How long is too long to let your tank be….alone?

[gbroadbridge]

I can't leave it more than one day if I don't have someone feeding my fish because they are too picky to eat pellets or flakes.

I used to think that, but believe me when they get hungry enough they eat anything

 

[AydenLincoln]

2-3 days without any automation and then I would stress/the fish would be very very very hungry. With automation I still wouldn’t go more than like a week without someone coming to check on it and replenish the ATO etc.

 

[kindafun]

7 days, no problem and little worry, and have done that before. Pretty much everything is automated and a camera overlooks the tank. Longer than that and it feels sketchy so I normally have someone come check.

One thing not automated is the mechanical filtration, filter socks. So I always remove them while gone.

 

[jtf74]

I used to think that, but believe me when they get hungry enough they eat anything

Idk it’s a copperband that I would have to work at getting to eat pellets

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

2 days if no one else is watching it. I have to clean out the filtration plus algae quickly accumulates in the overflow grates. And that's not even mentioning dosing + feeding

 

[19Mateo83]

How long is too long? I guess that depends on when something decides to go way wrong! It could be an hour after you leave or a year

As it were - my tank ran without any (I mean zero) intervention for 5+ years with absolutely zero maintenance, testing, skimming, water changes, dosing or anything else. I did toss in a few pinches of food once or twice a year. The only "automation" was the ATO and to that end, the filters were never changed. At best I looked at the tank once every 6 months for 2 mins, but that was kind of pointless as blue ridge coral had encrusted the entire front panel. Over the 5+ year period the salinity dropped significantly due to salt creep but that happened so slowly that everything appears to have adapted.
-Scopas Tang
-Coral Beauty
-Arc Eye Hawkfish (no idea what he ate)
-mushrooms
-brain coral
-blue ridge coral
-leather corals
-palythoa

All of the SPS perished.

Since that time I have added automated in the form of a Profilux with dosing (triton). I like to look at the tank when I get a chance, but that can sometimes be 2-3 weeks in between. I still do very little in the way of maintenance. Mostly just cleaning the skimmer once a month or so.

That’s crazy! Also equally crazy that the blue ridge covered the entire front glass. That’s one I’ve been looking for and way hard to find.

 

[Mwatts12]

I stress everyday while on vacation. My son is playing baseball in cooperstown this summer. It’s very exciting and a huge baseball tournament.

I’m beyond stressed when I think about the 11 days away from home.