Going on trip, questions!

[FroFro]

I'll be going on a Church mission trip and I'll be gone for 13 days. I know that fish can go a few days without food but I've got my little guys on a regular feeding schedule and food rotation. I also have angels My angels might be docile to the other fish but I'm not willing to trust them once they get hungry. I've looked into automatic fish feeders but I'm afraid they'll dump so much food that my tank will go haywire and I'll come back to dead fish. I plan to do a thorough cleaning and nice water change right before I leave to make sure its as spiffy as possible before I go but does anyone have feeding suggestions. I saw those feed stones but I'm not sure if they work as I've never used one.

I'm also concerned for my betta as he is also fed once a day and is very used to his schedule.

I have asked my sister if she'd feed my fish. She has said yes but she is far from the reliable sort.

 

[Byron]

Automatic fish feeders have failed, dumping food into the tank which causes incredible problems with ammonia, then nitrite. Feeding blocks I know little about, but personally I would never use either. Fish will eat if food is available, and this is not good.

A person is the best solution. If she is not an experienced aquarist, measure out the quantity of food for each tank (zip-lock bags, small plastic pill bottles, or similar can be used for individual tank single feeding amounts, with the container clearly labelled as to which tank). You can (and should) reduce frequency from the normal, significantly; less food entering the tank means less emergency-type problems should anything go haywire (filter fail, heater fail, etc). So maybe say every third day, one of these containers, or whatever.

It is also good to tell the individual where electrical shutoffs/switches/plugs are, for each tank, and equipment. I had one of my canisters start draining my 70g last night at midnight; I had cleaned the canisters yesterday, so out of caution I decided to check them before retiring, and was very glad I did. I just shut off the filter power, and left it until daylight. A non-fish person is not likely to know what to do for this or that, but turning off equipment can be the best solution.

 

[FroFro]

Automatic fish feeders have failed, dumping food into the tank which causes incredible problems with ammonia, then nitrite. Feeding blocks I know little about, but personally I would never use either. Fish will eat if food is available, and this is not good.

A person is the best solution. If she is not an experienced aquarist, measure out the quantity of food for each tank (zip-lock bags, small plastic pill bottles, or similar can be used for individual tank single feeding amounts, with the container clearly labelled as to which tank). You can (and should) reduce frequency from the normal, significantly; less food entering the tank means less emergency-type problems should anything go haywire (filter fail, heater fail, etc). So maybe say every third day, one of these containers, or whatever.

It is also good to tell the individual where electrical shutoffs/switches/plugs are, for each tank, and equipment. I had one of my canisters start draining my 70g last night at midnight; I had cleaned the canisters yesterday, so out of caution I decided to check them before retiring, and was very glad I did. I just shut off the filter power, and left it until daylight. A non-fish person is not likely to know what to do for this or that, but turning off equipment can be the best solution.

Yeah I've been reading some bad reviews about the automatic fish feeders on amazon. Seems if I used one of those my tank would need a water change after 2 days. I used to feed my fish once every three days until I changed it to every 2. I have a week before I go on my trip so an extra day in extending their feeding wont be a huge transition for them. I know the pill boxes you're talking about and be sure to get one. By reliable I mean my sister will know my fish need fed and that I'm relying on her for their well being but eh... she is a very lazy person sadly and unless it's for her immediate self interest she will be unlikely to do it without CONSTANT pestering. I get very poor signal in the moutains so this won't be a reliable option. I might need to arrange to pay a friend to come over and it.

I also manually clean and replace water in my fishtank. The only equipment to worry about is the heater and filter. I usually need to give the sponge I have over the intake a good rinse once a week or it limits the water flow. My corydora have a bad habit of getting stuck without the sponge sadly.

 

[Gruntle]

Is your tank planted? Fish will browse on the micro-organisms growing on the plants if there is no other food readily available. It could help.

I have left my tanks for a fortnight before without issue, a large water change before departure, a feed and a couple of algae wafers as I leave, and a big water change on my return. Your mileage may vary though.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I've had great success with Eheim's Everyday Fish Feeder. I'm growing out a bunch of fish and have been using it every day for 3 feedings. It works very well, but let me back up. I was going away for about 10 days a year and a half ago and did not really have anyone I could have look after the fish so I bought the feeder. Weeks before the trip I began using it so I could adjust the delivery amount and the frequency (It can be set for up to 4 feedings per day).
So just prior to the trip I did a large water change, serviced the filters, and filled the feeder (lights already on a timer) with a mixture of high quality flake food that I slightly crushed to ensure a smaller size. When I came home, the fish were just fine as if I had been home all along. Programmable and reliable I have no reservations about recommending it's use.

 

[AbbeysDad]