Going home for thanksgiving break, what about feeding the fish?

[da9k1ne]

I have a 10 gallon with one moonlight gourami, 1 serpae tetra, and one sunfire platy.

I'll be gone for a week for thanksgiving break, so how am i supposed to feed them.

Should i buy two or three of those weekend feeders and put them all in, or would too much food come out at once?

I know not feeding them at all for a week would probably kill them, so I have to figure something out.

 

[jonnythan]

If you get 2 weekend feeders, they'll have way too much food for 3 days then no food for 4 days.

You can get 7-day slow-release blocks at the local pet store. I've used them in the past with good effect.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals 7 Day Fish Feeder - Saltwater - Fish - PetSmart

 

[da9k1ne]

cool, thats what i'll get.

what about winter break when im gone for almost a month? i'm afraid the fish are just going to end up dying no matter what i do

 

[jonnythan]

A month? Ouch.

Get a reliable friend or buy a fish feeder.
Daily Double II Feeder (Penn Plax)

 

[jonnythan]

Or better:
Amazon.com: Current USA AquaChef Auto Fish Feeder: Home & Garden

 

[mike47517]

I say since your gone so much to get an automatic fish feeder. It will save you money in the long run.

 

[missileman]

I vote for a friend to help.
Even if you have to pay someone. He can do more than just feed them.
water conditions can be monitered and taken care of and any health issues can be addressed before it becomes a problem. He could even do a couple of PWCs during that month to keep your tank in good shape.

 

[da9k1ne]

the friend thing is out of question. there will be no one here while im home...everyone goes home for winter break.

i guess i'll just buy a automatic fish feeder.

i'm hoping they can stay alive for a month with the temp stable, and being fed the right amounts daily. being that there is only 3 fish in the tank makes me thing the water quality wont get too too bad.

 

[bluerose]

There's no way you can take them with you? (Flying not driving I suspect?)

What about for summer? (I'm assuming you're in college or similar.)

My fish are moving with me both times but I'm driving, not flying.

 

[bs6749]

the friend thing is out of question.

Unfortunately, that's what this hobby does to us LOL

i guess i'll just buy a automatic fish feeder.

If you want my advice on getting an automatic fish feeder I'd tell you to spend more on one than what you are thinking. I spent $12 on one that feeds every 12 hours and is battery operated but if I had to do it over again I'd spend $30 and get a really nice one. No offense, but with the amount of fish you have that is probably out of the question seeing as how the feeder would cost more than what they are worth, KWIM?

Your fish will last for a week easily with no food. I've heard rumors of fish being able to go a month without food, though it's obviously not recommended. What I would do if I were you is the following. First, I'd feed them heavily (5-6 times) the 3rd and 2nd day before you leave. The day before you leave I'd feed them normally and do as large of a partial water change as you can. Then, on the day you leave I would toss quite a few LIVE BLACKWORMS into the tank. The worms will last a LONG time in the tank and will be a good food source for your fish. You won't have to worry about ammonia building up as the worms will still be alive until eaten. What kind of substrate do you have? Before you leave and during your water change you might consider removing the substrate if it's anything other than sand or pool filter sand. Gravel and other large grained media will allow too many places for the worms to hide and it won't do much good to put them into the tank. You could also try a decent size butter dish with a good amount of worms in it and hope that they don't crawl out and hope that your fish find them. I'd submerge a rinse dish into the tank and then using a turkey baster I'd squirt some blackworms gently into the dish so that they don't float out. You should have no problem keeping your fish alive for a week. I'll have to think of how to safely keep them alive for a month though...

 

[HannahJ]

Are you in a dorm? If so, keep in mind most dorms require you to unplug everything for the breaks. For the five weeks of winter break I would seriously just drain the tank down to 1/3 and put it in the front seat of your car for the drive home, provided it's not an all-day drive.

 

[black hills tj]

They'll be fine for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, just tear it down and move it home. That's what I'll be doing with my 10 gallon this year. I have a 30 in my apartment at school though, but I just plan on draining that and moving the fish/filters home.