Holidays

[Rorie]

I was wondering if/how i can leave a marine aquarium when i go on holiday?
 
I live in the middle of nowhere, so its not possible to have somebody coming in.
 
Can i leave it for 2 weeks?  what is the main requirement and is there a way to automate it?  I.e. auto feeders?
 
If i were to get a relative to drive up, say once in the two week period, what work would they need to carry out?
 
My experience is with tropicals where a sprinkle of food keeps them going no bother.

 

[Donya]

You can get equipment to automate lighting, RO topoffs, and feeding. A stable tank can usually go 2 weeks without a water change (unless you trust the relative to do that correctly) and just a checkup in the middle to make things like sure pumps and timers are all working correctly. Unless the person checking the tanks is an expert, it's best to make sure that he/she can contact you by phone if needed during the checkup time(s) just in case something weird and unexpected has happened. 

 

[Doomchibi]

What types of fish do you have? In my experience, the "vacation" food blocks you can buy cloud the water up and don't seem to actually feed the fish very well. If you can get a timed feeder, that may work but you should set it up and try it out for a few days in advance to be sure it works and get the amounts right. If you could have someone come up once to make sure the feeder is full, check to be sure all of your fish look well and maybe check the temperature, they should be fine. 

 

[Rorie]

Cool thanks for the comments.
 
As i say i am used to tropicals which are generally fine - i hated using food blocks and found it safer to not feed them at all during the holiday.
 
But from what have read, people seem to say you can't leave Marines like you can tropicals.
 
So far, i don't have a tank!  But i go away on my fair share of holidays, so this is a consideration before buying a tank.
 
If the tank has a cover, will there really be that much evaporation to require a top up?
 
Is food and evaporation (i guess leading to saltier water) the main issues with going on holiday?

 

[Donya]

If the tank has a cover, will there really be that much evaporation to require a top up?

 
Depends on how tight-fitting it is (can't be totally sealed for reasons of gas exchange and heat buildup) and it is also affected a lot by ambient humidity. I would not trust leaving an arbitrary marine tank 2 weeks without topping up.