Restarting aquarium after vacation?

[Sicklidcommunity]

I will be giving away my 3 fish that survived a heat spike to a friend since they are cichlids and there isnt much activity since there are only 3, they are always hiding and very scared with pale colours 24/7. i have to go on a long vacation ( 3 weeks ) but i plan to start fresh when i am back.

I would like to know if

1. should i keep my filters running?
2. should i let there be water in the tank or empty it ( accessing the tank is a bit difficult since its inside the wall so gravel and rocks will have to remain in tank)
3. if there should be water in the tank how do i keep the nitrogen cycle stable.
4. if there should be no water how do i keep my gravel away from mold and foul smell etc.

 

[Colin_T]

Leave the fish there and do a big water change and complete gravel clean, and clean the filter a few days before you go away. Feed the fish well before you go and have the light on a timer and keep the lights on for 14hours a day. This will encourage algae and the fish can graze on that. Put some live plants in the tank and the fish can eat them too if they get really hungry. Then go away and enjoy your holiday. When you come back you can continue feeding the fish and carry on from where you left off.

The fish will be fine for 3 weeks without food especially if they are in good condition before you go. If you aren't leaving for a week then start feeding the fish more often now before you go and let them fatten up. Do more water changes to compensate for the food.

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If you remove the fish or turn the filters off the beneficial filter bacteria will die off and you will have to cycle the tank again before you can put more fish in it.

You could get rid of the fish and have someone add one small sinking catfish pellet/ wafer to the tank once a week and it will break down and release ammonia that will keep the filter bacteria alive. But if they add too many pellets the ammonia levels could get too high and cause the bacteria to wipe out.

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I went up north to study for a few months and when I returned, I found my fish had not been fed at all. I had organised for my sister to feed the fish once every couple of days. Well she didn't bother but most the fish were fine and simply lived off their fat reserves and plants in the tanks. The only fish I lost were babies less than 1 month old and a few specialty fishes that needed live food and had only been caught recently. So your fish should be fine for 3 weeks without food

 

[IHaveADogToo]

If you're hard-set on getting rid of the fish prior to vacation, I'd still keep something in there while you are gone, even if it's just snails or shrimp. If you don't want to deal with algae, as per Colin's suggestion, you could put a pleco in the tank and some driftwood for it to gnaw on. Just make sure you get one that likes your water parameters. It's just if there's no livestock in the tank at all, you will lose your bacteria cycle.

 

[Sicklidcommunity]

Leave the fish there and do a big water change and complete gravel clean, and clean the filter a few days before you go away. Feed the fish well before you go and have the light on a timer and keep the lights on for 14hours a day. This will encourage algae and the fish can graze on that. Put some live plants in the tank and the fish can eat them too if they get really hungry. Then go away and enjoy your holiday. When you come back you can continue feeding the fish and carry on from where you left off.

The fish will be fine for 3 weeks without food especially if they are in good condition before you go. If you aren't leaving for a week then start feeding the fish more often now before you go and let them fatten up. Do more water changes to compensate for the food.

------------------------
If you remove the fish or turn the filters off the beneficial filter bacteria will die off and you will have to cycle the tank again before you can put more fish in it.

You could get rid of the fish and have someone add one small sinking catfish pellet/ wafer to the tank once a week and it will break down and release ammonia that will keep the filter bacteria alive. But if they add too many pellets the ammonia levels could get too high and cause the bacteria to wipe out.

------------------------
I went up north to study for a few months and when I returned, I found my fish had not been fed at all. I had organised for my sister to feed the fish once every couple of days. Well she didn't bother but most the fish were fine and simply lived off their fat reserves and plants in the tanks. The only fish I lost were babies less than 1 month old and a few specialty fishes that needed live food and had only been caught recently. So your fish should be fine for 3 weeks without food

im actually set on passing on my fish to a friend as i have a salvini and a firemouth in my tank currently and there arent many compatible tankmates available for them in my locality. Also i look at this vacation as a chance to start a new stock for my tank ( other than cichlids).
i think i can arrange for someone to throw in few pellets once a week into the tank (y).

 

[Sicklidcommunity]

If you're hard-set on getting rid of the fish prior to vacation, I'd still keep something in there while you are gone, even if it's just snails or shrimp. If you don't want to deal with algae, as per Colin's suggestion, you could put a pleco in the tank and some driftwood for it to gnaw on. Just make sure you get one that likes your water parameters. It's just if there's no livestock in the tank at all, you will lose your bacteria cycle.

ok i will make sure to add in my apple snail into the tank after getting rid of the fish.
thank you

 

[seangee]

Definitely leave the filter running. If there is not enough waste the bb may become dormant but will revive quickly. But it does need flowing water to keep it alive. If you do find another home don't clean the tank too well or change the water. A bit of organic waste in this case is no bad thing because it will feed the bb in the absence of fish.

Of course you should then do a water change and gravel clean before you do add fish.

 

[Sicklidcommunity]

T

Definitely leave the filter running. If there is not enough waste the bb may become dormant but will revive quickly. But it does need flowing water to keep it alive. If you do find another home don't clean the tank too well or change the water. A bit of organic waste in this case is no bad thing because it will feed the bb in the absence of fish.

Of course you should then do a water change and gravel clean before you do add fish.

Thank you , your reply will be of very useful to me