I have been traveling for work and personally more frequently the past few months. This has left me more dependent on the tank functioning without any assistance for longer periods of time. During a trip in February the automatic feeder had been set to feed 4 times throughout the day. What ultimately happened was food went over the overflow and spilled into the sump 4 times per day. Nutrients spiked, and I believe only the skimmer and mainly the Chaetomorpha saved the day. Over only a 5 day period the Chaeto in the refugium grew to the size of a basketball, and the skimmer foam was as thick as it gets.
On the most recent weekend getaway I elected to not feed at all which much better results. In a well establish tank with a refugium there is a steady supply of natural algae and pods to sustain a modestly populated aquarium. Outside of any longer trips (week+) I am likely to leave the fish to fend for themselves on what is naturally available.
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