Vacation Feeding Advice

[kaiofcanada]

I am going on vacation at the end of the week for 4 nights. Just wondering what others do for short extended aways in feeding their fish.

I have had bad experiences both with using those weekend feeders and real people feeders .

I have three tanks that would need to be fed.
A 20 gal with very hungry angelfish, who apparently won't eat any weekend feeders EVER. I am considering using a tank clip and putting in a big wedge of zuchinni and seaweed for the long weekend.

I have a 12g with dwarf puffers and bumblebee gobies. This is my trouble tank for feeding. They will only eat live food or fresh frozen (baby brine shrimp, blood worms, beefheart) little servings at a time. I am not sure if they could go without food for 4 days. I have a heavy smail population in the tank, so they munch on those. But I have never tested these guys on vacation. I am worried about asking anyone else to feed them as they are messy eaters and I usually clean the tank a bit after every feeding. I also have to feed them little portions at a time since they like the chase of the food. If it sits on the bottom neither goby nor puffer will even bother eating it.

Lastly, I have a 3g with a hilarious betta in it. He is easiest to feed as he happily enjoys all of the other delicious foods they other fish get as well as flake food.

Any advice suggestions on what others do would be great. I have a couple people who could take care of my tanks. But I worry about overfeeding.

 

[kaiofcanada]

okay maybe not so worried about the puffersnow...they seem to stalk all the snails in the tank. I have been working at home and watching them eat all day . I will go get more free food from the lfs before I leave on holiday. I think they will hunt their own food. They seem to do so anyways.

 

[meegosh]

If it is just four days you could probably get away without any feedings. If your puffers have snails in the tank it sounds like you are set there.

Are there any tankmates with the angel? That would be the only tank I'd worry about. Maybe you could overfeed them a bit before you leave. Throwing in the zucchini would be fine as long as they eat most of it. I wouldn't make it too big or it will just rot away after a few days.

I went away for 7 days and had a friend feed my two tanks on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. My 10g tank with kuhli's, cories, and a guppy was fine, of course! But my angel ate a diamond tetra and a guppy, my guess would be one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Basically, don't be upset if you come home to a few less fish in the angel tank.

I have been sick lately and forgot to feed them one night, the wifey looked at the tank and said, "Your angel is eating your plants!" I ran over to the tank, only to see him gobbling up a live adult guppy. It was too late, by the time he spit him back out half of the guppy was gone. I finally gave in and moved the two remaining (out of 7) male guppies into my 10g.

 

[kaiofcanada]

If it is just four days you could probably get away without any feedings. If your puffers have snails in the tank it sounds like you are set there.

Are there any tankmates with the angel? That would be the only tank I'd worry about. Maybe you could overfeed them a bit before you leave. Throwing in the zucchini would be fine as long as they eat most of it. I wouldn't make it too big or it will just rot away after a few days.

I went away for 7 days and had a friend feed my two tanks on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. My 10g tank with kuhli's, cories, and a guppy was fine, of course! But my angel ate a diamond tetra and a guppy, my guess would be one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Basically, don't be upset if you come home to a few less fish in the angel tank.

I have been sick lately and forgot to feed them one night, the wifey looked at the tank and said, "Your angel is eating your plants!" I ran over to the tank, only to see him gobbling up a live adult guppy. It was too late, by the time he spit him back out half of the guppy was gone. I finally gave in and moved the two remaining (out of 7) male guppies into my 10g.

Oh man....yea. Thanks for the advice.

So in my angel tank there are mostly only the algae crew. I have 3 otos, 1 rubber lipped pleco, 2 small SAE's (worry worry), 4 large mystery snails, 1 fiddler crab, 1 yoyo loach.

I suppose I could over feed them and put in a batch of ghost shrimp. They seem to eat these with great enjoyment. I will add some shrimp and some zuchinni.

Hopefully the SAE's and otos will be safe.

 

[Etunes]

Honestly i wouldn't do anything. I would probably add a fresh batch of ghost shrimp like you said in the angel tank and maybe even a couple to the betta tank. But besides that i wouldn't do anything.

 

[eah]

One other thing you could do if you're worried about helpers' overfeeding your fish is put the exact portions for each tank for each feeding in individual plastic baggies. That obviously won't help for the tank that you normally gravel vac afterwards, but could keep an overzealous fish feeder in check!

 

[kaiofcanada]

One other thing you could do if you're worried about helpers' overfeeding your fish is put the exact portions for each tank for each feeding in individual plastic baggies. That obviously won't help for the tank that you normally gravel vac afterwards, but could keep an overzealous fish feeder in check!

Yes I thought of this last time, but one two other occassions when I did this, they did so anyways, because the fish were still hungry. ....Kinda funny, kinda cute, kinda a wreck.
I guess people who don't keep fish don't know that fish always seem hungry lol. The worst that happened was a tank of bloat that required me catching over half the tank to give them epsom salt baths and a week of feeding green peas.

I will do the same trick again. Hopefully this time they will listen when I explicitly say "do not ever give them more even if they seem like they are starving...even when they flutter around and seem happy to see you...even when they write 'feed me' in the algae film on the side of the tank. RESIST the urge "

 

[mfdrookie516]

...even when they write 'feed me' in the algae film on the side of the tank. RESIST the urge "

wow, that is a very interesting remark lol

 

[meegosh]

wow, that is a very interesting remark lol

I got a good laugh out of it! Thanks kai!

 

[kaiofcanada]

I got a good laugh out of it! Thanks kai!

hehe...I am glad someone gets my humor

 

[JPKeenan]

thank the gods that my plateys can't see the computer or they would do that to me!

I should make sure the batteries are charged and record their feeding frenzy! I thought my cat was bad when her dry food gets low!

 

[BigJim]

I'll agree with adding ghost shrimp. Fish can go a while without food. That's what happens in the wild and that's why the fish are always hungry. They need to eat when the get the chance.

even when they write 'feed me' in the algae film on the side of the tank. RESIST the urge "

I'm waiting for my fish to do this. Every time my wife walks near the tank, all the fish school up closest to her and follow her around the tank. It's really funny to watch rainbows, platys, swordstails, oto cats, and a female betta trying to swim in a school. I constantly get chastised: "Did you feed your fish today?" I tell her I did, and they're not fish, they're little piglets that grew fins. Most of the time they get flakes, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, and algae wafers, but 15 minutes later they're begging.

 

[Etunes]

My mom calls all my fish beggers. They follow you around like they haven't eaten in weeks. My australian spotted goby is my worst fish when it comes to that, it looks like he is doing a dance at the side of the cage.

 

[kaiofcanada]

thank the gods that my plateys can't see the computer or they would do that to me!

I should make sure the batteries are charged and record their feeding frenzy! I thought my cat was bad when her dry food gets low!

I can be absentminded and sometimes I actually consider that I might have missed a feeding. But then I realize even if I missed one , I feed them twice a day and so they could never actually be starving lol...

You got it rough though...a starving cat and starving fish....tsk tsk...how could you let them go hungry like that hahaha

 

[kaiofcanada]

I'll agree with adding ghost shrimp. Fish can go a while without food. That's what happens in the wild and that's why the fish are always hungry. They need to eat when the get the chance.



I'm waiting for my fish to do this. Every time my wife walks near the tank, all the fish school up closest to her and follow her around the tank. It's really funny to watch rainbows, platys, swordstails, oto cats, and a female betta trying to swim in a school. I constantly get chastised: "Did you feed your fish today?" I tell her I did, and they're not fish, they're little piglets that grew fins. Most of the time they get flakes, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, and algae wafers, but 15 minutes later they're begging.

Hey Jim, my fellow chicago area peeps

You feed your fish similar to me. They eat well, but they always want more. My boyfriend joked that he was gonna make a sign to put in the tank that says:

"Will swim for food! Please help!"

I should make a vacation feeder instruction sign that says:

"Don't feed me until I stop begging "

 

[mgamer20o0]

didnt read the whole thread. i would not use vacation feeders. just do a wc before hand make sure everything is running fine. fish should be able to last 1 plus week with out food.