Going to be gone for over a week

Jesshika

Jesshika

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Nov 10, 2007
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Los Angeles, California
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Hi, my bf and I have a 6 gal eclipse that we want to put an auto feeder on but seeing as most of the feeders hang over the top of the tank, how do you go about using one with a hooded tank? Or will the weekend feeders be enough for them for over a week if we add more?
 
If you want to use the disolving feeder blocks, there are the weekend type and the full 7 day types. You should be able to find them at your LFS or Petsmart.
 
What fish do you have in it? Do you have plants? No need for automatic feeders if it's only a week. Fish can feed on microorganisms found in plants and will live without food for a week or two.
 
Those blocks generally are more of a problem than a solution. Let 'em go hungry for the week. Feed 'em a bit extra each of the 2 days before you leave (an extra feeding of the normal amount of food - not a bunch all at once so that it drops, disappears & rots).
 
definitely don't use those feeder blocks unless you want to deal with some heavy water changes and possibly ammonia/nitrite spikes when you get back.

the fish will be fine for up to 2 weeks without food, providing that you feed them regularly now and they aren't feeble or malnourished and weak.
 
you should probably do a water change right before you leave and then when you return. I also would get a timer for your lights (especially if you have plants). If you get someone to come feed them for you, premeasure the food into baggies so there isn't overfeeding. Fish do just fine left for a week with no food unless you have juvenile fish.
 
i tried the tetra gel feeder once (i like to try all the products i sell) and the fish hadn't appeared to have touched it in the week it was in there. it also made my water quality crap and clouded the tank. it could be i got a bad one or something, but i'd say just leave them for the week without food.
 
I'm gone semi-regularly because I have to travel for work sometimes, and my mum's from Dublin so I go overseas to visit my family. Unless I'm going to be gone for over two weeks, I don't do anything to feed the fish. I just leave them, and I've never ever had a single one die of starvation while I was out of town.

If I'm away for more than two weeks, I will have someone come feed them and do a water change once a week, but unless it's my brother doing the feeding, I pre-measure the food as misjinkzd suggested. Unless the fish are juvies or already thin and weak from disease, feeding them is not an issue if you won't be gone long-term.

Water quality is the greatest concern when you won't be there to monitor the tanks and perform your regular water changes. Overfeeding is far and away more dangerous than underfeeding, and those weekend and vacation feeders are horrible, messy pieces of junk.
 
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