KyWildFish

So as some of you know I just got married and was unable to take care of my tanks for 14 days. I didn't have anyone I trusted in the area to care for them so I used some of those vacation feeders. The results are below.

Community Tank:
Used: Tetra 14 day Gel feeder
Cost: 3$ DFS

Readings:

Before:

ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: <5ppm

After:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm

goldfish Tank:
Used: x2 Topfin 7 day tropical fish vacation feeder (chalky kind)
Cost: 3$ petsmart

Readings:

Before:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <5ppm

After:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 40-80ppm

Divided betta Tank:
Used: Topfin Betta 7 Day vacation feeder (chalky kind)
Cost: 4$ Petsmart

Readings:

Before:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <5ppm

After:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20-30ppm

The fish were fed a regular feeding a few days in between our return, but due to issues with the wedding stuff I wasnt able to check the readings till today. The community is still slightly crowded but has some live plants to help buffer the nitrate load. All of the topfin chalky feeders where gone when we returned the gel was still mostly intact and I ended up just tossing it. Any info you might want I can fill in for you. All fish survived and look great.

JennDFK

Cool information... Thanks for sharing... I'll have to find a way to bookmark this thread for future viewing.

Jenn

MissMTS

I'm glad that your fish are okay. I'm sure a good water change will bring the nitrates back down to a normal level. I hope that you guys had a wonderful wedding and honeymoon

KyWildFish

Oh yeah, buckets of water are to be slung, I assure you of that. I was happy to see no disease or deaths during my absence. Several things are to blame for the success.

-First I made sure the water was pristine before I left. I tested each tank and changed the water out till the nitrates were as low as I could get them.

-Second I made sure to reduce the occupancy as much as my heart would allow to ensure that there was plenty of waste room while I was gone. I am no longer an owner of Mollies, but they went to a good home so I am happy. Time to move on from the live bearers.

-Third I didn't over feed them. I fed as usual until the last minute and dropped in the vacation feeders right before we left for the airport. The bettas made me laugh as they gave me a "What on earth is this?" look.

-Last I made sure no debris was in the water (dead plant leaves or uneaten food) and no fish looked even remotely sick. Also I timed some filter media changes the week before I left to ensure they would be on full capacity. You need to know when your are leaving months in advance to allow the proper time to prepare for a lot of this stuff too.