Vacations and weekends away.

[rlstoll]

What does everyone do when they are going on vacation with their fish? Like this weekend I will be gone until Tuesday night which is about 4 full days. And next year I am planning possibly a 2 week vacation.

Any suggestions on what to do? What everyone does? And how long will fish typically be ok?

 

[Samzter]

Fish could survive4 days without food. Just give them a treat before you leave. As well as a water change. When I went away for 3 weeks I got someone to come in and feed my fish.

 

[shellieca]

+1w/ Samzter, they can go 4 days w/out food no problem. For my two week vacation, I did a water change before I left, had my house sitter feed every 2-3 days instead of every day.

 

[BBradbury]

Vacation Tank Keeping

What does everyone do when they are going on vacation with their fish? Like this weekend I will be gone until Tuesday night which is about 4 full days. And next year I am planning possibly a 2 week vacation.

Any suggestions on what to do? What everyone does? And how long will fish typically be ok?

Hello rl...

Aquarium fish can easily go 10 days to a couple of weeks without food. So, you don't really need to do anything for the adults. If you have fry in the tank, then a couple of weeks before you leave, feed more often than usual. A couple of days before leaving, do a larger than normal water change, service the filtration equipment and stop feeding. When you come back, your fish will have cleaned up any leftover food and your tank will be nice and clean.

Just a thought, this is the procedure I follow.

B

 

[Rivercats]

If you have a sitter feeding the tank I suggest making pre-packages of meals. That way they can't over feed. Another option for a long trip is to invest in an auto feeder. But if you do this I suggest to start using it 2 or 3 days before leaving to be sure it's not only working right but that it is dispensing the proper amount of food. Then for a short trip I wouldn't worry about not feeding as stated above.

 

[delfisherman]

does anyone use the gel vacation feeders? ive had good luck with putting fishing line through them and hanging them so my angels get food then put one on the bottom for my corys and kribs

 

[Luananeko]

I would avoid the gel vacation feeders if at all possible... They usually have a lot of nasty gunk in them to suspend the food that can really foul up the water after they're expended. The amount of mess they add for the nutritional value just isn't worth it imo. I've heard of quite a few cases where people came home to find their fish sick after using the things.

 

[rlstoll]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I am glad my fishies will be ok for the weekend.

 

[delfisherman]

thats interesting. i never had a problem with them my fish love them and eat them up. from my angels to barbs and rams and kribensis

 

[Luananeko]

A lot of folks think fast food tastes good too, but it's not necessarily the best for you