Vacation

[DerpyCichlid]

No one can come to check on my fish tank. I don't really know if someone could buy them since I'm leaving in a few days. Is their other stuff I can do to improve the survival rates of my fish? Maybe add stuff like seachem for example? Maybe add a couple of plants or let algae grow? I just need help with the water quality. Feeding wise I'm not worried.

 

[matseski]

It sounds like you are leaving your fish to die and will be coming home to a tank of rotting fish and uneaten food....that is going to be gross and your room will stink, especially if your pump runs dry and the water stagnates! I know I wouldn't want to worry about that while on vacation, it's stressful enough leaving your tank with a trusted friend.

In any case, a few things that you MUST deal with if you want even the slightest chance of having living fish upon your return

-replace evaporated water or your pump/filter will likely run dry

-plants will help with water quality but will clog your filter as leaves fall off and I doubt you can get enough growth to offset the fish load in that size tank

-physically remove organic matter from tank (water changes, drip system, roller mat)

-monitor tank for fish deaths, overflowing, failed top off system and have some way of addressing the problem

In summary, unless you want to spend $$$, and can find all the parts locally, you really need to find someone to watch/buy your fish

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

If you only have a few days then just find someone to give them away to, or, give them to the LFS.

It is cruel to just leave them.

Honestly, it would be better to cull them before you go.

 

[DerpyCichlid]

So basically if I can keep water from evaporating, make sure equipment works, and make sure nitrates and stuff is low I should be ok right?

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

It's not going to happen. Just get rid of the fish, break the tank down before you go and start over when you get back...or forget about your vacation. Stop thinking you can make this work because you can't, plain and simple. You don't have the time or money to set up the automated system that would basically have to perform all of the tasks that you would normally do, feeding, water changes, substrate vacuuming, medicating, filter cleaning, lighting, etc...you can't do it! Please, for the sake of the fish, cull them, give them away or forget about your vacation!

 

[ECW]

Get the biggest intex pool you can find. Put that sucker in your back yard covered so the birds, cats, and wild life can't eat them or in your living room with constant lights. Add a BUNCH of easy going plants like anacharis. Get a couple thousand shrimps and a bunch of breeder sized guppies. Cheap pond filter system. Automated feeder ghetto rigged to have lots of food. You'll be fine. Lol. I have a pond in my backyard that I have in the past gotten lazy with/couldn't deal with for about 6 months. All I did was go outside and feed them once in the morning or afternoon. Nothing else. All the fish were fine. Priorities change
sometimes (pregnant girlfriend/baby). If I had an automated feeder ghetto rigged I could have done less. Lol.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Find someone who will take the fish. By leaving them, you will be condemning them to die a slow, painful death. There is no way that they will survive on their own. A drip system will not be fully effective unless you have a bare bottom tank. Save yourself from the pain of coming home to a cloudy tank with dead rotting fish and save your fish from the pain of suffering that death. If you can find someone with a fish room and an empty tank that can watch and care for the fish while you are gone that would be good. You can not just leave them unattended for 2 months. When you buy fish, you agree to take care of them properly and if you can't, give them to someone who can.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Fish come with responsibility, and leaving them unattended for 2 months is irresponsible.

 

[ECW]

You have neighbors right? Make friends. Any one of my neighbors would be willing to help. Put it in your garage or just outside where it's covered... All they have to do is stop by. Fill up some water and put food in the feeder.... It ain't that much to ask. Then bring them back something nice and offer monetary compensation. Being nice to cool people pays off sometimes.

 

[convict360]

the key factor here, is that you leave in a few days...I'd say given that you don't have someone to come in and check them; your only option is to return them to the lfs.

I guarantee something will go wrong if you leave unattended for two months, even the smallest bit of maintenance that we MFK'ers do; that we don't give a second thought about, often can actually have very important consequences for our fish. When these minor things aren't kept right, things quickly snowball.

It sounds like you've made your mind up to try leaving them unattended though anyway...