What's the longest you've left your tank to run itself while on vacation?

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srossnz

AC Members
Aug 28, 2007
242
0
0
50
I do not travel much, usually just 2-3hrs away to see family for a few days now and then. I am in the process of making my 50gal fowlr self-sustaining for up to 7-10 days or so. I figure plan for 10days and 2-4days should be a breeze. It scares me when I hear of people coming back home to dead tanks. My system will probably seem overkill to many but I like peace of mind and want to do everything possible to avert disaster. My config is almost complete and will consist of:

-tunze osmolator, for automatic fresh water top up
-tunze water alarm, for switching off pumps if an overflow is imminent or pipe bursts
-dual auto feeders for 2small feeds a day, 1 feed should a feeder malfunction and break
-UPS battery backup, sustains circulation for up to 4hrs (already tested)
-lighting is on timers
-chiller, house can get hot in summer when closed up
-d-link IP ethernet camera that sends live video of the tank to a webpage, I can then check the page a couple times a day if needed
-monitoring service on my home adsl router that txt's me if my home router goes down which would mean my home power likely is down.
-dominick, my neighbor and friend a few doors down likely to get a frantic call if anything horrific goes wrong

I think I am fairly covered. I also plan to do a water change, clean filters and pumps before departing as well. Mid feb. is my first trip away from the tank and will be for 3 days..
 

jagr200

AC Members
Oct 3, 2007
740
0
16
America
I do not travel much, usually just 2-3hrs away to see family for a few days now and then. I am in the process of making my 50gal fowlr self-sustaining for up to 7-10 days or so. I figure plan for 10days and 2-4days should be a breeze. It scares me when I hear of people coming back home to dead tanks. My system will probably seem overkill to many but I like peace of mind and want to do everything possible to avert disaster. My config is almost complete and will consist of:

-tunze osmolator, for automatic fresh water top up
-tunze water alarm, for switching off pumps if an overflow is imminent or pipe bursts
-dual auto feeders for 2small feeds a day, 1 feed should a feeder malfunction and break
-UPS battery backup, sustains circulation for up to 4hrs (already tested)
-lighting is on timers
-chiller, house can get hot in summer when closed up
-d-link IP ethernet camera that sends live video of the tank to a webpage, I can then check the page a couple times a day if needed
-monitoring service on my home adsl router that txt's me if my home router goes down which would mean my home power likely is down.
-dominick, my neighbor and friend a few doors down likely to get a frantic call if anything horrific goes wrong

I think I am fairly covered. I also plan to do a water change, clean filters and pumps before departing as well. Mid feb. is my first trip away from the tank and will be for 3 days..
Wow thats intense. I like the camera idea. You should tell us the link. Oh and how do you have a monitoring service on your dsl router. Thats cool.
 

ooja3k

AC Members
Jul 3, 2007
1,025
0
0
San Luis Obispo
i leave mine routinely for 2-3 day weekends as well... i keep all of my lights on their normal timers and everything is great!

ive never had an issue leaving my tank for a couple days at a time..

as far as the food goes, fish could go about 2 weeks without food... but i wouldn't go any longer than that.
 

Catpicklesdog

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Feb 25, 2007
4,210
0
0
52
Telford, UK
Real Name
Alison
The longest I've left mine so far is for 24 hrs when i had to stay overnight in hospital. Knowing what my fish are like for jumping down the overflows I don't think I'd dare risk any longer!!!
 

fsn77

AC Moderators
Staff member
Feb 22, 2006
3,076
2
38
SC
We left our reef tank for 10 days last February. Lights are always on timers, but we added an auto top-off prior to leaving to keep the water level right. We came back and everything was fine -- the fish appeared to be a bit hungry, but otherwise they were fine.
 

FtwayneFish

Pump Paintball!
Dec 7, 2007
1,718
0
0
39
Fort Wayne, IN
Thats a sweet setup. WOW
 
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