Holiday care

[fastfly48]

Hello all.

I'm going on a summer holiday soon for about 2 weeks (or perhaps alittle less) and thus need to get my tank organised for something different.
I was hoping that by posting what I'm doing...you can see what I'm not doing and should be doing! ok....

Firstly this is my tank...
20g planted community tank. (7 neons, 2 corys, 3 danios 1 dwarf ram)
2 watts of light. otb filter. C02 presurized injection.

The first things I thought of was my light. But That was fixed quickly with a simple timmer. It's on now and is turning on and off at the right times. Thoses are ON at 8am and OFF at 6pm. 10hrs a day. I firgure that's perfect. Is that safe?...Or should it be different? I have 2 watts per gallon.

Next was feeding. My big sis is still home so she can do that. But I think I'll try and keep feeding as mininal as possible to decrease an accident. How long can thoses fish go without food? 5 days was it? I don't want to buy an automatic feeder, too messy. What would you do?

Then there was the C02. Now this is a bit trickier becasue I'm still trying to get the bubble rate just right so that I can leave it on 24/7. Would it be a good idea just to leave it off for a few weeks? Or would that really hurt the plants? I was hoping that the otb filter would provide enough water agitation during the night to stop C02 from building up too much...
Thoughts?

Also, Before I go I'll do a big water change. Perhaps 60%. Is this a good idea? I guess so.

Well, that's about it. What have I missed?
Hope you all can help!
Many thanks in advance.
Ryland.

[dskidmore]

Feeding: Every 5 days sounds like a good feeding schedule. I've left mine for up to a week with no ill effects. Just make sure your sister isn't going to feel sorry for them and give them a little extra as it's been so long since thier last meal. If you don't trust her, pre-measure the food and have her put in that amount.

CO2: I'd turn it down or off, unless you're using it to regulate your pH. The plants won't grow as fast without it, but they won't suffer otherwise. Unless you're generating your CO2, you might want to reduce the turbulance so you don't have to buy as much of it. (Long run project, not for your holiday.)

Water Change: I'd actually skip the big water change. You want everything to be as stable as possible, not diffrent from usual. Do your regular maintenance before you leave, and again when you get back.

[fastfly48]

Thanks for that Kidmore.

I'm actually having a little trouble feeding. With my fish (see earlyier post) two of my three danios eat HEAPS and get really fat while all the other fish fight over the left overs. It's annoying. The other Danio is a little bigger and more mature and doesn't get fat like the others. I've tried all the different meathods but none seem to work. The Danios are just too quick...
Anyways....yes I think I'll pre-measure the food rations. Good idea!

With the C02 I think I'll just turn it down really low and keep it running...though it's at about one bubble every 4 or 5 seconds now and the Ph is around 6.4. I left it on over night at that same rate and the fish where fine this morning. Also I'm looking forward to coming home to some surprise plant growth!

With the water change I think I'll just do my regualr 40-50% then...

Thanks for your input!
Cheers.
Ry.

[Blazeherd2306]

I'm actually having a little trouble feeding. With my fish (see earlyier post) two of my three danios eat HEAPS and get really fat while all the other fish fight over the left overs. It's annoying. The other Danio is a little bigger and more mature and doesn't get fat like the others. I've tried all the different meathods but none seem to work. The Danios are just too quick...
Anyways....yes I think I'll pre-measure the food rations. Good idea!

I have the same problem. Because they stay near the top and they are fast, they get the food first.

I think fish can go for two weeks without food, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about that.

Summer Holiday.. in december??? Oh wait, your on the other side of the equater?? That means you celebrate Christmas when its like... summer time??? Whoah.. that is soo weird.. im totally mindboggled.. i mean i live in Florida so there's no white christmas here.. but it does get cold... 8O

[fastfly48]

Haha. Yes we have very hot summer holidays.
Actually...come to think of it that might be a problem with the water temp. in my tank....hmmm.....bummer.
Anyways....any tips about summer holiday care?

Cheers.
Ry.