Going to be Away for 3 Weeks

[faolteam]

Hi folks open to any suggestions , im going to be away for 3 weeks , i might be able to get someone to feed for first two weeks, just bit worried they might get it wrong , so i will have a good 7 days that nobody be here any recommendations,,, i have 4 tanks , with blue shrimps in them guppies, corydoeas, mountain minnow, harlequin, clownloach etc

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Fish can go a surprisingly long time without food. Mammals like us need quite a lot of food, often, because we have to generate our own body heat, and that requires a lot of energy. Fish take their body temperature from the water they're in, so they can manage for a long time without food - but it feels alien to us because we don't want to imagine them being hungry, and they always act hungry! lol. The tanks will have algae and microcritters in them that many of the fish will pick at too, I would make sure the substrate is clean and do a lot of water changes before going, but leave the tank glass alone so algae can grow that they can pick at while you're away. Adding things like almond leaves and alder cones will also attract and grow micro critters like seed shrimp that lots of fish will eat.

A week is fine, even two weeks. Some would say three weeks is okay, and it probably would be, but in your shoes, if the person can be trusted, I'd portion out a meal in a ziplock back for each tank, taped to the tank it's for.
Have them feed each tank once or twice at most while you're away, hide the food containers, and stress to them how crucial it is not to feed them any more than the portion you've given them, or it risks making the water toxic and killing the fish while you're gone.

 

[outofwater]

The previous reply by @AdoraBelle Dearheart hits all the points.
The one issue with having someone feed your fish is that you'll see stories where even when the process was detailed in advance and the food portioned out, sometimes they still manage to overfeed the fish and cause issues ranging from a just a dirtier than normal tank to where the damage goes beyond than just having to do a larger water change.

I bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and went for 2 of the absolute cheapest autofeeders I could find on Amazon for around $20 each for my two tanks.

Now I don't have to worry about anything and can leave for even longer periods if needed (just came back from a 2 week vacation and both tanks and all the fish in them are doing just fine.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I’d lower the temperature a couple degrees (slows their metabolism) and have someone drop in maybe two or three times while you’re gone to feed a pre measured amount of food. They can live over 14 days without food, so a couple small feedings should hold them over

 

[GaryE]

3 weeks is pushing it by a few days. I found a cheap solution - soft ice cube trays can be cut, and placed on top of the tank for the person feeding with the food needed measured into them. If you have someone for 2 weeks, yoiu'd be good, but overfeeding is the curse of the well meaning friend.

 

[Colin_T]

Unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water. This means any food they eat is used for growth and movement. This allows fish to go for long periods of time without food and not die.

If the fish and shrimp are adults, and the tanks have live plants in, they will be fine for 3 weeks. You can do things to increase their chance of survival while you are away.

Add a heap of live aquatic plants about 2 weeks before you go.

Increase the lighting time to encourage green algae to grow on the glass.

Feed the fish 3-5 times a day for a few weeks before you go. This will let the fish gain some weight (fat) and they can live off the fat reserves while your gone.

Do big (50-75%) water changes and gravel clean the substrate every day when feeding more often. This keeps the tank cleaner while allowing you to feed the fish more often.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Clean the filter a few days before you go so it is clean and there is less chance of it blocking up while your away.

Feed the fish on the day you go and they will be fine without food for 3 weeks.

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If you want to get someone in to feed the fish. Do what AdoraBelle Dearheart said. Measure out one feed and put it in a container. Have a couple of containers for each tank. Get the person to add one container of food per tank once or twice a week.

More fish die from overfeeding than starvation.