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help needed before abandoning ship

Reuben

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2013
Messages
179
Okay so I'll be going away for two weeks. Not easy to get anyone to check the tank for me while I'm away so thinking about how I'll play it.

My tank is 125L, Co2, EI, and 6ml easycarbo each day at the moment. All the plants are looking really healthy and things are thriving so I'm not keen on it all going wrong while I'm away.

I also have about 25 small tetras in there too - will they be okay??.

I'm thinking reduce my lighting to say 15% output (grobeam 600 x 2), leave Co2 (gas) as it is now, dose a lot of ferts before I leave, I have no way of auto dosing easycarbo so it will be going 'cold turkey' on that front.

As for the fish I could maybe get someone to pop in and feed them at the end of week one, but would they be okay for two weeks?

Anything else I should do? Should I start to 'wean' the plants off of the easycarbo now or is there no logic in that?

All advice welcome
Thanks
Reuben
 
Do not under any circumstances ramp your lights right down and leave co2 as normal.
Otherwise you'll come back to 25 dead 'small tetras'.

Do as Clive says, (as per usual! :rolleyes: ) and turn lights and co2 off.

Make sure that if evaporation occurs, that the spraybar/ outlet isn't positioned in a way to spurt water over the floor. (Ask Iain Sutherland :eek: )
Otherwise you'll come back to dead tetras and wet carpets/big bills & no filter.

Happy holidays! :nailbiting:
 
Yep, Going away and aquariums don't mix. Some knowledgeable advice above should make you feel less guilty:p..I'm sure all will be fine:thumbup:.

Harry
 
Hello,

Okay thanks for the advice, I'll do as I'm told then!


Nobody has asked the most important question.... Where you going?

Well, I could tell you but.......
 
Wow.... I thought that ramping the lights down (and co2) was the good answer. Will plants be ok 15 days without light? Is it better to prune them before to have less biomass?
Good advice regarding the spraybar, especially where I livec... temperatures up to 35 degrees in summer and the water evaporates very quickly.
 
Yeh in Blighty your more likely to come home to more water in the tank than you left it with (rain & flooding) :p lol

And quite possibly next doors sofa thrown in for good measure...
 
Rueben, Just turn all the lights and CO2 off and don't do any feeding. Don't let anyone near the tank, especially if they are clueless. Cheers,

Thinking ahead... What's best practice when I return, once I do W/C should I restore Co2 to optimum, return to same level of ferts dosing and resume easycarbo, but very slowly increase lighting over a few days?

Or do I just put everything (lights included) back as it was and the plants will carry on as normal?
Thanks
 
I'm pretty amazed that the tetras will survive 15 days without food! Really?
 
There is plenty of food in the tank. The food is called "bits and pieces of plant material or algae."
What do you think flake food is made out of? Have a look at the package list of ingredients.

No added food means less ammonia and organic waste to foul the tank for 15 days.
This is all goodness people. Keep it real.

Cheers,
 
Just out of interest, what's wrong with leaving the lights and Co2 on, but just reducing the "on" time?
 
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