Vacation! What about feeding fish?

[mtdewlover]

I'm going on vacation yay! :D I don't trust anyone to feed my fish, my roomate is a moron. :mad: Believe me! So I got those food pyramids. Anyone know how to use them??? Or if they are good to use? :confused:

I have two tanks I will be putting these food pyramids in. One ten gallon with five neon tetras, two swordtails and a CAE. The other tank is a 29 gallon with five cichlids and a huge dragon, I mean algae eater. Will the pyramids work and be sufficient enough for them? I love my little fishies. :D

Thanks,
Alicia

[wetmanNY]

...but how long are you going to be away? The central fact!

So they're still making those plaster-of-Paris feeder blocks in the shape of pyramids? Pyramid power! Before that they made them as little turtles and treasure chests.

I don't think you'd consider letting them go hungry would you?...

[Macromatt]

Wetman's question is the important one. If you are just going to be gone a couple of days, don't worry about feeding them. As long as they are healthy they should last several days without any food at all.

Matt

[NJ Devils Fan]

Yea, the fish can go for about a week or so without food. Think, they don't eat everyday in the wild.

[mtdewlover]

Sorry I forgot to tell ya that part. I will be gone for a week. My fishies are always hungry. I defiantly want to feed them. Or I will have angry fish! So how do you use these pyramids?

[amy]

The problem with the pyramids is that they tend to dissolve all at once and foul the water. Your fish will gorge themselves on the first day and then it'll be just like you haven't fed them beyond that first day with the side effect of an extra dirty tank.

Really, don't worry about feeding them for the week. The tanks will stay cleaner that way and the fish will just be more happy to see you when you get back!

If you really can't stand the thought of them not being fed at all, this is what I'd suggest (and what I'd do if I had to be away for more than 2 weeks.)

(1) Return the food pyramids.
(2) Buy a bunch of ziploc baggies.
(3) Clearly label one bag for each tank, for each day of the week that you will gone. You should have 14 bags total for a 7 day trip.
(4) Put one day's worth of the right food into each baggie.
(5) Hide all the food cans!!!!!!
(6) Have your roommate (or some other suitable person) feed the fish using the food you put in the bags.

The most important part of this process is step #5:
HIDE THE CANS
This will prevent your idiot roommate from deciding that your fish really need to eat an entire can of food at once.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

[carpguy]

I recently took a week vacation and, after reading similar posts here, I decided to just let them be. Everyone was healthy on my return and most of the spot algae was gone from the driftwood :D .

Fish, like dogs, are feast (f)or famine eaters. They will eat everything they can get their little fins on in anticipation of lean times ahead. This is why they always seem hungry and also why you can safely skip feeding them for a week.

If you know dogs and cats you also know that you can leave a big pile of food for a cat and they'll ration it out over time, while a dog with a week's supply will finish it off on the first day (first ten minutes). The pyramids are a lot like leaving food for the dog -- when the plaster dissolves the food is going to get snapped up right away all at once and then you'll have dissolved plaster floating around your tanks, possibly wreaking havoc on your pH.

If you really can't bear the thought, I'd look into one of those automatic feeders (two…). I wouldn't put plaster into my tank. But for a week, I really don't think you need to worry. Give them a good (not ridiculous) feed the last couple of days, treat them to a nice water change, and they'll be fine.

[NJ Devils Fan]

From a few days before you go away, feed lightly.