Everything Covered....

[Angry_Platy]

I am going away in June and have been planning what will happen with my fish. Since it is not viable for me to have someone come in the house and look after them for me, they will be without food from a Thursday morning to a Monday night. I have been acclimating the fish by gradually increasing the time between feeds, so that by the time the date comes they will be upto that period without food.

Lately I have had heater issues. i.e. 2 of my heaters broke within a 2 week period. These were heaters I had had for approx 12 months. So that this doesn't happen while I am away I have bought new heaters for the tanks that have heaters the longest....the others have had new heaters for 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 6 weeks. So I plan on replacing the other 2 so that the heaters will be new, less chance of them breaking while I am away. I will of course put them in well before I leave so to allow for temperature stabilisation and to make sure they are working OK.

That leaves the baby fish. By the time I go away I will have 3 guppy fry that will be 7 weeks old and 2 swordy fry that will be 5 weeks old. Too young to leave for 5 days without food. If big enough they will be going into the 5gal tank (currently housing new rusty cichlids in quarantine)...if not they will stay where they are (in breeding trap).....for feeding I have ordered an automatic feeder that can feed them upto 4 times a day. They are on powdered food at the moment, by the time I go away they will be on small crushed up flakes. This will arrive tomorrow so I will have time to get the dosage right.....

Hmmm.....OH YES!! The filters. I will change filter media/clean filters (as normal) 2 weeks before I go away. This will allow for any problems to arise before I leave as opposed to changing them closer to us leaving where they may go "mental" while away.

I have timers for the lights which I have had running now for quite some time.

I know it seems I am going overboard but I want to make sure my fish are as well looked after as they can be without me there.

Is there anything else I should be considering?

 

[cometcattle]

Are you CO2 injecting your planted tank?

If so, I'd make sure that it won't run out when your gone. I read in planted tank column, in a fish magazine (I forgot which one), where one stopped injecting and the aquarist came home to a horrible algae outbreak.

 

[Dubby]

I presume you will be doing a water change a day or so before you leave?

I like to feed my fish with live food just before we go on holiday, hoping this will keep them more happy

 

[Polardbear]

Leave them an emergency contact phone number in case they have any problems!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Angry_Platy

It sounds like you have everything well under control.

The only thing that worries me a little is using an automatic feeder for your young fish. Since it's no problem moving a 5 gallon tank, if you have a friend who can take them in for those few days, it would be safer for them.

I used to fish sit for a friends 5 gallon tank from time to time, and it was never a problem bringing it back and forth.

Have fun and enjoy your trip!

 

[keane]

Leave them an emergency contact phone number in case they have any problems!