long vacation

[GwynHoutBAy]

Hi! I have a cichlid tank but this is a general question ( could not find a topic for general discussion of tank care).

I am leaving for overseas for 3 months. I can not afford to have someone come and take care of 6 fish and tank while I am gone so I am going to take fish back to shop for a credit.

What I need to know is
1) can I leave the tank set up and just have someone top up with water from time to time?
2) Should I cover to prevent algae growth?
3) Should I leave the filtering pump on and can I turn it off? I could leave just a air stone or both.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much.. I leave in about a week so a prompt reply would be great.
Gwyn

[BigRedsReefs10]

You can leave it up and running but 3 months with out a good source and your bb colonies will most likely die off and you’ll have to re cycle the tank anyway so I’d drain it if it were me.

[GwynHoutBAy]

So bb is bacteria? What if I left just the catfish and fed him every once in a while?

[GwynHoutBAy]

So what if I just left the catfish and fed him every once in a while?

[BigRedsReefs10]

You could, but I didn’t think that was an option? Also you may want to think about worse case scenario and a seam fails or filter clogs, that could be a lot of water on the floor for a long time.

[Magaratz]

I agree with taking it down is the best option. Any chance you know anyone who would foster the fish until you get back?