I am trying to avoid having my brother in law come over once a day to feed my fish while on vacation. But what are my options? I have read that you can let your fish go for a few days without food, but I really don't feel comfortable with that. Also read about the vacation feeders, do they work? Will they mess up my levels in the aquarium? I have a well established & planted 10 gallon aquarium with 5 guppies, 2 Otocinclus cats, and 1 balloon molly. I can't afford to buy one of the timed feeders. We only take like 1 vacation a year so it would not be that great of an investment. Any suggestions?
2007-08-08 14:55:42 · 13 answers · asked by Momof1 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I would get one of those vacation feeders for now but you might want to invest in an automatic feeder in the future. You can find automatic feeders at the link below
2007-08-09 04:33:37 · answer #1 · answered by NCConfederate13 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are 2 forms of in the back of schedule fish feeders: the 1st is the mechanical type that releases a set volume of food each 24 hours or so for a set volume of time, and the 2nd is a block of fish food that dissolves slowly over the process a few days. The blocks are offered in countless increments (2 days, 7 days, and so on), reckoning on how long your trip is going to be. the two sorts of feeders are attainable at any puppy save. in case you circulate on journeys many times, you should be extra useful off procuring the mechanical type, because it somewhat is obviously reusable.
2016-10-09 15:19:35 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All fish can survive of the fluids in there liver for 2 weeks before they actually begin to starve and even at that they will take about 5 more days to die.
You are ok and i heard the vacation feeders cloud up the tank and mess with the ph so i wouldn't try it.
Just feed them before you leave and that should be good.
2007-08-08 15:41:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
vacation feeders don't always work. if u want to use one, i suggest you test it before hand. when i went on vacation i brought them in a smaller tank to my relatives and at the end, pick them up. but since you are going away for 5 days, it doesn't really mater if they are fed or not. adult guppies, for example, could go for a week to a month without food (a fry can go a week but would stunt the growth)
i'm also sure they would find food like algae in the water if they are hungry.
2007-08-08 16:40:07 · answer #4 · answered by twil.raven 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually you can go to a pet store and buy vacation feeders they are inexpensive. They look like a rock but the water melts a little at a time and food floats up to the surface. They usually last for a few weeks. figure out how many of them you need for your tank and you should be good to go. Have fun!!!
2007-08-08 15:07:58 · answer #5 · answered by Lisa 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Fish can go for weeks without food. Don't do anything and your fish will be fine. Just change the water before you leave and when you get back and your fish will be fine. Avoid the feeder blocks, they will just pollute the water.
2007-08-08 15:00:13 · answer #6 · answered by fivespeed302 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
well feed them before you go just like any ordinary day and make sure that there water is fine anf donset need to be changed and leave the light off and go on your trip theyll be fine for a couple of days without eating
and i wouldnt recommend those vaction feeders cubes or whatevers they might create ammonia if not eaten thus polluting your water and might end up killing your fish
2007-08-08 15:11:54 · answer #7 · answered by hopeless_romantic33z 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Please stay away from these vacation feeder blocks, they do more harm then good
The only thing they will do is pollute your tank
Just do a partial waterchange of 25% with a gravelsiphon and feed them the normal amount as usual before you leave and your fish will be fine
Hope that helps
Good luck
EB
2007-08-08 18:22:17 · answer #8 · answered by Kribensis lover 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You can buy these things at Wal-Mart or any pet specialty store that are just fish food all clumped up and dried, and throughout a few days, they will loosen up and the food floats to the top. They're fairly cheap, and they'll work great for your vacation worries. Good luck! :)
2007-08-08 15:02:27 · answer #9 · answered by Abbey 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Vacation foods do work. I've used it before when I was on vacation to Florida. When I came back, all my fishes are alive and they weren't over fed. The tank water was even cleaner than before I left the house! Don't worry. Your fishes are going to be fine.
2007-08-08 15:46:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋