leaving for a month

my vacation is not till April next year but im already worried how i can sustain my tank since were going back to the Philippines for one whole month! for that reason im held back from getting corals (which i plan to get some a couple of months from now) and a couple more fish.
here are things i could think of as of this moment:
1. get an automated feeder
2. a continuous slow drip for top off
-this will be direct tap water, dnt have RO filter
3. let the fan run 24/7 (will it overheat?)
-its gonna be the hottest summer here in Thailand!
4. leave light on 24/7 on refugium (again, is this gonna overheat?)
5. dont get corals so DT lights can be off all the time
6. dont buy more fish so less bioload
7. get more LR to keep up with no water change
still thinking....
8. keep skimmer runnning or not?

that's it. so what's the probability that my tank residents will survive?
you might be thinking to get my fish to an LFS? a friend's tank? or a neighbor to look after it? there's ZERO chance for any of that. you'll understand when you're in Thailand.:
any suggestion will gladly be appreciated! thanks 3reefers!

 

dude just pay someone to take care of it. This is a disaster in the works

 

You can't drip just straight tap water without some sort of water conditioner..i would really consider just getting someone to take care of it..doesn't have to be someone who knows ANYTHING about the hobby..because it's so long until youre leaving find someone early on and have them come over periodically to show them the ropes..leaving a tank for a month is nothing but bad news

 

I would start training someone now. The good news is that you can probably get inexpensive help there so the key will be taking the time to train them now so that they know what they are doing when you are gone.

 

Well if you really can't get anyone to watch the tank, even just to check for dead fish?

1) automatic feeder
2) controller.

You are going to want to wire as much as possible into the controller. You are going to want it taking care of auto top off with RO water, controlling the lights, the heater, and the fans.

Also for the skimmer you may be able to get away with adding a drain tube and draining it into a water jug.

You should get everything ASAP and try setting it up now and see how it works without you touching anything.

If one fish dies and there is no one to remove it for a month the nitrates may wipe out the tank.

 

+K Stepho that's a great point that at the very least, you would want for someont to check the tank and be able to remove any casualties promptly.

 

hmmm... im starting to see the severity of this future situation. a controller will definitely be out of my choices. i have a last resort to all these worries. my friend who lives in another city is interested in raising clownfish but is hindered by the complexity of this hobby, not to mention the cost! i could probably convince them to push through with the idea. problem is they will be moving by december this year and that might be enough for them not to consider it at the moment. plus they have two kids- one is 4 years old and the other 3. and they're the worst kids ive ever seen, especially the younger one. this could be harder than i thought. (sob).

 

Surely you have ONE good friend nearby...or at least an acquaintance..like i said..they don't need to know anything about anything at the moment

 

Yeah you can't really leave your tank unattended for a whole month. You'll have to find someone to look after it, good luck.

 

im here to agree with everyone. you need to take leaving it alone out of your options. I would shut the tank down and ship your fish to someone willign to take them before this. not even thinking about the loss of your fish but your house. dripping or using an ato could g really wrong. if its even the slightest bit off you could overflow. steady overfow over a month will destroy your floors or worse could short electrical and cause a fire. leaving fans or lights unattended could also cause a fire.