Leaving fish on vacation

N

nerdyrcdriver

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Sep 1, 2011
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Nick
Well, around the 12th of next month my 10g should in theory be fish cycled. Until then I need to keep up with frequent water changes from what people have told me here. But right around that time we are going to mn for 4 days.

I dont like those throw in blocks that look like sand. They are a mess in the tank. I dont trust the neighbor kids to not overfeed my fish (plus the ones I am thinking of have NEVER cleaned their tank. I am ready to go down there and clean it myself) and ruin the fact that i cant clean the tanks even more. I am thinking of an automatic feeder. It would come in useful because we do leave for something just about every month or two.


I know I could let the fish fast, but my neons are finally kind of growing (there is one little guy that is still so small, I dont know if he is getting enough food, he is not very social either) Plus, I dont like it when I cant eat every few hours, I cant imagnie not eating for days.

I could have my neighbor come over (big saltwater guy) but that would just be weird because he pays me to take care of his saltwater tank while he is gone. But his 5yr old does like the fish hobby and I think he would love to come over and feed the fish. But I cant my neighbor to do water changes on my 10g. It would just be weird.

I think that the pet store has some little balls that I can put in the betta tank for him to just eat at his leasiure. Not that he should go for 4 days w/o a w/c but I think he can manage this time.

We will be gone for 4 days but I know that this will come up again for longer periods of time.
 
Four days is not long. You can skip feeding them that long without any problem. You would be better off stopping the altruistic characterizations. Just because you like to eat every few hours does not mean your fish need to. Fish, by their very nature, are opportunity eaters. That means that they will almost always eat if given the opportunity and not because of hunger. Much different for fish than it is for humans. I am glad that you have that much care and infinity toward your fish as I am sure you take very good care of them. Rest assured that fish can go as long as 4 weeks without food and not suffer ill effects.

As far as water changes go, you could do a water change the day before you leave and do another a day after you come back. That would give you 6 days on the water and allow you to stay on track with your weekly maintenance.
 
I've gone almost 3 weeks, my fish that is not me personally ;)

As Ex said 4 days is nothing. If it makes you feel better you can do a heavy feeding before you leave, assuming everything is looking good water quality-wise.
 
I agree, for 4 days, better to not feed them at all. They'll be fine. I always do large water changes right before I leave and then again when I return. I'd even keep the light off for the 4 days. They'll be fine.
 
even better yet... fast them for 3 days before you leave and do your last w/c as close to your leaving date as possible... since at least one of your tanks is still cycling. the 10 is still cycling, right?
 
Yes the 10g is still cycling. I didnt stop listening to you or anything, and I have been trying to keep up with the daily water changes as best as i can.

Has anyone else had a problem getting to aquariacentral lately? I couldnt even get to the site till today.
 
The site has been down for a variety of reasons but looks to be back up.

As far as the original question, I would not feed the fish as Pinkertd and Dundundun said. That will help maintain the water.
 
If your tank is still in flux and not fully cycled by then I would fast them for a few days beforehand, do a wc as close to when you leave as possible and then just not worry about it. Fish can go a few weeks without food so a week or so wont hurt and it would better keep ammonia and/or nitrite from building up to bad levels while you are gone.
 
dundadundun said:
fast them for 3 days before you leave and do your last w/c as close to you leaving possible...
Click to expand...
that is how people successfully ship fish without them dieing all the time. 3 days fast... fresh water in the shipping bag... and they don't defecate themselves into a watery cesspool grave along the ride. it stays dark in the package so the fish stay relatively inactive too. with the combination of fresh water, low activity and no food to make waste ammonia build up is relatively small or non-existent. this way the specimens arrive happy and healthy. often times shipping can last up to a week with as many fish as you have in just over a pint of water. ;)

fast them for 3 days... change as much water as you can as close to leaving as possible... and enjoy your time away with no worries...
 
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