I'm In A Vacation Dilemma Here

[llblwskydrgn]

I'm going on a 2.5 week vacation in August and I don't know what to do with my fishy.

My dad's fishes are fine because they have a big tank to themselves and we bought an automatic feeder, but i'm stuck on what to do about my fish.

It's a White Cloud aka Cloudy which I keep in a 1.5 gallon tank on my desk.
My dad got me an automatic feeder for mine too but i dunno if it'll feed too much.
I'm experimenting with different sizes of flakes to see how it will work out.

So has anybody here had good results with auto feeders or any tips?
My feeder is a Daily Double Large Capacity Feeder made by Penn-Plax.

I've had this little fish for about 4 years now which is pretty long for a White Cloud, but i'd love to have it alive longer.

Thanks

 

[DebraAustin]

I'm going on a 2.5 week vacation in August and I don't know what to do with my fishy.

My dad's fishes are fine because they have a big tank to themselves and we bought an automatic feeder, but i'm stuck on what to do about my fish.

It's a White Cloud aka Cloudy which I keep in a 1.5 gallon tank on my desk.
My dad got me an automatic feeder for mine too but i dunno if it'll feed too much.
I'm experimenting with different sizes of flakes to see how it will work out.

So has anybody here had good results with auto feeders or any tips?
My feeder is a Daily Double Large Capacity Feeder made by Penn-Plax.

I've had this little fish for about 4 years now which is pretty long for a White Cloud, but i'd love to have it alive longer.

Thanks

Any chance your little friend could go on vacation in your Dad's tank while you are gone?

I have a feeder because we travel a lot over weekends. I find that it feeds just fine and I've not had a problem with the flakes getting damp or plugging up, but it does feed twice a day, which is too much and over two weeks in such a small tank could be way too much. So if you can get a feeder that only feeds once a day or one that has places for you to put the food for each day I think you would have better luck for such a long time. I've only been gone as long as six days and all was well when I got home, but I was concerned I would come home to problems.

Do you have a friend that could take care of the fish? It is such a small tank that you could take it over to a friends house and show them how to feed it and do small water changes. Make sure it is a friend that is good with follow-through, because otherwise they might forget to feed them or change the water. Someone who likes animals would be a good choice.

Hope these ideas help.

Debra

 

[b.c.f.c]

it may be ok if you just dont feed it for the time you are away, theres always food in the tank that he can find and i dont think 2 weeks is that long rearly.
but i could be wrong so best to get another opinion.

 

[llblwskydrgn]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure if I could move my fish in with any of my dad's fish since one tank is home to one male angel and the other is home to four goldfish, they might be too much for my fish.

Have you had any experience with those vacation block foods? I have some leftover from our last vacation and it turned out fine, however that vacation was considerably shorter.

I think i might ask some of my friends if they could take care of it since it seems like the most reliable way.

But I still am not sure yet about what to do, more advice would be great, especially personal experiences with vacations trips longer than a week.

 

[Nevernormalalwayscrazy]

I would do a 50% water change, and use one of those 1 week feeder blocks, break it in 1/4 (or smaller). The auto feeders tend to feed too much and with you being away so long the fish will eat more and produce more waste and could do more damage then just not feeding him at all. 2.5 weeks is not a long time to go without food, as long as your fish is healthy, but just in case add the block. But be sure when you get back to do another 50% water change. If your fish is healthy he will be fine. Don't forget the water change (right before you leave). Hope you have a nice trip

 

[unspoken930]

i thought feeding blocks were really bad because they are mostly ash and not only are they unhealthy, they make your water very cloudy. I wouldnt trust one, just look at them, they look like a hunk of ash.

 

[Quadlex]

i thought feeding blocks were really bad because they are mostly ash and not only are they unhealthy, they make your water very cloudy. I wouldnt trust one, just look at them, they look like a hunk of ash.

I bought a feeder block for my tank before I went to Hawaii. When I came back the tank was wretched with Green Hair Algae. The stuff was everywhere. I won't use them now.

 

[DebraAustin]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure if I could move my fish in with any of my dad's fish since one tank is home to one male angel and the other is home to four goldfish, they might be too much for my fish.

Have you had any experience with those vacation block foods? I have some leftover from our last vacation and it turned out fine, however that vacation was considerably shorter.

I think i might ask some of my friends if they could take care of it since it seems like the most reliable way.

But I still am not sure yet about what to do, more advice would be great, especially personal experiences with vacations trips longer than a week.

I am concerned about the suggestions to leave your fish without food for 2.5 weeks. I could see 2.5 days. When I was going on vacation one person said they had left their fish without food for 5 days, but 2.5 weeks! That seems rather extreme to me. Of course that is just my opinion, as I have only been gone 5 days and I used a feeder. There are feeders that are very reliable and only feed your fish once a day, but they are a bit pricey. (I think Eheim makes one.) I agree that your father's tanks may not be the best since angel fish can be agressive and goldfish are not tropicals.

I have heard the same about the vacation food blocks. That they are a nightmare and with you being gone so long they could really muck up a small tank like yours. I would rather have a feeder that gave a little too much food. I have one that feeds twice a day and I have it set on the lowest setting. I crunch up the flakes until they are pretty small and then at least only a little goes through at a time. I would, however, invest in a once-a-day feeder if I were to be going on an extended trip (which I will next summer). I would also have a friend come by at least a couple times while I am gone to check on things (again someone I can rely on to do it).

If you do decide to use the feeder, set it up and let it feed your fish for at least several days before you leave. That way you can adjust the amount of food coming out and make sure everything is working correctly.

Hope you figure out what will make you feel most comfortable while you are away, so you can enjoy your vacation.

Debra

 

[unspoken930]

I am concerned about the suggestions to leave your fish without food for 2.5 weeks. I could see 2.5 days. When I was going on vacation one person said they had left their fish without food for 5 days, but 2.5 weeks! That seems rather extreme to me. Of course that is just my opinion, as I have only been gone 5 days and I used a feeder. There are feeders that are very reliable and only feed your fish once a day, but they are a bit pricey. (I think Eheim makes one.) I agree that your father's tanks may not be the best since angel fish can be agressive and goldfish are not tropicals.

Just think about fish in the wild though. What i would do is try and get a friend to stop by once a week, maybe alittle more and you have set portions out in little baggies for them to feed your fish. I would also hide all other food becuase people dont understand that fish dont need to eat 3 times a day all the food they can jam onto the waters surface. If your friend comes more then once a week, you can have a few extra bags of food ready as well.

 

[madmom]

Ok Do you have a friend that you trust you can leave Cloudy with tank and all ? Package the daily feedings so your friend just has to put them in daily and write out any instructions you may have. I've "babysat" dogs , cats, birds fish and even a 6" boa. Sometimes in their home and sometimes in mine. Some people are not comfortable about leaving their house keys with people and others don't mind.

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

I recently got married and had to leave my tanks for about 2 weeks alone. I had great success with a couple of those feeding cubes that slowly dissolve. In fact, I put two 1 week feeding 'bricks' in my tank that has some very large fish and some was left when I got home. Unfortunately, most of the people I would have trusted with the tank while I was gone went with us, so this was a great option. It was also cheaper than an automatic feeder since we do not leave home that often.

 

[unspoken930]

I recently got married and had to leave my tanks for about 2 weeks alone. I had great success with a couple of those feeding cubes that slowly dissolve. In fact, I put two 1 week feeding 'bricks' in my tank that has some very large fish and some was left when I got home. Unfortunately, most of the people I would have trusted with the tank while I was gone went with us, so this was a great option. It was also cheaper than an automatic feeder since we do not leave home that often.

This is the first post ive ever read where someone actually had sucess with those... you mean the greyish colored pyramid-looking bricky things right?

 

[Qays]

just so you know. I really reccomend you buy a 6 gallon tank (or bigger) and get cloudy 5 more friends. WCMM's feel very lonely on their own and like to be in groups of 5-6.

please consider that!

About the feeder blocks, if you get a good brand, you might have good results. I reccomend buying one before you go, and testing if it is good.

 

[fish mad]

just so you know. I really reccomend you buy a 6 gallon tank (or bigger) and get cloudy 5 more friends. WCMM's feel very lonely on their own and like to be in groups of 5-6.

please consider that!

About the feeder blocks, if you get a good brand, you might have good results. I reccomend buying one before you go, and testing if it is good.

Tetra have brought out holiday food sticks.It says 100% nutrition and contains no plaster . Im giving them a try within the next 2 weeks ,Ill let you know wether they are any good.