Reef Tank Vacation Checklist: What to Actually Prepare

The systems that matter most while you're gone

1. Auto top-off, tested and confirmed working in the days before you leave — the single biggest risk while away is an evaporation-driven salinity swing nobody catches in time.
2. Automatic feeder, pre-loaded and tested for a day or two before departure to confirm correct dispensing amount.
3. A trusted check-in person (not necessarily an expert) with simple, written instructions: what "looks wrong" means, and who to call if something does.
4. Remote monitoring, if you have a controller — alerts sent to your phone catch problems days before an in-person check would.

What to do the week before leaving

Don't make any changes (new livestock, dosing adjustments, equipment swaps) in the week before travel — you want a known-stable baseline, not a system mid-adjustment when you won't be there to course-correct.

What NOT to do

Don't overfeed "just in case" before leaving, and don't ask a sitter to dose anything manually unless they're genuinely experienced — a well-meaning but uninformed manual intervention causes more emergencies than an automated system left alone for a week. ReefMind's proactive alerts (Expert plan) text or email you directly if parameters drift while you're away, regardless of whether your in-person check-in catches it first.