Going away for 3 weeks what do I do for my fish?

[Ghostly]

I know there has been a lot of these threads lately so sorry lol.

so I plan on feeding then right before i leave then doing a 50% water change. i do have someone to feed them but I think i will do every other day since i dont want there to be any leftover food.

anything else I should do? or is there a better option then having someone feed them?

 

[connorjs1004]

If the person you have to feed them isn't experienced with keeping fish, I would prepare the amounts of food you want in ziplock bags and label them for the days you want them fed. IMO it works best to avoid them overfeeding the tank

 

[ProudPapa]

If the person you have to feed them isn't experienced with keeping fish, I would prepare the amounts of food you want in ziplock bags and label them for the days you want them fed. IMO it works best to avoid them overfeeding the tank

. . . and be sure to tell him or her that if a day gets skipped not to feed extra next time to make up for it.

 

[Ghostly]

okay thanks everyone! and otherwise a 50% water change is good to last all 3 weeks?

 

[Ouse]

okay thanks everyone! and otherwise a 50% water change is good to last all 3 weeks?

Depends on the bioload size really. You’ll for sure end up with a higher mg/L of nitrate and DOCs than usual but exactly how much depends on the bioload and tank size. In a lightly stocked planted tank the reading won’t be alarmingly high.

After the three weeks are finished you might want to do a large volume water change or a series of them.

 

[ShannyB]

I just got home from a 2 week vacation. Changed 50% two days before we left and then the day after we got home so the tank went 17 days without a wc. All was fine. In fact, my nitrates were at ~5-10 when I checked them before the wc - I have a light bioload and fairly heavily planted tank though, and did not have my friend doing any plant fertilizing.

I do second the suggestion to leave pre-portioned amounts labeled for feeding because my idea of a "small pinch" may be drastically different from someone else's!

One other recommendation - leave specific instructions for what to do in the event of a power outage that messes up your lighting (or heat if applicable). I did not do this and my friend *helpfully* turned on all the tank lights, but did not reset the timer so they were on 24/7. Needless to say the green hair algae quite enjoyed my oversight!

 

[StarGirl]

Those pill containers with the days of the week work very well for portioning out food too.