ninilie

Well i planned a last minute trip to visit my parents. Then i realized i had no clue what to do with my fish for 7 days and its a 800 mile trip one way. I have 3 fish tanks that will need to get fed. I do not have anyone that can come in and feed them.

Should i buy automatic feeders for each or will one of those vacation tabs work. Those are usually in the shape of a fish and look like chalk and i think you just drop it in the tank. I have never tried them.

I will do w/c for all 3 on xmas. And i will feed regular the morning of the 26th.
Any advice?

Dino

Feed normally before you go.
Do a water change as close to your leaving time as possible.
Do a water change when you get back.
Feed normally on your return.

If your fish are healthy and are not fry, they should be fine for that length of time without feeding.

ninilie

Thanks you are awsome Dino. Now i dont have to worry while having fun.

susitna-flower

I agree with Dino, the fish DO have things to eat in the tank, most will pick at algae, and such. The real problem can be created when the "automatic" feeder goes haywire, or a fish overeats and gets constipated. When you cut the food, the water quality stays good without changes. Have Fun!

COBettaCouple

It's crazy how often those automatic feeders malfunction. I don't like the chalk-like feeder blocks but tetra makes a food disc that's pretty good. But like Dino said, they can go the time without food.

0morrokh

I've left all my fish for a week without feeding 2 or 3 times, and never had any problems.

ninilie

Thanks everyone..I will do as Dino says. I coudlnt handle finding them dead because they were over fed. I do plan on bring them back lots of new decorations so hopefully they wont be too mad at me .

COBettaCouple

I think they'll be VERY happy to see you - and the food container.

jsalemi

I usually give the fish some Hakiri micro-pellets or micro-wafers before I go away. I feed a little more than usual, since the Hakiri food doesn't decay as fast as flakes, and drift down to land on plants, decorations and the substrate. The fish are usually finding them for a day or two afterwards.

miraloma

I'm going away for about 10 days. I have 2 guppies in one tank and 2 platys in another (just starting out, can you tell?) and about 15 platy fry that are roughly 2 weeks old. I didn't plan on having the fry, they came unannounced and unexpected. Would 10 days be too long for the fish if there's no food? I was going to put one of those weekend feeder in each of the adult tank and then toss the fry into the platy tank, hoping they'd survive in finding enough food and dodging their mother from eating them. I bought an automatic feeder but it seems most people don't have good experience with them so I'll be returning it.

At one point I planned on taking the fish with me. However, I had a 2 week period of dying guppies that I don't want to put them through undue stress. Suggestions on what to do with a total of 4 adult fish and 15 fry?

0morrokh

How big are the fry?

One thing that might help is to jack up the lighting. Leave it on for 12-14 hrs a day. This will cause algae to grow, and the fish will eat the algae while you're gone. Just make sure there isn't too much light or algae will get out of control...you just want a coating on surfaces. At least that's what I'd do, not sure how much you care to have algae all over your tanks.

susitna-flower

2 Week old fry? That may be a problem....

IF you have java moss in their tank, and algae they could go a couple of days, but I am just not sure about 10 days without feed. Fry are growing at such speed, that they require lots of small feedings.....

Hope you work this all out and enjoy your vacation.

miraloma

The bigger fry are about 1 cm and the smaller ones are about 6 mm. I've been having them in the breeder box so I how much food gets eaten and be sure that the food isn't just going to sink to the bottom before the fry get to it. I also don't want to give them too much food so I'm thinking a weekend feeder might be too much for them. That's why I'm thinking of letting them out of the feeder box and share the feeder with 2 adult platys.

I've been feeding my fry 3-4 times a day. I don't have java moss, instead, 5 stalks of bamboo, 2 ornaments and some floating fake plants. They seem so easily startled in the breeder box. I'm hoping once I let them out, they'd feel better.

Yep, I hope things work out with my plan.

0morrokh

I think you'll have to let them out because there won't be enough food for them in the breeder box. In the tank they can scavenge for bits of stuff in the gravel and on the decor. It's hard to know how they'll do, I hope they all make it but don't be too devastated if there are some losses.

COBettaCouple

yea, unfortunately the fry do need more food and I'd give them a big water change before going and with this case, I'd probably get a tetra vacation feeder (walmart usually has them). Although the other suggestions are good too. I think it would be whatever made you feel the best about leaving them.

ninilie

Well i just got home from a wonderful time at my parents house and everyone has survied. My holding yellow lab looked to me to be still holding so i feed them and did a w/c. While vacuming in one of the caves i noticed a baby away from the mom, while i was trying to point it out to my husband it disapeared and there was an adult fish there. I could almost swear he ate it but not sure. It was about as big as my pinky finger nail. I was so happy to see it then so sad that it might have been eaten because i scared it out of hiding.. I knew not having them seperate that that could happen but i didnt have anywhere to put them and then the trip.

But i did get some very nice mid to large rocks and even natural gravel to put in there once i boil them. I even got a nice peice of redwood that looks like it will be a sweet cave. Omg the gravel from Pebble Beach is so pretty and naturally tumbled and polished. I will try to get around to cleaning everything this weekend but i will probally wait now that i dont want to disturb any other babies. I believe she does still have some in her mouth.

Oh well Happy New Year.

COBettaCouple

welcome back. Glad they all made it and i hope you find the little fry.

miraloma

I ended up bringing the fry with me on an 8-hour trip. All of them survived the journey and were happy to make it to my mom's aquarium. I decided to gift the fry to my mom to replenish her aquarium. I hope they will be happy there.

I left the 3 adult (2 platys and 1 guppy, a guppy died the day we left so only 1 guppy left) at home with a vacation feeder. Happy to report that all of them survived when I got home after being away for 9 days. Incidentally, the female platy looked thinner, i.e. less pregnant, when I returned. I wonder if she dropped fry or aborted them. I sure didn't see any fry in the tank when I returned. Honestly, what are the chances of fry surviving with 3 really hungry adults preying on them?

ninilie

I was looking at my tank very closely last night and spotted a fry hidding in the crack of one of the caves. Also the mom still looks like she is holding some. But there is still hope that some will survive so im happy. Now im making sure to crush up the food more in that spot so the fry has a bettter chance to get some. I watched it trying to come out for food and would go back in when other fish came close. He never went far from the cave so it knows that it would be a snack for the others lol.