What to do when on holiday.....

mrshilly · 06-01-2010, 01:20 PM

Hi all,

I have a small tank (30 litres) with a few platy and zebra dannio fish. I was wondering if we were to go away for a holiday, we'd get a holiday feeding block (Does anyone else use these, and are they any good, or is it better to get your neighbours to feed them??), but my main question was, do you leave the tank light on all the time while you're away on holiday, or off? If it was off would it matter? Our tank gets natural but not direct light, and I was just wondering what you all thought!? Thanks! x

Judge · 06-02-2010, 08:11 AM

Sorry, no I do not use any auto feed or block. I like a little more control over what goes in my tank. As far as the lighting I have mine on a timer so they come on and go off to simulate natural day/night. It also depend on how long you are going to be gone and the fish you have. I don't worry about my SW tank but in my Amazon I have Discus who eat a little 2-3 times a day so I cannot go off and leave them without someone feeding them at least daily.

ZeroSystem · 06-02-2010, 04:39 PM

Unless your lights are on a timer like Judge, I would recommend leaving them off. The fish won't mind and even if you have live plants they will likely be alright for a few days without light. I also am not a fan of auto-feeders/feeding blocks. If it's only going to be a few days, I will allow them to go without food until I return. If it's more like a week, I'll put a little fish food in some zip-lock baggies and label them with the days in which they are supposed to be fed (monday, wednesday, friday ect.) so that whoever I have coming by to feed the fish just has to pour the baggie into the tank and they're done! Great way to prevent less experienced people from over feeding while you're away.

mrshilly · 06-09-2010, 04:43 AM

Thanks for this info. It's only 2 nights, so I guess if I feed them the night I leave and then as soon as I get back, then it's no different than them having a feeding day off anyhow. I'll leave the light off too, save energy!! THANKS!

wadman · 06-24-2010, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeroSystem

I'll put a little fish food in some zip-lock baggies and label them with the days in which they are supposed to be fed (monday, wednesday, friday ect.) so that whoever I have coming by to feed the fish just has to pour the baggie into the tank and they're done! Great way to prevent less experienced people from over feeding while you're away.

this is what i do too.

bowfin · 07-03-2010, 09:24 PM

Fish have the most efficient metabolism in the animal kingdom, almost all of what they consume is utilized, so if you feed them before you leave they will be fine for a few days.

Judge · 07-04-2010, 11:05 AM

This is true but it also depends on the fish. I cannot leave my discus for more than one day/night. They get fed small amounts 3X's per day. I left over the Christmas holidays thinking all would be fine. NOT TRUE. The two largest ones were laying on their side very lethargic and the smaller ones were not much better. I stayed up all night nursing them back with small amounts of food (my own recipe and Blood worms). Luckily, they all pulled through but certainly NOT something I would recommend. I can get away with a couple of days in my SW tank without any problems. So my advice would be if you are planning a vacation plan ahead by allowing the fish to miss a day or so and see how they respond. I can assure you that I was really surprised at the condition of my Discus when I returned home because I was under the impression that they could go as long as any other fish.