8 Day Vacation

[IovaykInD]

I'm going to Florida for vacation and I won't be home for 8 days. Do you think they will survive that long. Fish includes guppies and neon tetras. I don't want them to be all starved when I come back home.

 

[Ethos]

No.
Can ou find a neighbor/friend thay'll feed them?
You can buy a feeder, but get a nice one!
The cheap ones clog, usually on the first day of use

 

[Fish_Mike]

Actually, I think the fish will be perfectly fine. They certainly don't eat every day in the wild. They are very adapt to not eating for long periods of time. It would be smart to give them a larger than normal (but not overly so) feeding before you leave.

 

[IovaykInD]

Any more opinions...I know that 8 days sounds like a lot, so I don't know if they'll survive.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi IovaykInD

With the snow we have been having here lately, a trip to sunny Florida sounds just great!

I wouldn't feed them any differently before you go, but one of the last things you should do is to clean the tank. This way the water will remain fairly clean until you return. A heavy feeding might not all be eaten and if the leftover food spoils, it will polute the water and you will not be there to correct it.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Ddraig Goch]

Feeding blocks?

 

[love_fish]

Try and get a neighbor or a friend to help you out.

 

[Torrean]

The fish should be fine but 8 days is a long stretch. I've spoken to people on here who have gone almost two weeks with no problems. In fact at the end of the two weeks they came home to find there aquarium looking as clean as it would as a new set up. I'd get a friend to drop by on the fourth day and feed them/count them. Set out a small film canister or similair with the amount of food you normally feed in it. Hide your other food, preferrably under lock and key. People who don't know assume that all fish need a lot of food frequently. So they (goodnaturedly) drop (what seems to them to be) a few small pinches in three times a day. You could probably go 8 days without any problems but I personally (because I have several friends and some of my family that know about keeping fish) would get someone to come and feed them a set amount once or twice.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

my fish didnt get food in 2 weeks before, and they were still fine

 

[Bloo]

Do you have any live plants in your tank ? It would certainly help, but even if you don't 8 days should be absolutely fine - even more so in an established tank

 

[The-Wolf]

this is what I do when going away for less than 10 days.

the week leading upto departure day
half the amount I normerly feed and only feed every other day
the day before departure perform 50% water change
day of departure feed (again half the normal amount)

day or return (or day after if it is late)
50% water change
day after that feed at half amount
for the following week build up feed amounts to normal levels.

doing this i have never lost one fish

 

[andywg]

8 days'll be fine. Most keepers of larger fish only feed twice a week normally.

I would avoid feeding blocks as they are full of contaminants (such as ash) that can foul your water right up.

I tend to do a large water change and then feed and go away. I will usually feed a fairly heavy amount on return.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

To be honest I went on a 7 day vacation, and after giving them 3 small feeds on the day of departure, they were fine when they got back. I occasionally use feeding blocks too, they seem to work just fine.

 

[IovaykInD]

Okay, thanks.
I'm just going to feed them normally until I leave. Hopefully I'll come back, and they'll be absolutely fine.

I do have plants in the tank, it's the one in my profile. How will the plants help them by the way?

 

[prankster705]

They will produce O2 suck up nitrates... Do I have to say more?