Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Never Go On Vacation If You Own A Reef Tank...

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

I ran into this thread on Reefkeeping and I found it funny so here it is I will share the and lets hear more of your stories ...

Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Never Go On Vacation If You Own A Reef Tank...

10) You're best friend thought your lionfish was cute and wanted him to nibble on his fingers.
miamishrip of Delaware

9) If you ask a fellow reefer to take care of your tank, you may end up being a couple of polyps short when you get back!
sidd129 of Tomahawk, WI

8) Vacation? How can you "afford" to go on vacation?! You have a reef tank!!?
fiftyfive of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
7) Your LFS waits for you to be out of town, and THAT'S when they have their super-duper, everything you ever wanted, dirt cheap sale!
Serk of Rowlett, TX

6) No matter how much you prepare and detail your routine to a tank sitter, they will feed more just because, "The fish looked hungry!"
Mishap of Pennsylvania

5) I have been unable to train my clowns to answer the cell phone so that I can call and check up on them.
Poorcollegereef of Clemson, SC

4) Vacations just aren't worth it until they come up with an easier way to snorkel and drink beer. It's just more practical to sit in front of the reef tank with a cold one!!! Plus, in the living room you don't have to worry about sharks.
zuzecawi of Salem, OR

3) I can think of 100 reasons not to go on vacation, but this one actually happened to me. I had pages and pages of detailed instructions on taking care of my reef tank and my seahorse tank. I made sure there was plenty of freshly-made saltwater (in case of emergency) and RO/DI in the 30-gallon Rubbermaid for top-off, so I didn't have to show her how to work the RO/DI unit or make saltwater. I left for a week in Aruba and forgot to turn off the RO/DI unit, and my basement flooded. I figure after 7 days, I probably ran over 3,000 gallons of water down the floor drain. BLAH!
cinnamongirl of Central PA

2) Because gravity will find a way to suck the water right out of your aquarium and onto the carpet and for the first time in history, your auto top-off will work like a charm to keep the water overflowing!!!!!
Dirt4dinner of Mesa, AZ

1) Light timers - check. Auto top-off reservoir - check. Backup power source - check. Last minute ammonia/nitrate tests - check. Remembering to tell your roommate not to let his friends pour beer in the tank at his next party - not checked.
Nanopodreefer of Canada

[Craigdillman]

Like!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

What's a vacation? Don't understand this concept.

[monocus]

SeaHorse_Fanatic What's a vacation? Don't understand this concept.

it was something your parents did with you before marriage and kids,and before you acquired 5 or 6 tanks

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Originally Posted by monocus

SeaHorse_Fanatic What's a vacation? Don't understand this concept.

it was something your parents did with you before marriage and kids,and before you acquired 5 or 6 tanks

It is sad when I had to look up the meaning of a vakasion or is it a vacationan extended period of recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling.
the action of leaving something one previously occupied.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by monocus

SeaHorse_Fanatic What's a vacation? Don't understand this concept.

it was something your parents did with you before marriage and kids,and before you acquired 5 or 6 tanks

Ahhh, thanks for clearing up my confusion Bill. Owe you one.

[Dearth]

I let my tank get grungy before I go on vacation and the glass is hard to see through due to all the algae buildup then I show my house sitter that this is nothing major and nothing to worry about and don't worry about trying to clean it I find it saves me so much grief.

[Trigger Man]

I remember going to Asia for 3 weeks, setting out buckets of RO water for top ups and Saltwater mixes for 2 water changes. The girlfriend got them mixed up and needless to say the tank salt readings were way to high and 14 fish plus c many coral was lost.
Now thinking about it, maybe that was her way of showing that she was not happy that it was a guys trip . . .

[Snappy]

I typically count on losing 1-2 sps colonies every time I go away just because Murphy's law is bound to kick in when you're not looking. That said I have the best tank sitter in town so things are always in good shape when I get home. Thanks again Brett!

[Reef Pilot]

My planned vacations (go away for 2 or 3 weeks) have so far always turned out OK. That's because I do my best to have my tank and equipment all in top shape just before. And I don't let anyone feed or dose anything in my absence.

However, where I have got in trouble is during the summer, where I am away a lot for shorter times and am sometimes only home for a day or two and then gone again. That's because we have a cabin and I also do a lot of flying excursions.

This past summer I had an issue where my KH doser line plugged right near where it drips into the water. By the time I figured that out in between multiple trips, my KH had dropped to 5 and subsequently jumped to 9 as I was trying to fix it. The result afterwards was STN and outright RTN on some of my SPS, and I lost a couple prize colonies.

As it happens, we are going to Maui in Nov for a couple weeks. My only concern is power outages and possible equipment failure (like a pump not restarting), as this is the stormy season here.

But I guess that is life with a marine tank. It is definitely a risk when you are away.