Going on holiday for 3 weeks, what to do?

[gabysapha]

Just realized today that I will leave home for 3 weeks, leaving 4 tanks with my lovely completey-not-interested-in-fish boyfriend.

Panic!

I've left tanks for 2 weeks, but never 3. And I didn't have 3 month old platy fry and an Endler colony at the time.

I'm a little worried about my mystery snails. They get hungry quite quickly and they munch my plants when they do.

But I also don't want to feed my tanks for the sake of water quality! But the BNP needs veggies, as I have no algae for her to eat anymore. So i guess the fry can live off zucchini and peas for a while.
I think I'll put a bunch of hornwort in each tank, as anything will help....

Should I take the risk of letting the boyfriend do water changes on the tanks that will need it most? I don't trust him with a siphon and bucket at all.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Well this is certainly a predicament...

If you really do trust him, let your BF take the reins. I would call on him every other day to see how he is doing.

I know how you feel. I would NEVER trust someone with a siphon and bucket without my supervision, they would spill water everywhere

 

[jetajockey]

3 weeks without a wc isn't ideal but shouldn't be that big of a deal. I know many that go a month between wc.

What about an auto feeder?

 

[gabysapha]

The bf can be the autofeeder I'm just debating how much food I should put in, which tanks should eat....

Actually, I'm sure everything will be ok. I'm just very nervous!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

The bf can be the autofeeder I'm just debating how much food I should put in, which tanks should eat....

Actually, I'm sure everything will be ok. I'm just very nervous!

You could get a pill box and in each section for each day put in what each tanks food is.

 

[BakerBoy17]

You could get a pill box and in each section for each day put in what each tanks food is.

I was going to say that but with plastic baggies. Haha. And you could make a list on which vegetables and when.

 

[glassbird]

Set him up with food as mentioned above, but give less food per day than you would feed if you were there. I would even arrange things so that they get fed every other day, rather than daily. This might help with the long time between water changes. Then HIDE the rest of the food! Non-fish people WILL over-feed, no matter how careful you are to explain to them what to do, or not do.

 

[severum mama]

You could get a pill box and in each section for each day put in what each tanks food is.

This is what I have done in the past with friends watching tanks. Whatever you do, don't leave him to his own devices when it comes to feeding. LOL. I had a friend come over to feed for a few days while I was out of town, before I realized the pill box was a good option. I came home to a real mess and did some emergency water changes! Feeding becomes second nature to hobbyists after a while, but one thing I learned is to NEVER assume that it is common sense to a non-hobbyist.

 

[gabysapha]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Yes, I will head to Rite Aid and grab a couple pill boxes.

I plan to have zucchini constantly available to the Endler colony for the BNP. I will have the boyfriend feed dry food sparingly, I think twice a week?

I'm contemplating how to make feeding zucchini as easy as possible. The caretaker will not put his hands in the tank no matter what I say!
I think I will tie a string to a plant anchor and let the string dangle out of the tank. That way it can be simply pulled out, re-zucchinied, and dropped back in.

Hmm... what about my 5g shrimp tank? I may have them fed only a couple times over the 3 weeks. That's a small tank, and those shrimp are a bit sensitive...

 

[severum mama]

Honestly, I wouldn't mess with fresh veggies for that week. I would just suggest algae wafers in place of them. IMO they are more likely to be eaten by the fish before the possibility of fouling the water, plus, you don't have to rely on someone else to feed an appropriate amount of fresh foods. JMO.

 

[Homer8]

I suggest getting a new boyfriend. There should be a forum on here called "fished connections"

 

[KatieJ]

Hi! I'm sorry to hijack this thread, hope it's just a quick in-and-out. D: But I'm in the same predicament as the OP is, only I have no one to feed my fish. I'll be away for about 2 and a half weeks, and since the university dorms will be locked down there's no way I could have someone come over once a week to feed and top off. I was thinking about getting an automatic fish feeder, but I'm extremely hesitant in doing so... advice?

 

[gabysapha]

I suggest getting a new boyfriend. There should be a forum on here called "fished connections"

It's certainly useful having a balance between fish lover and fish nonlover. I mean, if we both loved it i would have an apartment full of tanks, going broke, and failing school besides, there's no way a box of fish will get in the way of my social life!

KatieJ, oh yes that is a predicament! Don't you hate that dorms close? Im sure a lot of people use automatic feeders, try posting on the equipment forum for suggestions? I went 2 weeks without feeding my tanks once, and everyone did very well! Perhaps you can set the feeder for feeding only once halfway through the 2.5 weeks?
I would be more worried about the heating. In my old dorms the heat would be turned down to 60 degrees to save energy. So make sure your heaters are working before you leave!
Are there any fish you are worried about in particular? Like for me, im worried about newborn Endlers and my shrimp.

 

[severum mama]

I would just move the tank home for the 2.5 weeks. The temp issue that Gaby mentioned would have me concerned for sure.

 

[gabysapha]

It's certainly useful having a balance between fish lover and fish nonlover. I mean, if we both loved it i would have an apartment full of tanks, going broke, and failing school besides, there's no way a box of fish will get in the way of my social life!

KatieJ, oh yes that is a predicament! Don't you hate that dorms close? Im sure a lot of people use automatic feeders, try posting on the equipment forum for suggestions? I went 2 weeks without feeding my tanks once, and everyone did very well! Perhaps you can set the feeder for feeding only once halfway through the 2.5 weeks?
I would be more worried about the heating. In my old dorms the heat would be turned down to 60 degrees to save energy. So make sure your heaters are working before you leave!
Are there any fish you are worried about in particular? Like for me, im worried about newborn Endlers and my shrimp.

Forgot to add. I did leave blue pearl shrimp at room temperature for 2 weeks once, in a nano with no filtration. They were all alive when i came home. I think putting a ton of plants in the vase helped in giving the shrimp food while also keeping the water quality tolerable. That's why I plan on filling my shrimp tank up with plants and messing up the scape, rather than have them fed while i am away.

 

[gabysapha]

Honestly, I wouldn't mess with fresh veggies for that week. I would just suggest algae wafers in place of them. IMO they are more likely to be eaten by the fish before the possibility of fouling the water, plus, you don't have to rely on someone else to feed an appropriate amount of fresh foods. JMO.

I am so sorry for posting multiple times. Please don't yell at me

Severum mama, the only reason i wanted to use fresh veggies was because i thought plecos were like cows. In which they should have food available constantly??? Pancake (the BNP) has lots of wood to chew but no algae to speak of. And veggies last longer than an algae wafer, because the Endlers are wafer wh*res.
Will Pancake be ok without food for a few days? If so, that's great!

 

[KatieJ]

I'll be flying from Michgan to California. 8D;;; Pretty sure I can't check two tanks as plane baggage.

 

[gabysapha]

I'll be flying from Michgan to California. 8D;;; Pretty sure I can't check two tanks as plane baggage.

That's pretty much why I never set up tanks while I was in dorms. Too much stress about leaving the tanks unattended for however long I would be away from school, as an entire winter break is about a month long!

You should call the dorm office and ask at what temperature the thermostats will be set for winter break. Before you leave your dorm you often turn the thermostat all the way up, but then the system is turned down low for the entire building.

You could also move the tanks to a friend's house where someone will be there to take care of them. Someone with an apartment, a local with a house and kids that would be delighted to take care of a tank, grad students, blah blah. Put an add on craigslist, I'm sure someone would be happy to take your fish for a little while.

You have a lot of options. Then again, I'm sure the fish will be ok where they are.

 

[glassbird]

If you go with an auto feeder, set it up to run as long as possible while you are still there...as a test. If it does ok while you are there, then HOPEFULLY it will do ok while you are gone. Be sure to set the feeder to under feed them...either in quantity or frequency. That will buy you a little extra insurance to get them through with no water changes for a long time.

Gee, when I lived in dorms pets were banned, including fish. I had to hide my tank under my bed, and set the lights and filter up to work on a timer during the nights only. That way, if maintenance men came into my dorm room during the day they would be unlikely to hear the filter and air pump.

 

[gabysapha]

If you go with an auto feeder, set it up to run as long as possible while you are still there...as a test. If it does ok while you are there, then HOPEFULLY it will do ok while you are gone. Be sure to set the feeder to under feed them...either in quantity or frequency. That will buy you a little extra insurance to get them through with no water changes for a long time.

Gee, when I lived in dorms pets were banned, including fish. I had to hide my tank under my bed, and set the lights and filter up to work on a timer during the nights only. That way, if maintenance men came into my dorm room during the day they would be unlikely to hear the filter and air pump.

They say all pets are banned except 10g tanks or less. I think 10g tanks can be more hazardous for dorms than a hamster, considering water changes!
That is crazy! You had to put the filter on a timer too? My goodness, that is super secretive fishkeeping. Good for you!