going on vacation for 4 days, cant get a fish sitter, HELP!

[boyesreef]

im leaving town, ill be gone for 4 days, and cant find anyone to feed the fish while im gone. i cant afford an automatic feeder, anyone have any ideas, of perhaps any vacation type food like they have for fresh water. need help soon, leaving the 23rd!!! thanks guys.

[lReef lKeeper]

the fish will likely be fine for a few days, i would be more worried about topping of the tank and the parameters.

[PhotoJohn]

I have left my fish for 3-4 days at a time any they have always been fine. Light is much more important espically for coral. You need light timers. Also make sure u have an auto top off system or that your tank is full...you dont want to lose to much water to evaporation.

[boyesreef]

lights each have there own individual timers, im going to do a ten percent wachainge the day before i leave, and ill make sure the auto top off resivuor is full. so food isn't an issue? i thought it was a big thing.i have two perculaclowns. thanks for the hints guys.

[lReef lKeeper]

i would just feed them pretty well the couple of days before you leave and pretty good the day you get back. i think that the clowns will be fine. i have gotten very busy at work, and forgot by the time i got home, to feed them for a few days and they were no worse for the wear. they pigged out when i did feed them after about the 3rd day, but they all survived and are still alive today.

[CarmieJo]

I agree, don't worry about the food. From my days at the LFS I believe that more fish die from overfeeding than starvation.

[boyesreef]

thanks guys, that makes me feel a little better. we shall see how it comes to be.

[lReef lKeeper]

and just think, by not feeding them for a few days ... there will be no one coming in and OVER feeding them causing water quality issues and a massive hair algae bloom. Carmie knows how that goes !! i think she is still battling it !! lol

sorry Carmie, i had to go there !!

[boyesreef]

in finallygetting my first purple alge bloom, and some white. after six months, it finally happened!

[CarmieJo]

Well then this is a good time to let it unfed for a few days!. And, Bobby is right, I seem to come home to a problem every time we go away and have a fish sitter.

[boyesreef]

that settles it then, no sitter. i really appreciate this guys. bye the way, is purple and white alge as good as i hear it is to have, or are they feeding me a load of bull. th fish store telling me this, all they do is salt water.

[lReef lKeeper]

it is IMHO, and aesthetic algae. some people love it (like me) and some hate it.

[boyesreef]

i think it gives the tank charicter, it gives the feeling its not all just dead rock. its not a vivid purple, taking away from the fishs' beauty, but itsenough to get the girls over to the tank, and thats enough for me! lol.

[boyesreef]

also im starting to get some baby blue algie in the high current areas, problematic or no? ive never heard of any baby blue alge before, its just a tiny patch, about the size of the end of an unsharpened pencil.

[lReef lKeeper]

i have never dealt with that so i will let someone else answer that one.

[CarmieJo]

What is it growing on? Could it maybe be some really pale green coralline?

[boyesreef]

no, its about the same color as my old cadillac, not green at all, not even a tint of green. its growing on a piece of live rock thats overtaken by purple alge.

[lReef lKeeper]

can you get a pic of this algae ?? i would love to see it and maybe help ID it.

[JustDavidP]

I'm not a fan of coralline algae on the glass, but on rocks, it is wonderful. Just think... the more of "it", the less surface area for the nasty hair algaes etc. to take hold. I do, however, keep an urchin in my tank because (my own opinion here) I feel that if the rock is soooo covered, it is no longer porous and therefore it could reduce the biological filtration.

D

[lReef lKeeper]

that is an interesting point David, i have never really thought of it that way (to much coralline on the rocks making it not as effective). that is something that should really be looked into.

[boyesreef]

so the alge is good but can be out of control if left unchecked? what does an urchin do for the tank?

[lReef lKeeper]

here is a vacation article that i just got on the site ...

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/ge...ion-hobby.html

and the Urchin will likely eat the coralline and help to keep it from getting out of control.

[boyesreef]

miy coralline isnt quite out of control yet, so that urchin will wait, but ill keep it in mind.

[CarmieJo]

I want something to eat coralline off the glass!!

[boyesreef]

amen to that one brother, i cant get a scraper strong enough to keep up with that crap!!!