Vacation care?

illiswiller

illiswiller

Prevention - the best medicine!
Jan 11, 2005
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What do you do when you go on vacation?

If you use an automatic feeder - what do you do about water changes/adding in evaporated water?

Anyone hire someone to come in and fish keep?

We're heading to Europe to visit my husband's family and will go for over a week, 10+ days. In the past I've had my neighbors care for the tanks....but they don't do a water change or replace water....and I think they overfeed (very generous people with obese cats!). :D

Just looking for ideas! THANKS
 
I have a Betta. I've only seen "pyramides" for only 1 week max. This summer i'm gonna go for a hall month, do i have to use an automatic feeder???
Thanks
 
Just read you're message. You can easly find little "piles" to feed youre fish over 1 week. They are cheap.
Rock on!!!
 
I do a couple of big water changes in the days leading up to it and fill it as high as I dare on the last fill. Then I portion out little amounts of food into packets that I make out of wax paper and tape. I tape the packets one on top of the other and then tape that little pile to the plastic trim of the tank. I have a friend come over every couple days and dump in a packet. That way he/she doesn't need to worry about how much to feed and I always err on the side of caution. Yeah, it's much lighter than I normally feed, but we typically feed our fish much more than they require anyway.
 
While ten days without a water change isn't ideal in my book (I prefer every 5-7 days) it isn't going to be too terrible. Also, what you can do it put out measured amounts of food and have someone come only every other day and then hide the rest of your food. That way you still control how much they are fed and less waste is produced so water quality isn't as big an issue for the extended period. I don't get many vacations longer than 3-4 days at a stretch so my fish simply do without for that period. It doesn't hurt them as I have plenty of live plants to pick on etc. I would avoid the food pyraminds. They are mixed with plaster and can be messy messy. Hope that helps.
 
Yes I would never feed the pyramids....Too risky. I was wondering about hiring a person - and have them do a water change. Vacation pet care is really big here, there are at least 6 companies......as tailored or low key as you could want. I'm just uncertain about doing it for fish. - there is a lot they can mess up (not de-chlorinate the water, match temp, suck up a fish in the vacuum, etc).

Either way I'll definitely pre-make the food packets. Very good idea. Our neighbors are just such kind, animal loving people (but they only keep cats). Our little cat (usually only 8 lbs)...gained almost 2 pounds last summer in the two weeks they watched her!! And the fish tank was a mess! They fed them twice a day including blood worms (b/c the fish always looked hungry!) :eek:

Thanks!
 
Plenty of people only water change once a month... I think your fish would be better off going without then trusting someone else to do it right.
 
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