When is enough is enough ?

[BMW Rider]

It seems keeping a reef tank is just dealing with alternating crises with brief periods of calm between them.

I am reasonably happy with where my tanks are at this point, but there are still some nuisances that are plaguing me, damn mojanos. I figure I've got about another five or so years left with the big tank as a reef before I'll look to downgrade to something less demanding of my time and care. I'd like more freedom to be away from the house for extended travel and don't want to bother with having a tank to look after or have looked after by someone else. As it is now, I can let it be for 10-12 days on its own as long as I set up extra TO water for it. Beyond that time frame, it needs someone to do some maintenance to keep it from declining. Its pretty stable and dependable, but there is always that potential to come home to a disaster just the same. I had to talk my wife through a shutdown of the Ca reactor last summer when it decided to leak while I was out in the Kootenays on my motorcycle. Its a built in tank, so a total shut down and removal is not likely, but it may become a FOWLR or most likely a freshwater system - something with a lot less potential to have problems.