Holiday feeding

[Ukbliss]

Hello forum

I am going away for 10 days during Xmas and wanted to ask for some holiday feeding advice. Someone from a tank maintenance company I trust will drop in half way to check on water quality, feed the fish etc but would it be ok to leave them without the 5 days before and 5 days after? I am quite worried about it. Unfortunately i don't have anyone else to feed them more frequently.

I bought a tetramin 14 days block but read bad reviews about those. I also bought an eheim auto feeder and that was the worst spend of money ever. I tried it but it seems to be ideal only for flake food. I have 3 corys in the tank and they eat sinking pellets. The auto feeder releases too many so it's a no no.

Any other advice?

A

 

[jetajockey]

They'll be fine for 5 days in between feedings assuming there aren't any fry in there.

 

[Coryluv]

My corys eat flake food as well as pellets. Try it and see. The only reason I use pellets with flakes and freeze dried bloodworms as a treat is that it is more difficult for my tetras to eat the pellets quickly before the corys can get it. Just make sure to let enough food drop from the Eheim that the other fish don't eat it all. I know that no matter how carefully you gauge the opening, sometimes the feeder will drop a little less and sometime it will drop a little more. When it drops a little more I guarantee you the corys will find it.

I think you are right about the feeder blocks. I think the fish are better off fasting than using feeder blocks.

Also, as stated, your fish will be fine for 5 days fasting. I would call and make sure that the tank has been serviced as scheduled though. Have you thought of dating ziplocked bags of food with the feeding date and asking a neighbor or friend to check and feed in the interim? That's what I did if I was gone for more than a long weekend and before I got the Eheim. I also like someone keeping an eye on my place in general.

 

[Ukbliss]

Thank you both.

GailLa, my corys do too but that's only if flakes find their way to the bottom. When I previously had a pair of gouramis in there that happened. Now my gouramis unfortunately died and if I put flakes I am afraid they will just keep floating polluting the water and will be out of reach for the corys.

 

[LyndaB]

They'll be fine for 5 days in between feedings assuming there aren't any fry in there.

+1

fish can go much longer than you think and you're always safer underfeeding than overfeeding (which the blocks might do)

 

[Coryluv]

Thank you both.

GailLa, my corys do too but that's only if flakes find their way to the bottom. When I previously had a pair of gouramis in there that happened. Now my gouramis unfortunately died and if I put flakes I am afraid they will just keep floating polluting the water and will be out of reach for the corys.

Thanks for clarifying. It is no doubt better for them to have a little fast than to have a polluted tank. My flakes sink to the bottom within a minute due to the "waterfall" from the filter so I come at it from that experience.