noooo

[ladynaoko]

I've been on vacation recently - not been home long.

I was only gone a week and every single one of my ottos has died whilst I was away - I waterchanged the night before I went & checked all the levels and everything was fine.

I came home to a completely clogged filter (I had cleaned it before I left) and a tank full of corpses with the nitrite stupidly high (0.6). All thats left in that tank now is a Betta and 2 platties - levels are now back to normal though (thankfully).

In the other tank I found a half eaten BUT STILL ALIVE platy and the rest of my platties with bright red marks all over them (I've added methelane blue for that btw - if you think I should do something else, please say). That platy is now dead - all the other fish will hopefully be ok.

I also noticed that a disturbing amount of food has gone from the containers even though I wrote down SPECIFICALLY what to feed and when

*sigh*

 

[Aquascaper]

I take it you left your fish in someone's care?

I personally would rather put my trust in an automatic feeder (after watching it for a few days of course).
Sorry to hear about your losses, hope the others pull through

 

[ladynaoko]

yeah, my mother but she was working all week so I expect my brother/dad were made to do it all >.<

 

[Paul_MTS]

thats a real pain, I think feeding would get done properly if I were waway I hope, or if we were all away luckily one of my neighbours keeps fish so he would do it.

Hope you get things all back to normal soon

 

[Logitech]

That really sucks, sorry for your losses. I'm now precautioning my tank in case I go on vacation. Maybe an automatic feeder would do the job better than one of my friends.

 

[SirMinion]

I would be inclined to fatten the fish up the week before going away, then fast them for a week while away.

Or possibly make pre-measured portions of food for each day for the carer to give.

 

[zelandonia]

Yikes,

your post makes me very nervous, ladynaoko!

I am leaving on Wednesday for 1 week. I have my aquarium on an automatic light timer and I am testing an automatic feeder to set up while I'm gone. I plan to do a 30% water change the day that I leave and hopefully not too much water will evaporate while I'm gone.

I'm really sorry about your poor ottos and platies! I spend so much time watching my little guys every day that leaving them is very difficult!

z.

 

[K-Holed]

As a rule, anything less than a week I wouldn't bother feeding for. Two weeks holiday you might want to get a neighbour to put some food in once,but no more, it's not worth the risk.

 

[mrswoman2000]

When i went on hols (3 wks ago) I had all the food measured out in small containers and labelled with the days of the week they were to be given. I even showed my neighbour how to open the lid etc and explained that under no circumstances where the fish to be given anymore food. I came back to 2 healthy tanks.
Sorry for your losses

Lynn

 

[325Pilot]

I just thought of this. You know those days of the week pill containers they make? One of those could be used with the premeasured amount of food in each day.

Hope this helps,
Brian

 

[jams.alaskan]

I'm so very sorry for you. I can't imagine what that must feel like - you thought that you had all the bases covered and you come home to disaster. Honestly, leaving fish a week without food is very easy and safe to do. The only exception that I can think of is small fry that may require more feeding but if you have them in established tank with plants and other items to pluck unseen tasties from I would even be tempted not to arrange feeding for them either... The pill box with days of the week is a great idea though - really, that's useing your head!!!

ALASKA

 

[StevieJack]

Several years ago I lost an entire tank population after a weeks vacation.
My mom was the volunteer fishkeeper then.

I simply thought it was a freek of nature, but after reading this thread I guess she was possibly over feeding (the water was very cloudy, white in color).

Anyway, I am sorry to read about your losses, I know how fish can become close and personal.

Stevie

 

[CFC]

I let the fish starve while we're away, better to come back to a tank full of hungry fish than to a tank full of dead one's, anything up to two weeks is fine for fish to go without food.

 

[bunjiweb]

I told my parents that If I ever had to leave my fishes in their care I would write down SPECIFIC instructions, and that if they weren't followed I would know, and that any casualties would have to be payed for by them..... That soon makes them follow the instructions precisley.

Ben

 

[nightlife20]

when im gone for two weeks next yr iv already pre-booked a baby sitter lmao



i asked sun not long ago because i remembered she offered a while back lol she said yes sooooo hopefully the honeymoon will be over a while before we go lmao