What Fish To Add?

[robyngunston]

Hi there,

My tank appears as if it has finally finished cycling, yippee! One problem however.....I am going away for three weeks and I won't be able to do any water changes in this time, what fish could I add that would be okay while I'm away? The neighbour....a lovely elderly lady has offered to feed the fish but water changes are not really an option? Someone said Barbs or Danios would be okay is this true?

 

[chibi]

I wouldn't add any fish. You're going away, so why would you want to anyway? The old lady may not want to fish out the dead ones, either.

Wow, I just read over that and it sounded really mean! I don't want to sound rude. I'm just curious as to why you would want to put fish in when you won't be able to see them for 3 weeks.

 

[robyngunston]

I wouldn't add any fish. You're going away, so why would you want to anyway? The old lady may not want to fish out the dead ones, either.

Wow, I just read over that and it sounded really mean! I don't want to sound rude. I'm just curious as to why you would want to put fish in when you won't be able to see them for 3 weeks.

No silly.....I am going away for three weeks in about five weeks....so I wanted to get fish so that I can enjoy them now, I have been waiting ages. I was just worried that when I go away they will not survive? Also if I don't get fish my bacteria will die correct and I will have to start all over again....I have been cycling my tank since about May.

 

[F.O.H]

i dont mean to sound rude but if you have been cycling you tank since may a few weeks will not hurt if any thing it will make your tank better, i had the same sort of problem so what i did was stick two goldfish inthe tank that way there is something in the tank, but it is really upto you. before now i had my tank cycling for 24 hours that is all and i have only had one fish die due to it being old when i got it and even that was after 3 months of having fish in there.

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

I would get the least waste producing fish/invert I could think of since in three weeks time, your water would be full of nitrates by the time you get back if you have lots of fish or fish like a pleco that can mess things up pretty quick.

I went away for two weeks when I got married and left my FW tank alone completely. I had my brother plop one of those feeder 'blocks' into the tank after I was gone for a week and it wasnt completely gone when I got back....problem was though my nitrates were sky high. I didnt lose any fish but the second I walked in the door, I had to do a bunch of big water changes.

If you decide to not get fish (I would think about it carefully), you can get yourself some shrimp from the grocery store (cocktail shrimp or shell on shrimp) and put them into a filter bag or nylon (pantyhose) and weigh them down in the tank and walk away. The bacteria will then have food to survive on and when you get back, your tank will just need a water change and some fish!

 

[chibi]

I'd put a small school of tetras. Small, hardy, and produce little waste.

 

[robyngunston]

Thanks for all of the advice!
I shall have a think and see