inari

here is the deal...I have now 5 cories (3 spekled and 2 pandas) can they fend for themselves I know they are scavengers so if i throw some food in there will they be ok for about three to four weeks...I know it isn't wise to do that but i can't exactly take 10 gallon tank two hrs away twice take down and set up twice kinda annoying....any ideas?

thanx

~inari

Gwenz

I've heard some fish can go for up to a week without food, but I'm not sure they could survive 3-4 weeks. You could ask someone to do so for you. They would only have to do so about 1-2 times a week. Is there anyone who could feed them for you?

Gwenz

inari

you are hilarious I live in a dorm and when vacations come like winter break and spring break no one is the dorm except the security and they don't get keys to the rooms or anything well i don't know what to do yet, I'm going to try and get a security job so i can take care of them... and this is a ways off still, but i want to be very perpared for it....:-S
any other ideas would be wonderful

thanx

~Inari

Gwenz

sorry, I didn't know you lived in a dorm. I'm not sure what else to suggest...

Gwenz

inari

it's ok Gwenz, I thught i had said that i lived in the dorm lol anyway i think i'm going to take the winter security so i can stay and tack care of them...anyway if you have any ideas let me know thanx

~Inari

Gunnie

Start looking into getting an automatic feeder for the tank. I think most of them can be loaded to feed up to 4 weeks. 2 - 3 weeks is too long for them to be without food. I would not let my fish go without food for more than a week.

inari

ok a few questions about the auto feeders. how reliable are they? I also have three ghost shrimps and a bamboo shrimp. I have a major concern about the water quality as well. I've been having my pH spike by the end of the week and by the time I get back i'll have a pH of like 14 so idk what i should try while i'm here to see if it works. I don't want to come back to a tank full of dead cories, shrimp, and my pleco....not to mention my NH4 levels will probly spike as well.....any ideas if i can't stay?

chickadee

I have never seen a ph of 14 so I do not know what could be causing this. It is unheard of as far as I know. It is a wonder that you have any fish left. That would be moving it in the alkaline direction and I cannot imagine what the fish or fish food would be adding to the water to radically change it that much but I would be finding out if I were you. The autofeeders do not work well with bettas but may do okay with other fish.

Rose

inari

rose,

My pH has never hit that high, I was saying if I leave my 10 gallon for a few weeks without a water change at the rate that my pH moves it would be higher than 'cause when i do a water change on friday by the next few days it is up to a 8.2-8.4 that is y i think that! and you can have a pH of 14 but you would need some seriously weird chemicals to do it i've done it in a college level chem lab it was kinda fun

sorry for the confusion

~Inari

chickadee

Thanks for the explanation. It had me really wondering what could be happening.

Rose

poefox

The auto feeders are the way to go. you can also get a feeder block that will last a reasonable time but it will dirty your water.

inari

the thing i'm worried about is the pH spiking off the charts worse than it does right now ... I'm also concerned about the ammonia levels I have 3 speckled cories, 2 pandas (my smallest one died ), one albine bristlenose pleco, 4 ghost shrimp,1 bamboo and 1 betta tho the betta would be coming with me if i leave but the ammonia would be higher than ******* so that is another concern any ideas?

thanx

~inari