Vacation/Tank Babysitting

Discussion in 'Beginning Reefers' started by NatalieMadison, Nov 25, 2016.

  1. Do we have any club members near East End/Landmark communities that would be willing to help with a 4 gallon water change in my reef tank and a 10 gallon change in my freshwater tank around New Years? I have a house sitter lined up but she has no experience with tanks or water changes. And she has a Phobia of creepy crawlers. My saltwater tank has a nice assortment of creepy crawlers. One look and she was out . We would gladly offer payment for your help. Thank you .
     
  2. Deton8it

    Deton8it President Staff Member

    If the vacation isn't very long (2 weeks or so) you could do a WC right before you leave and then again the day after you get back.

    John
     
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  3. Unfortunately for the tanks, it's a 4 week adventure. January 1st is the halfway mark. The freshwater tank can probably handle it. They're pretty hardy goldfish, and I have a good amount of neutralizing bacteria. The 28g saltwater tank though had a noticeable drop in ph, alkalinity, and calcium by week 3. I'm afraid of leaving it untouched for 4 weeks.
     
  4. Deton8it

    Deton8it President Staff Member

    Calcium and Alkalinity are the only 2 I would pay attention to there. If you test ph, host a party at the house, and then test ph again you will see a significant difference. Don't chase ph, it will drive you batty. As for Alk and Ca, an Alk swing can cause some serious issues but a Ca decline will just result in slower growth. It isn't too concerning if it is slowly depleting, the tank should be fine. In fact, my 125g SPS dominated tank was at 310 Ca 2 weeks ago. Nothing died but growth slowed down. How big are these Alk swings?


    John
     
  5. Kim

    Kim Secretary Staff Member

    Hiya,

    I second John on the PH. I've tried that and have gone nuts. I'm not aware of any members that live in that area.

    Kim/Benton, AR
     
  6. The alkalinity dropped to nearly 6. I've been buffering this week to get it back up and had not used any buffering in the past, just relied on the water. It is still a fairly new tank...and a new reef enthusiast. ;)
     
  7. Deton8it

    Deton8it President Staff Member

    I don't use any of the buffering products at all. I'm not saying they're bad, I just don't use them. I use "2 part" and quality salt to maintain my Ca and Alk. Are you dosing 2 part? What is your Alk normally? Can you post a few pictures of your tank please? There has to be something that I am missing. From what I remember seeing, I can't think of what would suck up your Alk so fast.


    John
     
  8. image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg Thank you John.
     
  9. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Halameda. Your macro algae consumes alk and calcium just like coral. Regular testing and adjusting your dosing off of that will take care of the issue. After a while it will become intuitive.
     
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  10. Right now on the quick dip stick, GH is 180 (I dosed with calcium), KH is reading 80, ph is 7.5, no2 and no3 is zero.
     
  11. image.jpg
    Thank you Doc!

    Here's what I'm using right now...as of early this week...to boost alkalinity and ph. Thoughts? If my house sitter adds a capful each week, would that be enough to safely leave the tank without water changes for 4 weeks?
     
  12. Deton8it

    Deton8it President Staff Member

    Yep Halameda is like a sponge.
     
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  13. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Not familiar with GH. What is that? What are the units on Kh? If that's ppm that would be a dKh of about 5 which is very low! Between now and vacation the thing to do is dose-test-adjust-repeat until you know what your daily need is. I just use 2 part like John (calcium chloride and soda ash). I would recommend test kits like Salifert. The dipstick tests aren't known for accuracy or reliability. :)
     
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  14. Do you have a brand preference for the two part? GH is just the General Hardness. Not sure of its purpose on the dip kit since it's going to vary greatly based on dosing the calcium. This is what I have for a more specific test. Yesterday's test was between 7-8 but still not the target of 9. image.jpg
     
  15. By the way...your support is awesome! Thanks guys!
     
  16. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Sea water is about 7.8 as I recall. I keep mine between 8.5 and 9. Stability is more important than the absolute number unless you're far from the desired range.
     
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  17. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    For two part I use Bulk Reef Supply. I've recently started buying it pre measured. one pack makes a gallon of supplement.
     
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  18. DCHarrington

    DCHarrington Vice President Staff Member

    I think The Fish Tank would be able to help you out with your water changes.

    400 N Bowman Rd
    Little Rock, Arkansas
    http://www.thefish-tank.com/
    (501) 537-3474
     
  19. I have everything back up to normal levels...temp is steady at 78, KH at 9 on the API test, PH at 8.1, calcium dropped to 210 so I followed up with B-ionics calcium dose.

    Running by The Fish Tank to pick up water for a water change, and I'll check with them again on services out this way.

    Thanks guys! Didn't realize the halameda was such a drain...sure is pretty though. ;)
     

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