Vacation!!! Need a quick refresher

[powerdyne6]

I will be going away for about 8 days in July.

I have a 75 Gallon tank that gets a 50% water change once a week. The tank has been up and running for roughly a year now.

I live in Vancouver BC and I won’t need to worry about house temperature fluctuations affecting the tank water. There are 18 Tetras and 10 Yoyo Loaches in the tank so the bio load is relatively small.

Just looking for a quick refresher on things I should do just prior to leaving for the week.

Thanks

 

[AJ356]

One thing is the person looking after the tank while you are away. Be very careful about the feeding. Most helpers will over feed.

 

[seangee]

• Water change before you go
• Water change when you get back
• Enjoy the holiday
• Water change when you get back
• Continue your normal feeding routine
  

 

[Colin_T]

Add a heap of live aquatic plants about 2 weeks before you go. The fish can graze on the microscopic organisms living on the plants.

Increase the lighting time to encourage green algae to grow on the glass. You can have the lights on for up to 16 hours per day but fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. The fish can graze on the algae and you can reduce lighting times when you get back.

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 or every second 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 8 days.

Enjoy your holiday

 

[GaryE]

We all have different recipes. I feed the fish once a day, but go to twice for a few days before I leave town. I do a water change before I go, and another when I return.
That's it. They can handle 2 weeks unfed. In a pinch, that can stretch to 3 weeks, but you are pushing your luck there. As long as the tank has plants, you can just relax and enjoy the travel.

 

[powerdyne6]

One thing is the person looking after the tank while you are away. Be very careful about the feeding. Most helpers will over feed.

No one is looking after the tank.

 

[gwand]

We all have different recipes. I feed the fish once a day, but go to twice for a few days before I leave town. I do a water change before I go, and another when I return.
That's it. They can handle 2 weeks unfed. In a pinch, that can stretch to 3 weeks, but you are pushing your luck there. As long as the tank has plants, you can just relax and enjoy the travel.

There is growing data in humans that intermittent fasting and overall calorie restriction may prolong life. Do you think the same is true for freshwater fish?

 

[GaryE]

There is growing data in humans that intermittent fasting and overall calorie restriction may prolong life. Do you think the same is true for freshwater fish?

I do. First, fat deposition is inside the body cavity, and not under the skin as it is with us. Anecdotally, once I started fasting fish at least one day a week, they not only lived longer, but bred more. I didn't expect that.
I suspect overfeeding by beginners is almost as deadly as the cycle. First, it affects water quality, but it also affects fish health internally.

One of the oddest observations is one I see as a fish breeder. When I go away for a week and have fry over 2 weeks in age, they actually grow significantly without feeding from me. They must be finding bacteria, biofilm etc. They show no stunting, They breed like fish I raise traditionally once they are adults.

It would be a longterm experiment to prove that though. We as hobbyists are convinced 3 year old cardinal tetras are old, and they would be in nature. But in a well run tank, 7,8, 9 years are possible. Here, for me, they get fasted intermittently, even if I'm home. Sometimes I'll intentionally skip over tanks for a few days, more or less at random. But I have no data to prove I'm being sensible.

 

[powerdyne6]

Update

Well today is day 6 away. I will be back on Sunday.

Every night I sit in my room on my cruise ship and wonder how my fish are doing. Did the tank break? Has anyone jumped (I do have a acrylic lid) and so on and so on.

I am sure everything will be okay.

 

[gwand]

I hope you were able to enjoy your vacation!

 

[MattW]

I’m returning home today after a week in Wales. I’ve tried Holiday Gel food this time so will be good to see the results. I’ve also had two indoor cameras put next to my tanks to see temps and to make sure lights came on. A bit overkill but it’s the peace of mind for me. Hopefully you return to a normal looking tank

 

[powerdyne6]

I hope you were able to enjoy your vacation!

Lol all has been great.

 

[powerdyne6]

Update #2

Well returned home earlier this morning and everything was the just how I left it.

All fish are accounted for. I gave them some food and all looked to be eating.

I will have to do this all over again in about 2 weeks as I am gone again for another week.