Going on vacation - feeding recommendations?

[MsMarvel]

So in a few weeks I am leaving for a two week vacation. While the bioload in my tank is low and going 2 weeks instead of 1 for a WC should pose no issue, I am more concerned about how to keep them fed properly while I am away. My 40g tank has 20 ember tetras, 12 amano shrimp, 12 cherry shrimp, 3 flower shrimp, and 7 otos.

I have a really great neighbor who I can reasonably ask to stop by once a day for feeding, but I would need to prepare the amounts for each day in advance to ensure no overfeeding occurs while I am away. I am happy to do this, however I am unsure what the best way to handle it would be. I usually do 3 small feedings a day and add a veggie or algae wafer every other day to supplement the diet of my shrimp and otos. I have also obtained BacterAE and am going to start adding a half dose of that each week to keep up biofilm for all my grazers.

My questions are as follows:
1. How much food for a daily feeding in place of 3 small meals?
2. How do I handle feeding algae wafers/veggies when I would be taking them out after certain lengths of time while here?
3. Are there any other alternatives I don't know about which would be helpful for my situation?

Thank you all in advance for any advice you can provide. Just want to make sure my fish are comfortable and healthy while I am away.

 

[ruud]

It seems to me you are treating your fish as little humans .

Ask your neighbor to drop by 2 or 3 times a week, to offer your otos some food; shrimp will graze along. While he's at it, he can offer the embers some food too. That's it.

If it was just the embers (and shrimp), it would be fine to not feed for 2 weeks.

Two weeks without WC is not an issue at all, especially if feeding is reduced.

Enjoy your holidays!

 

[MsMarvel]

It seems to me you are treating your fish as little humans .

Ask your neighbor to drop by 2 or 3 times a week, to offer your otos some food; shrimp will graze along. While he's at it, he can offer the embers some food too. That's it.

If it was just the embers (and shrimp), it would be fine to not feed for 2 weeks.

Two weeks without WC is not an issue at all, especially if feeding is reduced.

Enjoy your holidays!

Haha ya I care about them a great deal. For offering the otos food, would veggies be best or can an algae wafer be left in?

 

[ruud]

I leave this to oto experts.

Almost all fish benefit from one or two days of fasting a week. But herbivores, like otos, need to be able to graze constantly.

 

[brhau]

I'm not an oto expert, but having kept otos I'll say that I've never gotten mine to eat anything except tank algae. If yours do, that changes things.

I would feed enough for the shrimp, and not add any extra for the otos. If the otos are already taking wafers, they'll get some. If not, they're eating algae as normal. If there's no algae and they're not taking other food, then it obviously doesn't matter what you feed.

The reason I'd not do the veggies is that then it's very important to remove the uneaten food daily. I generally don't trust other people to do anything with my tanks, so asking someone to potentially siphon if necessary seems fraught with peril.

Cheers