Anybody here with a tank travel a lot?

[Anonymous]

I REALLY miss growing corals, but the life of a hardcore grad student isn't really conducive to it...

How do you handle traveling with a tank at home? Rich?

 

[Anonymous]

I used to keep a nano at my office on campus. As I went on campus less and less I would stay away from it for days and weeks at a time. A dosing pump is crucial, IMO. Relying on gravity or float switches for days at a time is just begging for trouble, if you ask me. Keeping it fishless will help, too. In my case I found a little battery powered cheapo fish feeder that dropped food twice a day for the gobies. If you're planning on building a skimmer I'm guessing you can DIY a self cleaning mechanism pretty easily too.

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... hlight=rk2

 

[Anonymous]

I no longer travel a lot, but I leave my tank for a week unattended without much concern. Auto top off is all you really need if all you are growing is corals. I have fish, so I have an auto-feeder too.

I'd really like a web-cam, so I could look at it once a day or so, just to make sure that nothing catastrophic has happened.

I'll be away for 10 days next March. I have half way thinking about getting someone to check on the tank for me while I am away. I hate leaving a key to my house with someone though. Here's where the web-came would come in real handy.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

I automate a whole bunch of stuff and have redundancy on all float switches (not valves - float valves are evil!). IMO the most important is auto top off and I don't have the same issues that Matt has with float switches.

I also try to find people I trust to look in on the tank, and I make things as easy as I can for them like I recently put all three of the skimmer collection buckets on switches that pump the skimmate out so the tank checker doesn't have to lug a bucket. I also have a big tub of fresh saltwater in case its needed, and all they have to do to add water is flip a switch.
I get at least three people on a list ready to deal with problems should they occur, and let people in my local club and local stores know I am going away. For me, people are the major key. For long trips, I get a house sitter and I take time to go through the system with them and leave them a sheet of info on what to do.

I am also currently working on (still working on, trying to work on) a webpage manual for my systems.

And, I gird myself to come home to everything being dead. On the recent trip, I was ready for all the cuttles in the cuttle system to be dead, and there was a problem in the system that got taken care of by a friend, and all the cuttles are doing great and laying eggs.

Remember, I have a big system that I was recently able to trick out and most of it is under the house where a flood won't worry me at all. Big system plus tricks equal generally more stable. Hey - you'll get to see it in a few weeks.

OK - thats pretty rambly. Maybe I will clean it up later. :mrgreen;

 

[bleedingthought]

I automate a whole bunch of stuff and have redundancy on all float switches (not valves - float valves are evil!). IMO the most important is auto top off and I don't have the same issues that Matt has with float switches.

I also try to find people I trust to look in on the tank, and I make things as easy as I can for them like I recently put all three of the skimmer collection buckets on switches that pump the skimmate out so the tank checker doesn't have to lug a bucket. I also have a big tub of fresh saltwater in case its needed, and all they have to do to add water is flip a switch.
I get at least three people on a list ready to deal with problems should they occur, and let people in my local club and local stores know I am going away. For me, people are the major key. For long trips, I get a house sitter and I take time to go through the system with them and leave them a sheet of info on what to do.

I am also currently working on (still working on, trying to work on) a webpage manual for my systems.

And, I gird myself to come home to everything being dead. On the recent trip, I was ready for all the cuttles in the cuttle system to be dead, and there was a problem in the system that got taken care of by a friend, and all the cuttles are doing great and laying eggs.

Remember, I have a big system that I was recently able to trick out and most of it is under the house where a flood won't worry me at all. Big system plus tricks equal generally more stable. Hey - you'll get to see it in a few weeks.

OK - thats pretty rambly. Maybe I will clean it up later. :mrgreen;

Forget Len's tank, I want to see Rich's!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I automate a whole bunch of stuff and have redundancy on all float switches (not valves - float valves are evil!). IMO the most important is auto top off and I don't have the same issues that Matt has with float switches.

I also try to find people I trust to look in on the tank, and I make things as easy as I can for them like I recently put all three of the skimmer collection buckets on switches that pump the skimmate out so the tank checker doesn't have to lug a bucket. I also have a big tub of fresh saltwater in case its needed, and all they have to do to add water is flip a switch.
I get at least three people on a list ready to deal with problems should they occur, and let people in my local club and local stores know I am going away. For me, people are the major key. For long trips, I get a house sitter and I take time to go through the system with them and leave them a sheet of info on what to do.

I am also currently working on (still working on, trying to work on) a webpage manual for my systems.

And, I gird myself to come home to everything being dead. On the recent trip, I was ready for all the cuttles in the cuttle system to be dead, and there was a problem in the system that got taken care of by a friend, and all the cuttles are doing great and laying eggs.

Remember, I have a big system that I was recently able to trick out and most of it is under the house where a flood won't worry me at all. Big system plus tricks equal generally more stable. Hey - you'll get to see it in a few weeks.

OK - thats pretty rambly. Maybe I will clean it up later. :mrgreen;

Forget Len's tank, I want to see Rich's!!!

Len has told me that I am not to show my tank until he is ready to show his. I will do what Len says. I will do what Len says.

:wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I had to make mine easy for my wife to do. Basically all she has to do is feed the fish when I am gone. Automate calcuium and alk, timers for lights and a big top of container. I think the hardest part is keeping fish if you are going to be gone a lot.

 

[trido]

You could always move closer to family and force them to check in and feed the fish. It works for me

 

[bleedingthought]

Len has told me that I am not to show my tank until he is ready to show his. I will do what Len says. I will do what Len says.

:wink:

That's ridiculous! 8O

Now I had to change my sig!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Len has told me that I am not to show my tank until he is ready to show his. I will do what Len says. I will do what Len says.

:wink:

That's ridiculous! 8O

Now I had to change my sig!!!

Hah! Only one sig and no thread demanding pics? :mrgreen:

 

[bleedingthought]

Len has told me that I am not to show my tank until he is ready to show his. I will do what Len says. I will do what Len says.

:wink:

That's ridiculous! 8O

Now I had to change my sig!!!

Hah! Only one sig and no thread demanding pics? :mrgreen:

Maybe you'll feel bad for me.

 

[Anonymous]

 

[Anonymous]

I have seen Rich's tank in person.. neaner neaner poo poo...

But enough of the childishness... I can draw what I remember in MS Paint if you like

 

[Anonymous]

But enough of the childishness... I can draw what I remember in MS Paint if you like

Yes, please.

 

[bleedingthought]

Do we need to start another petition? :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Do we need to start another petition? :roll:

Of course you do! If I bowed without it, Len would kill me.

 

[bleedingthought]

Do we need to start another petition? :roll:

Of course you do! If I bowed without it, Len would kill me.

They beat me to it!!!

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=97209

 

[trido]

Do we need to start another petition? :roll:

Of course you do! If I bowed without it, Len would kill me.

Good luck getting these guys to post pics. Its going to be somewhat like getting the CEOs' of america to change corparate policy. :lol: You'd better just get an airline tichket and invite yourself over. Its probably much less hassle and for more gratifying.