how long can fish SAFELY go without food?

Originally posted by dwf73
If the fish are accustomed to being fed multiple times per day, then, although they should be able to go for an extended period without eating, the change will certainly affect them to some degree. I would think that the best approach would not be to test their endurance, but to leave them with some kind of food- perhaps an automatic feeder like RHJ suggests, or even one of the dissolving food packs. What kind of fish are they? Some species can be very sensitive to such changes, while others fare much better. Where are you going on vacation-somewhere warm i hope...
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I don't know... I've heard of very few (zero?) accounts of people returning to find fish that fasted for a week in anything but good health. These are cold-blooded creatures with extremely different metabolisms...

Some autofeeders (the mechanical dispenser type) work quite well and would be a solution. I've got a couple -- the Eheim feeder is my favorite, although I have a Hagen Nutramatic that works well, too -- but I almost never use them anymore. Only when there are very small fry in the tank.

The dissolving feedings I would never, ever use. Too many stories of people returning to fouled water. Also, many use plaster or some sort of calcareous substance as the dissolving agent that releases food. The addition of calcium to a tank can have disastrous effects on pH. Neither of these outcomes is something to come home to after a vacation.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has ever had bad luck with leaving fish for a week's time without food. Might be educational for us all...

Jim
 
The reason I suggest this is because I have done that in the past (leaving for 1-2 weeks without feeding), and, although the fish have never been unhealthy upon my return, they are always very anxious to eat. So, if they are used to a certain feeding schedule, I think it might be more appropriate to leave them with at least something, just so they are contented. I agree- I have not heard of many illnesses or deaths resulting directly from suspending feeding, but if you have fish that are carnivorous living together, throwing them off balance could potentially result in some nasty fighting. I have seen this happen often. That is why i asked what type of species we are dealing with. That is also very true about the dissolving food and the water quality, I should have noted that before.
 
I agree- I have not heard of many illnesses or deaths resulting directly from suspending feeding, but if you have fish that are carnivorous living together, throwing them off balance could potentially result in some nasty fighting. I have seen this happen often
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I have also seen it. I agree with the general consensus that most fish would be OK, but I think it would help to know the following in this particular case: what species of fish?,how many fish?, what size tank? As dwf73 said, nasty fighting could and does occur in some cases.
 
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