Going to Vegas help!!

[alexhpc]

Me and the Mrs. are going to vegas from Tues-Sat for a baby free getaway. The baby is taken care off, now what should I do with the tank? I am afraid that water will evaporate and burn out the return pump. Can I just turn off the return pump for 5 days? There is plenty of flow in the tank, its a 90 gallon with a WP40 on else mode.

 

[edd]

buy yourself an ato auto top off. it will keep your tank level and salinity consistent.
in 5 days you will have a lot of water evaporate and raise salinity.
look in the market thread for one.

 

[alexhpc]

I am leaving on tuesday, no time to buy and set up an ATO now, the question was can i take down the sump. Also, can the fish not be fed 5 days?

 

[Waleedwale1]

I am leaving on tuesday, no time to buy and set up an ATO now, the question was can i take down the sump. Also, can the fish not be fed 5 days?

The fish should be fine, I would worry about the anthias though, they need to be fed more often. I would slowly lower the salinity a until you leave down to. 1.021 so that it if even if gets higher, it won't be extremely high.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Fish need food bro! Get an auto feeder with flakes , and ato takes 15 mins to setup! Don't do it to yourself or you will be gambling with bad odds before you even get to Vegas.

 

[alexhpc]

Can i turn off the return pump in the sump???

 

[Jaftica]

buy an ato

 

[akma]

+1 ato.
Honestly, that's the best way to go. Lot of vendors in this area that carry ato.
JBJ is cheap and so is the tunze nano ato.

 

[Pseudo]

Yes you can leave the return off and go away. Yes you will get evaporation. No your fish wont starve to death unless very sensitive or have very specific needs. Make sure your salinity is below 1.024 before you leave and that all of your other parameters are good before you go. Leave dosers and all other automated equipment offline also as there will be minimal room for mistakes.

Before I had an ato, i used to overfill my sump with enough water to last a few days and leave everything running.

If you need to feed your fish, get a auto feeder from Petco or Petland or have someone feed your fish.

 

[albano]

5 days without food is nothing for healthy fish.
How much does your tank evaporate each day normally? For a 90g tank, I would guess between 1/2 to 1 gal a day??

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I want to see the end results on this trip lol

 

[alexhpc]

I top off about 5 gallons every 3 days. I am thinking the main evaporation happens in the sump, as the tank has a canopy and is covered.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I would say the sump is your evap core, I went to Disney and only evapped 8 gals on an open top 57 rimless , depends on temps in your house as well

 

[albano]

I top off about 5 gallons every 3 days. I am thinking the main evaporation happens in the sump, as the tank has a canopy and is covered.

That seems on the high side for that size tank... How much extra capacity do you have in the sump?

 

[piranhapat]

You probably lose at least 1/2 gallon a day. So if you add at least 3 gallons to sump you should be good. That won't throw off your salinity off by much in 90 gallon As long you have enough water in sump so pump won't run dry. You should be fine. Cut back on lights too and if room is cool that will also help. I did fish only tank. Same as you 90gal w/o ATO never had a problem in 7 days. Do it right before you leave. Adding 3 gal of fresh water and have at least 1gal over your normal level. So 4 gal over in sump will carry you. :bagfish: You got time for auto feeder.

 

[cmantis]

I have a primitive ato you can use but don't have an aqualifter here.

 

[cmantis]

Here ya go:

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/152717-refractometer-ato-mag-5-pump.html

 

[Nottick]

Also do not forget! Don't shut off your a/c in the house. I have found I can only keep my house at 76 before my tank starts raising into the 80's. just something to keep in mind.

 

[alexhpc]

Came back and fish are all still alive! Thanks for your help!