holiday

[jennyh124]

Hiya im going away next week and i was just wondering what is the best thing i can do for my fish. My sister is going to feed them but what about the water in the aquarium will it be ok because it wont be cleaned for two weeks?is there anything i can get for the water to keep it ok? thanx!

 

[ScoutCarcer]

Do a really big water change before you leave and have your sister clean it out a little when it gets dirty.

 

[jennyh124]

ok but she is really unreliable and i know for a fact she wont do it

 

[glolite]

If the tank is well maintained I've read that fish are fine for 2 weeks. If your sister is unreliable, howabout use a fish feeding holiday block. You can get 7 day blocks so your sister would only have to put another block in after 7 days. Also, if other people feed your fish while you are away, they tend to overfeed which makes the water quality bad. Feeding blocks don't cloud the water.

 

[jennyh124]

Thanx!ill do that then!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Better than a feeding block, if you worry about your sister overfeeding, is measuring out portions beforehand and asking her only to feed every other day. I have seen lots of posts from people who have tried feeding blocks and have had their water clouded (after all, they are kept together with plaster). In an emergency, I found tetrasticks worked ok, they contain no plaster so make less of a mess. There are also automatic feeders, but my experience was not brilliant (the flakes got damp and clogged up).

 

[Cheese Specialist]

If the tank is well maintained I've read that fish are fine for 2 weeks. If your sister is unreliable, howabout use a fish feeding holiday block. You can get 7 day blocks so your sister would only have to put another block in after 7 days. Also, if other people feed your fish while you are away, they tend to overfeed which makes the water quality bad. Feeding blocks don't cloud the water.

Feeding blocks are the devil's work!!

Really, don't use them. They are filled with ash and plaster to bulk them out and are really only any use for bottom feeders and not for long. IME they do cloud the water and block the filter.

If you don't trust your sister to feed, do what dwarfgourami suggested or just don't feed them. Then your tank will be nice and clean to come back to as well.

Oh, if you do get your sister to feed the fish, make sure she does it only once every 2-3 days because this will mean less waste is being produced in the tank. This is important if you're not doing a water change and will make it more safe.