I left my fish for 5 days

[Paul_MTS]

ive heard that goldfish can survive a year without food my goldfish had no food for a month once. this was back when i was 7 or somewhere around there. they were all fine

yes they probable can in a well established pond with plenty of bugs and other young fish to munch on.

when i go away in late july I was going to get my brother to feed the fish once during the week. They only get fed every other day any ways and sometime i'm too tired to feed so miss another day, there well prepared for this.

with my fish I feel if i went to long with out feeding they would turn on each other.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Karah's Mommy, one problem is that the people with many years' experience will have heard of, or experienced themselves, so many instances of fish dying from overfeeding or poisoning by vacation blocks, they are not going to want to risk that. Leaving without food may be an evil, but it is often the lesser evil.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

hello? "evidence"? an actual event with an associated time and controlled environmental input? yes it was an accident, but it was a real event which can be used to supposition an end cap to the surival period of unfed fish.

actual events such as "lived without food 5 days", "lived without food 3 days", "did not die until 2 weeks without food", "lived for one month without food" will comprise the sort of evidence which will be used in any info you can find. so if you're going to dismiss these types of anecdotes as meaningless, then you're going to be doing a lot of searching...

 

[LoachLover]

Don't take this wrong, but I'm also guessing you don't have many years of experience keeping fish. I'm not saying you should do this but I probably could leave my fish for 2 weeks and they'd be fine. The fish feed off of dead plant material and such and will be just fine. You don't need articles on every stinken subject about fish keeping, a lot of the knowledge comes from hands on experience. Now stop and think about this, you are like the only one here that thinks that not feeding fish for 5 days is terrible and that it's VERY lucky they are still alive. A lot of the people here are very experienced fish keepers that have been keeping fish for over 10 years, some over 20.

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

Hello? I've already apologized to the person I offended. As I originally stated, I've never heard anything about this topic in many years of fish keeping and reading about fish. I've never left my fish for more than a few days without someone checking in on them and feeding them, so I wouldn't know from experience that you could go a week or more without feeding them. And yes, I understand that long term fish keepers are full of knowlegde and excellent advice, and I'm listening. I even asked a few questions. But along with those here that know what they're talking about, it's obvious that some who have added to the thread don't know much about keeping fish themselves. I state that I'm going to look into this more, and get chewed for that. It's too bad some of you blasting me couldn't use that energy to be more constructive. There are certainly more people out there that felt like I did.

 

[hellohefalump]

*I don't recommend this* but I once went without any calorie intake at all for seven days and seven nights to prove I could, and I am still around to tell the tale. I'm sure fish, being cold blooded can do it too.

 

[catyrpelius]

I am very glad i read this article, as I am going on vacation for 9 days and I was under the inpression that vacation feeding blocks were a good thing, but not anymore, ill just throw the things in the garbage and just let my grandpa feed them two or three times with some frozen blood worms. Thanks everyone that posted, you kept me from makeing a mistake that would have created more headaches then the vacation food would have solved.

 

[sarah-j]

look Karah's_mommy:

Stop being so pig headed and admit your wrong, fish are fine for up to 2 weeks without food, i dont see why u need 'proof' or 'evidence' I actually dont see more people who agree with you? where did u get the evidence QUOTE: "There are certainly more people out there that felt like I did"

QUOTE: "But along with those here that know what they're talking about, it's obvious that some who have added to the thread don't know much about keeping fish themselves."Not one person on this topic does not know what they are talking about. You definetly know how to get people's backs up and you wont be forgotten quickly especially if you are so quick to critice members of this forum.

I know you apologised however when u continue to argue it pretty poor taste especially when her fish are perfectly fine.

I'm going away for a week and will be leaving my fishies

 

[ncjharris]

Guys,

let us remember one of the things this forum is here for is the airing of peoples views.
Sometimes one persons views is at opposites from anothers; that is what sparks discussions.
Keeping the discussion within the realms of politness is important - This one is almost bordering on an argument.

I think people are quite within their right to not take something at face value; how else would many people have developed their own methods for treating Ich for example.

Just because someone differs from the norm does not mean they are wrong and should be shouted at.

Play nice now........

 

[sinistral]

This is a quote from The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums by David Boruchowitz (editor of Tropical Fish Hobbyist), page 162:

Starvation

Starvation may seem a strange topic to include, but it is important for you to understand some fundamental characteristics of cold-blooded fish. Although their frenzied delight when you feed them will reinforce the notion that fish view eating with the same feelings and emotions as a dog or a cat or you or I, the fact is that fish do not suffer from food deprivation until long after a warm-blooded animal would be severely weakened or dead. A small rodent deprived of food for 24 hours is likely to starve to death, while a much smaller fish can easily experience a two-week fast without injury.

In fact, an occasional period without feeding can be beneficial. You do not have to schedule regular fast days into your maintenance program (though many aquarists do), but you can skip a feeding now and then, and you certainly should not have someone come in and feed your fish if you are going to be away two weeks or less. It is much healthier for your pets to go unfed than to be subject to the well motivated but lethal ministrations of a well-meaning overfeeder.

As a side note, I second everything ncjharris typed above. In fact, I can't say it any better, so I won't try.

 

[bunjiweb]

Wow this thread has really taken a turn for the worse!

I suggest the arguing stops and any further comments be on the relevant subject matter and NOT flaming!

As one further example of goldfish living with any "artificial" feeding. We had a customer in this week that moved into a house with a pond. The previous owners told them that the fish were fed ONCE A MONTH! The rest of the time they fed of bugs and water boatmen and algae. She said the pond was very clean but we did reccomend that she fed the fish a bit more regularly to be on the safe side.

Ben

 

[JDH]

I am very glad i read this article, as I am going on vacation for 9 days and I was under the inpression that vacation feeding blocks were a good thing, but not anymore, ill just throw the things in the garbage and just let my grandpa feed them two or three times with some frozen blood worms. Thanks everyone that posted, you kept me from makeing a mistake that would have created more headaches then the vacation food would have solved.

Just a bit of advice, maybe have the food portions pre measured (in little bags or tupperware) so that there is no over-feeding. Like it's been stated before, family members have a tendency to over-feed.

 

[Torrean]

What happens if on the first day of your trip one of your larger fish dies. Even if you don't have someone feed your fish I think it would be a good idea to have them come in and count them.

 

[gaya]

glad your fish are ok angry. I've left my fish for at least five days before and never had any problems. i only feed them once ever 2-3 days any way and find this works best. Most of my fish do nibble on my plants though.

 

[gaya]

What happens if on the first day of your trip one of your larger fish dies. Even if you don't have someone feed your fish I think it would be a good idea to have them come in and count them.

I actually paid a friend of mine to come check on my cats while i was gone last year and he couldn't figure out how to work the lock. Thank goodness my cats managed to knock the filter cover off one of my tanks to have access to water.