Im going on vacation, do automatic fish feeders work?

[Personwithafishtank]

Im going on a 2 week vacation would something like this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/imagitarium-automatic-fish-feeder
Work while im gone? I cant ask my neighbors because of coronavirus so im not sure what im going to do.

 

[Essjay]

Some feeders work fine, some dump all the food in at once, and some let damp air in which clogs the food so none goes in. I have never used one so I don't know which brands are which.
If you do get one, set it up on your tank before you go so you can see if it works OK.


But the fish should be OK for 2 weeks without food, build them up a bit before you go.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I agree with essjay, no guarantees with auto feeders.

You can test trail one before you go just to see if it’s 100% reliable or not.

Tend to see them with mixed reviews and have heard stories about auto feeders, a bit hit and miss really.

So if your fish are nice and healthy, they’ll be fine for 2 weeks, feed them up a bit before you go and do a big water change and Filter maintenance at the last decent possible time before you go on vacation.

This helps endure water parameters are at best levels for as long as possible.

 

[Personwithafishtank]

I have 5 zebra danios and a honey gourami in a 20 gallon tank, how long could they go without food?

 

[seangee]

Agree with the others. I regularly leave my fish for 2 weeks and occasionally for 3. They will be fine.

 

[Byron]

I also agree with others, do not use an auto feeder for two weeks. Even the dampness next to the aquarium can cause dry food to stick, you could come back to a dead tank in every sense of the word. Other members have experienced this disaster.

Feed the fish but not excessively, just moderately, for several days prior. One feeding per day, and moderate. Do a major water change the day before you leave. This should be early in the day, and not after they have been fed, and you can then give them the last feeding an hour or so after the W/C. Moderate, not more.

Other related issues not mentioned. If the tank has a light, it must be on a timer, or leave it off. Never run the tank light 24/7, this is highly stressful and almost guaranteed to cause an outbreak of ich which in two weeks will kill every fish. The timer is needed if you have live plants, but if no live plants, then no light is fine.

Make sure no direct sunlight can reach the tank. Increasing the filter flow to create additional surface disturbance can be beneficial, especially with live plants.