Looks like I'm going to be away longer than expected this winter, for about a month. I'll have house-sitters staying in my apartment to water plants and take care of my tanks, a 10 gallon w/ an old gourami in it, and a 20 gallon w/ 2 juvenile dwarf gourami and 3 small clown loaches (this group upgrades to a 55 when I return in January). My usual routine is a 25% water change once per week. However I'm considering switching to 10% every 3 days, for two reasons: 1) I think it might be easier on the house-sitters, they'd have to do more frequent changes but would have to deal with only a small volume of water at a time; and 2) there'd be less chance they might shock the fish with sudden water fluctuations. My question, if I change, for example, 2 gallons of water at a time from my 20 gallon, do I add only 1 ml of chlorine/chloramine remover? The dose is 5 ml per 10 gallons, so that's only a half ml per gallon. I guess my related question is, is my proposed 10% change per 3 days adequate? Or excessive? For the sake of the loaches, before they move to a bigger tank, they need to have really clean water. Any opinions of the 10% per 3 day schedule? Suggestions for a different schedule, that'd still be easy and hopefully fool-proof for house-sitters? Thanks!
fish care and house-sitters
- Thread starter LeahK
- Start date
Well, I just got some interesting advice from a person at wetwebmedia.com. He suggested that I don't have the house-sitters do any water changes at all. He advised that one month with no changes will not kill the fish, and that it might be the lesser of two evils considering what potential damage inexperienced house-sitters could do with their hands in my tank twice a week. So, I've decided on a compromise between my usual 25% / week routine and my 10% / 3 days idea. I think I may ask them to do one moderate change in the middle of the month that I'm gone. Maybe only 15%, or 3 gallons. Before I leave, I will dechlorinate 3 gallons of water and leave it in jugs for the house-sitters, which they will then use when they do the mid-month water change. Since the water change will be very light, I will just have to stress to the house-sitters the importance of not over-feeding. I may prepare a few servings of flakes in separate plastic bags, to give them an idea of how much is enough.
I will also leave an ammonia monitor strip in the tank and tell them to call me if the color changes, at which point I can advise them on a bigger water change--but I'm really hoping that won't happen in the first place and that, as wetwebmedia said, the fish can make it for a month with only one very light water change. If anyone here has any other opinions/ideas, please post them! Thanks again!
I will also leave an ammonia monitor strip in the tank and tell them to call me if the color changes, at which point I can advise them on a bigger water change--but I'm really hoping that won't happen in the first place and that, as wetwebmedia said, the fish can make it for a month with only one very light water change. If anyone here has any other opinions/ideas, please post them! Thanks again!
I would tell them to feed every other day... the fish should be ok, and would help minimize overfeeding as the fish will try to eat every scrap of food.
My best success with fish sitters has been:
1. put the proper portions of food in envelopes, and write the date you want it fed on the outside.
2. Don't have them do any water changes. The chance of them "forgetting" the dechlor is too great. If you want them to do water changes, leave explicit, step by step instructions and put all the supplies they'll need in one bucket or box.
Hope that helps.
1. put the proper portions of food in envelopes, and write the date you want it fed on the outside.
2. Don't have them do any water changes. The chance of them "forgetting" the dechlor is too great. If you want them to do water changes, leave explicit, step by step instructions and put all the supplies they'll need in one bucket or box.
Hope that helps.
I have let the tanks go for a month without changes and the fish seem to be fine with it. I agree with the creation of prepackaged envelopes with the proper quantities already entered and hide the rest of the food. Sad hungry eyes from the little guys and gals will pull at the heart strings of gullible fish sitters and they will start giving hem extra food.
Thanks for all the advice. I think pre-packaged food is a great idea. I hear I can get super-tiny zip-loc bags at my local drugstore. And I'm thinking I'll have them do maybe one small mid-month change and re-fill the tank with jugs of water I've dechlorinated ahead of time. I'm just so nervous for my fish--I'm giving them a nice new 55 gallon when I get back in January and I want them to all be around to enjoy it!