Going Away for A Year. Instructions to Parents Is ther more to add?

i am going away back east for a year and i currently have my tank at my parents house. these are the instructions i have left for them. is there something i missed?

Saltwater Aquarium Care Instructions:
Only fresh water can be used for top ups. (salt doesnt evap.)

-use RO water if available (purified water) or if RO water is not availabe you can use tap water with the addition of PRIME. Instruction are on the back of container
The water should not be over filled in the tank! A layer of what looks like oil will appear on the surface of the water. If this occurs just remove some water until it goes away. (remove abit at a time, the use of a small zip lock bag will work)
Wash your hands and arms in hot water (no soap) and wear gloves if your hands have to go into the tank. Some of the corals in the tank contain n. toxins!
If any fish die try to remove them if you can if not its not a big deal, the crabs will get rid of the remains.

The temp is very important. It should be in the range of 76-80 degrees. Do not let the temp to get above 83 degrees. If it does try opening up the lid, turn of the lights, or direct a fan towards the tank.
Feed the fish once every 2-3 days. DONT OVERFEED!
Corals dont really need to be fed, however phytoplanton can be added once a week to ten days (half cap)
When making new water it is very important that the new saltwater that is going into the tank is the same temp and has the same salt content the the tank has.

-salt levels are measured using the hydrometer. The needle should be in the middle. A pic of where it should be is attached. If the water in the tank is too salty just add some fresh water to bring it down, but do this slowly (over the course of a few days). If the water in the tank doesnt have enough salt add some mixed water, never add salt directly into the tank
-new water is to be mixed in one of the 5 gal. buckets. the powerhead and heater will need to be used to help mix the salt and bring it up to temp. Fill the bucket up the the line and the premeasured amount of salt. let it mix for 24 hours. measure the salt content with the hydrometer. if the levels are too high add fresh water, if too low add some more salt.
REMEMBER TO USE RO WATER* or CONDITIONED TAP WATER
The protein skimmer collection cup with have to be emptied from time to time. Just use water and a paper towel to do so. NO SOAP/CLEANING products can come anywhere near the tank!
The Carbon/and Phosphate media bags should be changed once every few weeks. and the sponge in the back should be cleaned once a month, or when needed. It is important not to do all at once, because beneficial bacteria lives on these! the sponge just needs to be rinsed and sqeezed until the water runs clear. remove as much water as you can before to put it back it the tank.
Take a sample down to Ocean Aquatics to have the water tested once a month. Get them to check:
-calcium
-nitrates
-phosphates
-salinity
-alkalinty
-magnesium
-ph
If you can problems or unsure of anything call either myself or brian. you can also use my 3reef account, the people there are very helpfull. GOOD LUCK!

 

You are a very brave soul...

 

Agreed, I would probably take the tank down, sell the corals and fish, and keep all equipment to start again when I return.

 

I don't see your parents being able to pull this off. Give it to a SW enthusiast friend for the year or sell it.

 

Instructions look good, but as the others said, you are very brave. I left my tank in the care of my brother for 10 days and was extremely nervous the entire time, although he did do a good job. My instruction were about a page, single spaced.

 

Instructions look good, but two things I noticed:

Get rid of the phyto. Don't even go there. Phyto is a time bomb in the hands of someone that is new.
And get a refractometer and ditch the hydrometer!

 

not to be too much of a debbie downer, but i went to hawaii for 10 days and left my tank with two friends and solid instructions two pages, color coded, on the tank and one page on the fridge. i came back to an absolute disaster. i figured that two college graduates could have handled top offs and feeding. they couldn't even figure out how to work the Mag Float. i would give them the instructions and have then perform all the tasks under your supervision for a month before you leave. honestly, this might end badly.

 

Refractometer!!!!! Asap

 

lol. Refractometer Natzi


Dude if I left my tank with my parents, everything would die. I left similar instructions for my wife for just a WEEKEND, and I lost a feather duster from my salt tank. A goldfish from my pond, and a tetra and gourami from my fresh tank. In ONE WEEKEND! I was like WHAT!!!!!!!?????

What might seem fun, enjoyable, and simple to us, is a painful and boring task for others!

 

ya i know a refractometer would be best, however i have never used one and i dont plan on getting one until i set up my new tank which will be mainly sps. the only coral i am worried about is my frogspawn. all others are pretty hardy. as long as they dont over feed and ADD more fish i think it will all go ok.