Which Is Best, Feedblock Or Mechanical Feeder

[trinity0_10]

Which would be best for a 14 day vacation, feed blocks or mechanical feeder?
Neighbour is possibly no option.

I have 21 neon tetra, 11 platy & 3 catfish. All young fish.

 

[england]

Well i would prefer to find someone, but id imagine the mechanical, not sure how they work mind

 

[shelaghfishface]

i wouldnt use either, i would gradually drop feeding to every 2 days.. then 3 for before you leave ) SOME ONE CORRECT ME ON THIS PART PZ ( this is if u cant get some one to feed pre-measured amounts of food to them while ur away) then feed a small amount when u get back.. the feeding blocs make a mess of ur tanks, ur not there to clean it or do a water change and the auto feeders may well malfunction....
but no there are ways to leave your fish quite happily without food, but neither of those would i trust

more advice will be here so dont panic

oops sorry nelly didnt see u typing

 

[england]

why are you sorry, yes i agree, fish should be ok, good ole waterchange and filter clean n gravel vac before you leave,

 

[trinity0_10]

Cheers, I have a good stock of plants in the tank.

 

[three-fingers]

i wouldnt use either, i would gradually drop feeding to every 2 days.. then 3 for before you leave ) SOME ONE CORRECT ME ON THIS PART PZ

I would feed them normally as you do usually ten give them a couple of big feeds the day before you leave, then do a water change then feed on the day that you leave.

Depends what type of fish they are as to what I would do, but if someone (friend, family member) can feed the fish once or twice a week that's fine.

IME feeding blocks = cloudy water and fluctuating water stats (they are made of plaster that dissolves, and often the fish simply wont eat the food inside).

Mechanical feeders = expensive and relativity prone to failure.

If you were to use a mechanical feeder, get a decent well known brand and test it for at least a few days before you leave.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Feeder blocks should never be used, they are plaster based and deteriorate and muck your water up.

I use a auto feeder on my Discus tank and it is alright. I will admit it does over feed a bit, because I use a pellet flake mix and it's at the smallest opening it can go before it doesn't drop pellets (I do a 100% water change now daily so it doesn't really matter. hahah)

Just make sure you get a good brand. I used the Ehiem Feeder this one here: [URL="http/saltaquarium.about.com/cs/autofeede...m3581feeder.htm"]http/saltaquarium.about.com/cs/autofeede...m3581feeder.htm[/URL] I think if you just put flake or a pellet you will be better off, make sure to fiddle around with it a few times to get the correct feeding portion.

As others said, your best bet is to get someone in to feed the fish a few times while you are gone, depending on how long you are gone for. Your fish should be fine for a week or two without food so you could always just leave them.

 

[shelaghfishface]

noted

 

[tenohfive]

If you decide to not feed them, I'd do as shelagh suggested and gradually decrease the amount of food you give them in the weeks prior to you going away.

 

[three-fingers]

If you decide to not feed them, I'd do as shelagh suggested and gradually decrease the amount of food you give them in the weeks prior to you going away.

Why?

It's not like they will physically adapt to getting less food.
Your best bet is to basically 'fatten' them up before you go away. But IMO that's just for good luck. Things like tetras and other small fish will easily be able to find enough food to temporarily sustain them for 1-2 weeks in an established community tank.

Giving them less food before you leave at best wouldn't make a difference (since most fish in our tanks are very overfed compared to what they would get in nature) and at worst would mean they have less energy reserves for when you leave.

The best thing to do would be to arange for someone to come in at least once and feed them.

As shelagh advised, pre-measured amounts are best .

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

If you decide to not feed them, I'd do as shelagh suggested and gradually decrease the amount of food you give them in the weeks prior to you going away.

Why?

Agreed


I have never done that and have left my fish without food before, none of them suffered any adverse effects.

 

[Acara Man]

Unless you have a species who are sensitive to variables I would just leave them to fend for themselves for the two weeks. I have done it many times and have never lost a single fish.

 

[Jazzzz]

the mechanical ones often fail I tried them

The nasty white hard blocks are really bad

But I would highly reckomend the tetra soft blocks in foil dishes. The water stays clear and the fish can pec at them while you are away. For me they are super