Well...its that time of year...VACATION TIME!!

[SCFatz]

I've read a thread or two a while back,but I'm sure I've forgotten some details.

I'll be gone for four full days....thurs am until Sunday pm.

Do nothing?Add some of those white brick looking feeder things?Hire the neighbors kid and have the food portioned out in baggies for each tank?

Both tanks are cycled FW.The 29 does have a dwarf frog if that matters.

What do you guys do at vacation time?

 

[JDogg]

for a weekend ( 2 days) i just let my fish fast.

Short vacation (3 days - a week) i leave a "white thingy"

when i went to summer school for 3 weeks i hired the daughter of my lfs to come in and feed them.

so... 4 days i would probably throw in a vacation feeder (white thingy)

 

[Devilishturtles]

For 4 days, feed twice the day before and leave them. Those blocks are notorious for fowling water and 4 days isn't long at all.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[rich311k]

I would just let them be. I have gone away for a week at a time without feeding and the fish were fine when I got home.

 

[mortiss]

I've also left mine for 4-5 days and they're always fine when I get back. As long as they are well fed normally it doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[QTOFFER]

I'd leave them too. I'll probably be away from my fish from Friday PM till Tuesday PM, and I'm not giving the missed feedings a second thought.

In the wild, fish are probably not lucky enough to find something to eat every day, and they certainly don't get the large amounts of nutrition-packed, vitamin fortified foods that we feed them!

The feeding blocks are usually made of plaster or flour. They can mess with the pH.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Do not use the vacation blocks. Normally they either A) do not break apart at all or B) break apart quickly and foul up the water. I used them once and it did not break apart at all. One of my friends used them once and she came home to a tank full of dead fish.

 

[maxwell1295]

Nothing to worry about. I went away for 6 days last month. I didn't do anything, but feed them maybe 50% more than normal just before heading to the airport. When I got back all was well. It was like I never left...

 

[severum mama]

I wouldn't worry about it either. Just leave the tank lights off if you don't have timers and don't bother with hiring anyone.

For future reference, I've heard of people who portion out each day's feeding in those 7-day pill containers like my grandmother uses. Good idea if you're going to be gone a long time- there's no way anyone will mess that up.

 

[F-18 TECH]

I always have a set of automatic fish feeders on hand just in case. These feeders are from HAGEN and cost about 20 dollars. You can put all manner of food in them and it does not over feed because you set the amount of food the fish will receive. It attaches to the back of the tank by a set screw and could not be easier.

 

[SCFatz]

Thanks for the replies guys...but this all begs the question...which details concerning doing nothing did I forget?...

meant to add the wife swears I need no new training on doing nothing and there is zero chance I forgot how to do it.

 

[Devilishturtles]

LOL, SCFatz.

 

[aquakev]

ive had good luck with juust getting the fish in great condition before I left, like feeding mabey 2x a day for a few days before, then doing a water change shortly before i left, and then nothing for about a week, mabey more.

This worked well for discus, neons, cardinals rams and a bunch of other not so hardy fish.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another thing too is they may not be completely out of food. A lot of fish, if nothing else is available, will graze some on algae. So for 3, 4, 5 days, they should do just fine. Or you could also add an extra algae wafer or 2, which won't hurt anything.