Going on vacation, recommendations?

[outofwater]

Hi guys, I'm going out for 2 weeks starting in mid-August. I have nobody close enough that I can leave feeding to, and after last year's experience and reading, I've decided that, most likely; I'll just leave the fish without food.
So, here's where I am: I
I've started to ramp up feeding to fatten them up.
I still might get an automatic feeder, but the assumption is that I won't
I will do a large water change the day before I leave
The lone inhabitant in the quarantine tank, a guppy, will be transferred to the 29g tank a week before, the plants will be spread between my other 2 tanks, and the quarantine tank will be decommissioned for now
I do have a couple of vacation food blocks that I might still leave on each tank, as last time those were well received, I'd leave those as a backup option, just in case.
Both tank lights have timers, heaters are off as summer is in full swing, and I actually plan on leaving at least one AC unit on (have window units here) and set at a temp range of 72-74, which I've noticed allows the tanks to stay steady in the 76 to 79 range throughout the day

Would you please comment and add any suggestions?

Thanks a lot.

Note. The 29g tank has ottos, 3 snails, cories and neons. As mentioned, the guppy will be transferred there too

The other tank, a 10g one, has a blue dwarf gourami, and 2 snails. There are scuds on rhat one, so I'm more than sure that Mr blurami will be just fine without any "vacation food"

 

[Slaphppy7]

Vacation blocks "on" the tanks, or "in" them?

 

[outofwater]

Vacation blocks "on" the tanks, or "in" them?

after all these years my brain still fails occasionally when it switches between Spanish thinking and English writing/grammar

IN the tanks. On the tank..if I was a sadist and wanted the fish to look at food they simply can't get

 

[Slaphppy7]

after all these years my brain still fails occasionally when it switches between Spanish thinking and English writing/grammar

IN the tanks. On the tank..if I was a sadist and wanted the fish to look at food they simply can't get

LOL....well, you said no one could stop by to check on the tanks, so I was wondering "why leave food where someone could find it", lol

I think your plan is solid, w/no food....you did the same last year, no food, and they were fine, correct?

 

[lottabubbles]

we go to bike week in Datona Fl for two weeks and use an EHEIM electronic fish feeder on my 125 gal aquarium and it works great with tons of options on feeding schedule. i change the battery every two years and they could go longer, i guess.

 

[outofwater]

LOL....well, you said no one could stop by to check on the tanks, so I was wondering "why leave food where someone could find it", lol

I think your plan is solid, w/no food....you did the same last year, no food, and they were fine, correct?

Thanks , lol.
Last year I was gone one week, and yes, left without food and actually had not fattened them up lo song in advance, just an extra portion the last couple of days. Left those blocks IN each tank and both showed signs of having been nibbled on now and then. Based on that, if I leave those, it will be a block per tank, as last year I put two and although nibbled on, they showed signs of starting to grow fuzz on them, so I know that was too much and could actually be counter productive and polute the water too much before my return

 

[Slaphppy7]

Thanks , lol.
Last year I was gone one week, and yes, left without food and actually had not fattened them up lo song in advance, just an extra portion the last couple of days. Left those blocks IN each tank and both showed signs of having been nibbled on now and then. Based on that, if I leave those, it will be a block per tank, as last year I put two and although nibbled on, they showed signs of starting to grow fuzz on them, so I know that was too much and could actually be counter productive and polute the water too much before my return

Yep, rotting food = ammonia

I'd gorge them now, fast them during vacay....large WC before leaving, and one final feeding

 

[Byron]

Keeping in mind that water quality will degenerate the more the fish feed, it would be better to not leave blocks or use feeder. When I was in hospital a year ago, my fish went two weeks without food. And I did not "overfeed" them prior, that is still going to lessen the water quality. Do a water change (substantial) the day before, and all should be fine. Your water quality will be much better, and that makes a huge difference.

 

[Aqua67]

Hi guys, I'm going out for 2 weeks starting in mid-August. I have nobody close enough that I can leave feeding to, and after last year's experience and reading, I've decided that, most likely; I'll just leave the fish without food.

I am a professional pet sitter and I have taken care of saltwater and freshwater aquariums for clients in the past, plus I have had aquariums for almost 40 yrs. Why not just have an experienced pet sitter who knows how to care for fish stop in and feed them once every few days? They can grab your mail while they are there, take your trash bins to the curb and back, plus water your flower pots and veggie garden, if need be. If a power outage occurs they can ensure that the life saving equipment is still operating and has begun filtering and heating again. You will enjoy your vacation more if you have that peace of mind. If it makes you feel better, you could always dole out how much food you want them to dump in when they come. I’ve used plastic soda bottle caps with food allotments when I have had other people take care of my own aquariums when I go away to ensure they are not over fed. You can even put a post-it note on the glass with an arrow as to where you want them to drop the food. You can use the vacation feeders in conjunction with a pet sitter and maybe you could skip having anyone come during the first 5 or 6 days perhaps.

 

[Colin_T]

Clean the filter a few days before you go so it doesn't block up while your away.

-----------------
If you do use holiday/ vacation feeders (I don't recommend them), make sure the pH of the water is close to 7.0.

The holiday feeders have layers of dry food between layers of calcium. If the pH is acid (below 7.0) they dissolve much quicker and can release all the food in a short space of time.

If the pH is to high (above 7.0), they don't dissolve very quickly or at all, and the fish go hungry. This is preferred to a low pH because the fish can go without food for a long time but uneaten food can rot and cause ammonia problems.

 

[outofwater]

So, I ended up biting the bullet and bought 2 barebones auto feeders, about $20 each. Worked great, they actually helped keep the water clean, no ammonia buildup at all, and I'm debating whether I should just use them permanently, so far they're still there.

Only caveat with these cheapo units is that the Hikari micropellets are too small and I had to really me careful with "dialing in" the opening, it took me a bit of testing a couple of days before I left to ensure it was just right. I might do a "review" post for those later on, I really think they're very useful.

 

[Colin_T]

Did you have a nice holiday?

 

[Byron]

So, I ended up biting the bullet and bought 2 barebones auto feeders, about $20 each. Worked great, they actually helped keep the water clean, no ammonia buildup at all, and I'm debating whether I should just use them permanently, so far they're still there.

Only caveat with these cheapo units is that the Hikari micropellets are too small and I had to really me careful with "dialing in" the opening, it took me a bit of testing a couple of days before I left to ensure it was just right. I might do a "review" post for those later on, I really think they're very useful.

Do these auto feeders allow the fish to eat as much as they like?

As for the Hikari food, this is not what I would use, given the ingredients. There are more nutritional and healthy foods available.

 

[outofwater]

Did you have a nice holiday?

Yes, got a good tan and now I'm peeling off. Lol

 

[outofwater]

Do these auto feeders allow the fish to eat as much as they like?

As for the Hikari food, this is not what I would use, given the ingredients. There are more nutritional and healthy foods available.

I dialed the dispensed food to get the same amount I normally feed them manually (as close as I could get) and in the same intervals (twice a day).

If you could, could you expand on the Hikari comment? I always read and heard good things about the brand and their offering in general.

That's not the only food I feed my fish (occasionally I throw blanched veggies for the cories and the ottos ) and about 2 or 3 times a week I feed dried tubifex on hoth tanks, everyone seems to love that.

And also twice or thrice a week I give an "extra" feeding with fluval bug bites, also on both tanks. Any comments and advice, always appreciated.