Leaving tank for vacation.

R32flow

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2011
75
0
0
Richmond, VA
Hey guys,I plan on leaving for 5 or 6 days for the holidays, just wondering if you guys think thats to long for them not to eat. They are about 5" right now and really fat. They could stand to lose some weight. Thanks in advance. Rob
 

smitty03281964

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
May 5, 2010
3,650
395
122
Yeadon, Pennsylvania USA
Do you know how long they go without eating in the wild. Sometimes weeks! Mine have gone for 2 weeks without eating and without me worrying. They will be fine.
 

cigars

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 3, 2011
2,505
2,661
179
northern va
I dont think its a dumb question, I just went on vacation for a week and all my fish were just fine, you know what worries me something happening to my filtration while I am gone not so much the fish starving. I actually had a power outage while I was on vacation not sure how long it was out but all seemed well when I got back so I guess I was lucky.
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
4,397
3,777
179
Tennessee
Hello; A non fish keeper friend decided to feed my fish for me once while I was away. It was a disaster as he over feed and soured the tanks. Many non fish keepers do not have any idea about how much to feed. I have left fish unfed for a week or more many times without any problems.
If you have live plants, you can put the lights on a timer.
The biggest problem could be from a power outage if a tank is overstocked. I have tended to go toward lighter stocking over the decades and have not lost fish when power is off for a long time. Not being fed should help with this as well as there will be less waste products in the tank to sour the water and/or take up the available oxygen.
I usually skip a day or two of feeding at least once a week as a matter of course. The fish and snails, if you have them, will clean the tank fairly well during this time. Overfeeding may well be the single biggest problem area in keeping tanks. As stated in a previous post, fish do not eat every day in the wiild and also are not like us and can go for days without food and not be harmed. An exception to this might be when raising fry. I like to feed fry two or three small feeding a day for a time.
 

R32flow

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2011
75
0
0
Richmond, VA
Hello; A non fish keeper friend decided to feed my fish for me once while I was away. It was a disaster as he over feed and soured the tanks. Many non fish keepers do not have any idea about how much to feed. I have left fish unfed for a week or more many times without any problems.
If you have live plants, you can put the lights on a timer.
The biggest problem could be from a power outage if a tank is overstocked.
Yes I had the same exact problem with a neighbor. I came home to one of my tanks solid cloudy with bloodworm carcuses everywhere.

And my plants are on a timer so I dont worry. A power outage would really suck, my powerhead would atleast circulate the water though.

Thanks guys, I dont worry nearly as much now.
 

Houdini89

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2009
4,325
3
0
North Jersey
I left my entire crew for 7 days with no issues, just do a water change the day you leave..........
 

blksubykid

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Oct 20, 2010
672
21
33
Los Angeles
Didnt feed any of my fish when i left for Vegas. I was gone for a total of 4 days, i just feed them good and did a WC before I left
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store