Going On Vacation

narps · Jul 30, 2008

I will be going on vacation for 10-11 days, and have 2 glow-light tetras. What should I do about feeding them? Is a 2 week feeding block enough, and would they definitely recognize it as food? I can't use a mechanical feeder because they do not eat food that floats on the top of the tank because it's a pretty deep tank and they swim towards the bottom, so they don't see/smell food that is at the top. Usually I feed them frozen brine shrimp, which obviously can't be put in a mechanical feeder. Thanks.

DiscusKeeper403 · Jul 30, 2008

narps said:
I will be going on vacation for 10-11 days, and have 2 glow-light tetras. What should I do about feeding them? Is a 2 week feeding block enough, and would they definitely recognize it as food? I can't use a mechanical feeder because they do not eat food that floats on the top of the tank because it's a pretty deep tank and they swim towards the bottom, so they don't see/smell food that is at the top. Usually I feed them frozen brine shrimp, which obviously can't be put in a mechanical feeder. Thanks.

Any plaster-based feeding blocks are going to be detrimental to water quality and I wouldn't recommend them. Plaster free blocks are ok, but I had bad luck with them and it didn't seem like the fish ate any...

Mechnical feeders work better. You could try a sinking pellet of some sort, either that or freeze dried Brine. Make sure you only have the feeder set to drop a VERY small amount of food. If they don't it eat, it will create ammonia. I would also set it to feed the fish once every other day if possible.

You could always go down the route of not feeding them at all. 10 days should be fine.

BTW Tetras are schooling fish. Get more of them!

Good luck! :good:

TylerFerretLord · Jul 30, 2008

If it's under two weeks the fish will be fine without food. Just feed the day you leave and make sure the tank is as full as possible.

rocknurworld2006 · Jul 31, 2008

TylerFerretLord said:
If it's under two weeks the fish will be fine without food. Just feed the day you leave and make sure the tank is as full as possible.

yes i agree your fish will be fine, your better of not giving food rather than come back to a disaster :good:

Athena · Jul 31, 2008

I agree with those above - those feeding blocks never worked for me in the past when I had coldwater fish - all they did was pollute the tank. I'd go for the 2-week fasting period now :lol:

Didn't fully understand the comment from Tyler about making sure your tank is full up - not a good idea to overload your tank with food at the last minute, as all this will do is pollute your water and cause an ammonia spike right before you go on holiday (!) and you won't be around to remedy it with a water change etc. So I'd just feed as per normal if it were me.

Enjoy your hols!

PlakatLuv · Jul 31, 2008

I've got a similar issue- leaving for a 1-week stint sometime in the near future (go to hell work!!! hahahahahaha... anyway) and have one betta in a 3 gallon. I was looking at a plaster-free gel formula but am afraid it will foul the water, auto feeders seem expensive for a 1-time use for one fish and probably wouldn't fit the 3 gallon anyways. Are you sure it's okay to go a week without feeding a fish?

In other words, tell me my little baybeeeee won't starve! :hyper:

TylerFerretLord · Jul 31, 2008

Didn't fully understand the comment from Tyler about making sure your tank is full up - not a good idea to overload your tank with food at the last minute, as all this will do is pollute your water and cause an ammonia spike right before you go on holiday (!) and you won't be around to remedy it with a water change etc. So I'd just feed as per normal if it were me.

I meant to make sure the tank was as full as possible with water. :lol:

Athena · Jul 31, 2008

TylerFerretLord said:
Didn't fully understand the comment from Tyler about making sure your tank is full up - not a good idea to overload your tank with food at the last minute, as all this will do is pollute your water and cause an ammonia spike right before you go on holiday (!) and you won't be around to remedy it with a water change etc. So I'd just feed as per normal if it were me.

Click to expand...

I meant to make sure the tank was as full as possible with water.

Ohhhhhhh!!! LMAO :hyper:

Wrams · Jul 31, 2008

Yo don't have to use those plaster based blocks for feeding, you can now buy compressed fish flake that lasts for 2 weeks, comes in a round slim compressed form then your fish pick at it as much as they want. Might be something you can look into?