What to do when you're out-of-town?

[aharcara]

My 7-year-old daughter really wants a fish, and I would love to get her one. I love aquariums, too! The main problem is that we go visit family about twice a year for about 3-4 weeks at a time. I've found a feeder that will feed for that long, but what do you do about cleaning the tank and changing some of the water? I've read several places that this should be done every 2 weeks for a mature tank.

Thanks so much!

 

[rich311k]

I do not see why you could not. Keep up with regular changes, do an extra large one before you leave. Be prepared to do another large one when you return and the tank should do fine. Stocking it well, will help as well. A larger tank will also help, more water and it takes more for things to go bad. I would worry more about the tank getting overfed while you are away. That would be the one thing that could make things go badly quickly.

 

[Purrbox]

For such a long absense you'll probably need a fish sitter. Premeasure the food (pill containers are great for this) with strict instructions on when to feed. Then hide the rest of the food.

 

[aharcara]

What do you mean by "stocking it well"? Sorry, I'm definitely new at this

 

[Purrbox]

An aquarium that is properly stocked or understocked (number and type of fish amd other critters for the size of the aquarium) will be much more balanced and easier to control than one that is overstocked. This means less maintenance for you, and when gone on vacation it also means that you're less likely to come home to problems.

 

[TomK2]

3 or 4 weeks absence would seem to require a fish sitter, IMO.

Not an every day thing, but 3 or 4 times a week should do it. I agree that a lightly stocked tank would do better in this situation than an heavily stocked one. 4 weeks might require a water top up, but since it is just a top up, I would use the water right out of the tap if you do not have chloramines (a small addition of chlorinated water will be diluted, and the chlorine will out-gas before causing harm). this would keep it as simple as possible for your sitter (ie: refill tank to this mark). You can go one month without a water change if the tank is well maintained previously, just do a water change before you leave and when you get back.

I understand that there are many who value their privacy highly, and would never have peace of mind knowing someone else is wandering about their house while they are gone for a month. If this describes you, then the only thing you can do is fill the tank to it highest limit, use a battery operated feeder, and hope for the best. But I think that the peace of mind of knowing your tank is being looked after should count a lot too.