GoGreen

The betta bug has bit me, but I was just wondering how they fare when you are on vacation (say, 2 full weeks) I have an automatic feeder for my main tank, or someone who could feed my fish every three days. How would the betta do with an every three day feeding, or is there a vacation block for a betta tank?
Or is it simply not a good idea?

I don't want to pursue this if the betta would suffer.

Elodea

Vacation blocks are not very good; they cloud up the water FAST. Yes, your betta can survive perfectly fine with a feeding every three days, remember that in the wild they could go weeks without food (not that you want to try it).

Furallicah

How big is the tank the betta(s) are in? If I was you I would just take the tank to a friend who would be able to keep the betta for you while your gone.

GoGreen

I haven't got the tank yet, but I was thinking I would get a 5 gallon. Wouldn't moving him every time we go away be kind of traumatic? If he could survive with a every third or every forth day feeding, I wouldn't move him. That is what I wanted to find out about.
Eloda, have you left your betta for any period of time? You said he would be fine for three days, is that the maximum time?

Furallicah

Oh I didnt realize you would be gone a lot. But bettas can survive at least a week with out food. So a feeding every 3days would be fine. I sometimes fast my bettas for two days, so that should be fine.

fishtroy

They should be okay with an every three day feeding but (if yours are half as spoilt as mine) be prepared for them to sulk! Not getting attention while your gone and daily feeding cut down to every three days is going to make for mopey bettas!

GoGreen

Great to know that he would be okay at least for a week! We are not gone a lot during the year, just in the summer. So he would have the rest of the time to be spoiled.
Next questions: How long can he go without a water change in a 5 gallon tank with a filter?
And what is a good brand of filter for a small tank like that?

Elodea

Weekly water changes should do it...they should only take about 20-30 minutes in my case.

EDIT: Oops, I read the question wrong.

He should be fine without a water change for a month, but it might be risky in such a small tank. Putting live plants in the tank (even if they have to be anacharis and Java fern) will help lower the nitrate level.

Furallicah

Lol that is true but I would never reccommend it at all. Leaving a tank alone for a month with no water changes then suddenly doing one. Can kill fish, they get use to that enviroment then to have it changed and quickly can throw off their systems and they die from stress. But going two weeks...should be fine.

GoGreen

Good to know, he wouldn't be without a water change for longer than 2 weeks, so that would work out okay.
That makes sense, Furallicah, about going from yukky water to pristine water would also be stressful.
And the type of filter that would work for the 5 gallon tank? My Q tank has a little whisper filter in it, it is just a screen with carbon in it and I am assuming the bacteria would just grow on the screen, only what happens when you change it, all the bacteria would be lost. That tank gets a water change with prime every day when I am using it, I don't think that would be good for a betta, though. Unless, I could have the next screen seeding in the main tank, would that work?

Furallicah

One what type of whisper is it the 3i or a 10i or what? When you want to replace the filter you can either have the new one in the main tank or you can do what I do and rip up the old filter a little and place it behind the new one. But wash off the old filter in used tank water first then soak the new filter in the old tank water then put in the new filter and stuff some of the old filter in behind it keep it there for a week or two and you'll be good.

Red1313

If you're going to be gone a couple weeks at a time my recomendation is to use a box air filter. Just from what I've noticed there seems to be more evapotation in my 5 gal tanks with hobs (or the whipser i filters) then from the air driven ones. Also with the air driven filters there's no worries about priming or low water levels if the power goes out while you're away. Also with the media immersed in the tank even with the power out there's still some filtration occuring.

Just my 2 cents. Make sure the tanks are cycled befroe you leave. Live plants are great but you have to have someone stop into check on you're lights periodically while you're gone incase they burn out (this has happened to me a couple of times).

Good luck

P.S. (I would recomeend that someone comes in to feed your bettas at least 2x a week while you're away. I did a whole summer where the betta's were mostly fed only once a week and it's really hard on them. They survive but it takes a long time even after you're backto get them back up to their prior glory).