeding as I can.
5. Have plenty of water (both Fresh and Salt) ready to go when you return.

Extra tips: It seems like whenever I go on vacation, the unexpected happens. I don't have anyone to watch my tank that is an experianced aquarium owner, so I be sure to clearly WRITE down everything important about my tank.

Things I am very specific about in my instructions:
1. ONLY FEEDING THE AMOUNTS GIVEN FOR THE PARTICULAR DAY.
2. My tank (as all tanks should be!!) is on a GFCI outlet. The one time I forget to add instructions on where the outlet is that needs to be reset incase it gets tripped, what happens? Bingo: Electrical storm. I got off the airplane to 15 voicemails from a frantic person thinking 3 hours without power would kill all my fish.
3. What water to use if a top off is needed (sounds like that might not be a biggy for you).
4. Emergency contacts: I have contant info for reef club members in my area. I'm new to the club, so I wouldn't trouble them with keeping track of my tank. But if worse comes to worse, I've started leaving numbers for people that can be used as a last resort.

Just a word of warning: Even with as many precautions I have taken, the only time I have ever lost fish (and I've never had it be more than one at a time) is while I was on vacation (or very shortly after). It happens. If you have someone watching your tank, don't take it out on them lol

Personally, I would also stay away from autofeeders. From what I've heard, they can be a disaster waiting to happen.

 

What is a good fish feeder because im in college and everyone is gone. And im worried more about algae thats why i want to keep my lights off. I have a new tank so i know that something could start while im gone. I want a fish feeder that will feed them every 3 days that im gone.

 

I can't recommend a good fish feeder, but (depending on your climate) I would be certian I had a good heater if you're living in a dorm. Generally they turn the heat (atleast from my college experiance) way down. If you don't find any good advice for a feeder, then I would checkout some of our sponsors sites and read through as many reviews as you can for them.

I have done long lights out before I had my coral with no ill effects. So you should be fine in that regard. You might have some coralline algae die off, but it should be ok. Another option if you're worried about it (and have timers) is to just have them on for a very limited amount of time.

Also, if you do get a fish feeder, I'd recommend feeding small amounts, and not putting much extra in it, that way you limit the amount that can happen while you're gone. Your fish shouldn't need too much food over the course of a week or so.

 

Ok. and i live off campus in a house so the climate will be the same. But thanks. for your help.

 

Eheim is very good. I have had one on my tank for two years (always use it to feed in day while not home) and it has never skipped a beat. As for algae, if you have snails and crabs, they may start to starve if no algae, depending on the species. Most algae will be gone within the first 3 days of lights out.