I love the comment about your fish signing a petition against someone else doing water changes for you while you're absent. Mine would too! I would never be able to do Discus. For one, they are so expensive to buy, they have exacting needs, and sometimes I just dread water changes. Nevertheless, it's done weekly, and I feel a lot of satisfaction after it's done, but the thought of it sometimes gets to me. Sometimes I want to just stop water changes altogether for 2 weeks, but I know it isn't healthy for the fish. Just like with any other "pet," they depend on you, and it's your responsibility to take the best care of them that you possibly can, because you brought them into your life. Does anyone else ever feel like just stopping the water changes for a while? I wouldn't ever do it, but I have a lot of other pets. Horses, dogs, 6 parrots and a bunny, and sometimes it seems that all I do is care for animals.
Sometimes (well, a lot of times) I think what would happen if I had to go into the hospital. I worry about it. The other animals, my husband knows how to feed, but the fish care is more involved. The water levels wouldn't be topped off, they would probably be fed the incorrect amount by my husband, and forget water changes! He'd get the temperature wrong, or forget the Prime, or forget to check that the temperatures are staying correct. The siphoning would be a disaster. I do my 10, 20 and 55 gallon tanks with 5 gallon buckets, and that's MANY trips to and from the bathroom to change out 30%. Hubby is not in the best of health, although nothing serious, but I'm pretty sure I'd have at least a few fish deaths if I was gone for 2 weeks. And I don't have any Discus.
When a hobby becomes drudgery on a regular basis, it's time to re-think it. But I believe my enjoyment of my fish far outweighs the few times now and then that I dread changing the water. I rarely go over a week, and then it's usually only 8 or 9 days. Even so, my two Blue Rams both died of HITH, and I siphon religiously with water changes. I know I should probably only keep easy species, but recently my endlers got "twirling" disease and I lost nearly all of them! Can't win. I do realize though, that no matter what kind of fish I have, they must be taken excellent care of or I might as well break down the tanks and rehome them.
I do the same with my plants that I grow (orchids, etc.) I dread watering, fertilizing, repotting, and sometimes I don't even want to mist them. But the blooms always inspire me again. I guess everything we enjoy in life comes at a price.