fish care while going on vacation

[rdmpe]

I'm going to be out of town for almost a week. Are there any decent feeder blocks out there that I can trust to keep my fish alive while I'm gone? I do own ONE battery powered feeder but currently have 3 occupied tanks...

30g: heavily planted
4 medium gourami, 6 small ottos, 1 large otto, 1 large siamese algae eater, 1 large weather loach

10g: temporary, no plants
2 small/medium (3") mbuna cichlids

10g:
2 fiddler crabs
1 large (4") unknown type of loach

Any specific suggestions for feeding a particular tank?

 

[ChilDawg]

Another thread on the feeder blocks thing: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10782

 

[CHINABOY1021]

I think the best thing to do is. feed well, do water change next day. leave for vacation.

definitly your fish will not starve to death. so why the feeder block?

 

[ChilDawg]

The week off thing is advocated pretty highly, it seems...I agree with CHINABOY1021.

 

[thom336]

I would say against feeding more than usual before you go...and dont feed any more than usual when you come back either.

 

[thom336]

And I use feeder blocks when I go away...peace of mind if nothing else. Good ones include API, Nutrafin and King British. Each come in 7 day forms.

 

[blade929]

most fish are opportunist feeders, in the wild they can go a fair while without food. i think we tend to spoil our fish by feeding them 2 or 3 times a day, at set times. I'm away from home usually for a week in every 5 or 6 with my job, i dont do anything special before i go apart from check everything is in good working order. When i come home i resume feeding as normal. Up to date ihave not had any problems at all.

my tank is a 400l large fish community tank, large barbs,polypterus,sharks etc.

in all i think the break from feeding will give your tank/filters a well earned rest from the day to day of coping with feeding

sorry to go on but that is my opinion.bye

 

[mogurnda]

Yes to almost all of the above. I spoil my fish, so all the tanks go on autofeeders if I'm gone more than a few days. I have also let them go a week without food, and they don't even seem to blink.
I have always been dubious of feeder blocks. First, most of my fish like swallowing mouth-sized morsels, not rasping from blocks. Second, I worry about uncontrolled release of nutrients into my tanks.

 

[rdmpe]

very interesting

Thanks for all of the replys. I think I'll just not worry about it then. Especially since I may be gone for only 5 days instead of 7.

 

[Rocketman]

They say that when you stop feeding your fish for a day (every week), it disiplines them to use their food more wisely; meaning, they don't waste what you give them because they know more is on the way.