going away...

[mukundam123]

hi,

im going away for Christmas for 2 weeks, and both my flat mates are going away for a week. Whats the best way to feed the fish? I have plenty of the 'weekend/week' feeding blocks, but was wondering if they could be used in a malawi setup? I don't have an automatic feeder, and if I can help it, i'd rather not buy one now, so am looking for alternatives.

Thanks

 

[liberator177]

if your fish aren't like fry or something I think the fish would be fine without food for 2 weeks, just feed them well for a few days before you leave.

 

[navygirl76]

i would never use those feeder blocks. they contain plaster of paris, and ive been told that can alter your water parameters. i keep africans also. i would do a good waterchange before you leave, and just let them go without being fed. they will be okay.

i would rubberband some veggies (i take two small rocks and rubberband 3 pieces of sliced cucumber, zucchini and yellow squash) to the rocks. i slice the veggies then freeze them (it breaks down the cell walls in the plant so they can eat it-just like how some people blanch veggies in boiling water).

whenever i want to give veggies (once or twice a week) i pick a few pieces from a ziploc in the freezer, and rubberband them to rock and sink them.

when you get back, do a good waterchange and start feeding them again. i have had automatic feeders, but imo they are really only good for flake food, and you risk the chance of them dumping the whole load into the tank.

 

[mukundam123]

Cool! Thanks for the advice. I'll go and get some cucumber!

 

[Muske]

If you go the auto feeder route, make sure you test drive a few days or weeks b4 leaving. My friend has one on a tank and really likes it. I have never used one and feel a little uncomfortable using one. I would feed the fish heavily a few days prior to leaving. Do a large WC and they should be fine. What lake do the come from? If Mbuna, you could set the lights on a timer to stay on a little longer han normal to get some algae growth.

 

[orbit]

i would never use those feeder blocks. they contain plaster of paris, and ive been told that can alter your water parameters. i keep africans also. i would do a good waterchange before you leave, and just let them go without being fed. they will be okay.

i would rubberband some veggies (i take two small rocks and rubberband 3 pieces of sliced cucumber, zucchini and yellow squash) to the rocks. i slice the veggies then freeze them (it breaks down the cell walls in the plant so they can eat it-just like how some people blanch veggies in boiling water).

whenever i want to give veggies (once or twice a week) i pick a few pieces from a ziploc in the freezer, and rubberband them to rock and sink them.

when you get back, do a good waterchange and start feeding them again. i have had automatic feeders, but imo they are really only good for flake food, and you risk the chance of them dumping the whole load into the tank.

Great info! Ive considered veggies before but never really new what to get. Might just try it!

 

[mukundam123]

If you go the auto feeder route, make sure you test drive a few days or weeks b4 leaving. My friend has one on a tank and really likes it. I have never used one and feel a little uncomfortable using one. I would feed the fish heavily a few days prior to leaving. Do a large WC and they should be fine. What lake do the come from? If Mbuna, you could set the lights on a timer to stay on a little longer han normal to get some algae growth.

Cool. They're all mbuna (well, theres a few peacocks in there, but still small). Never thought of trying to get more algae growth. How many hours a day do you think I should set it to? they get around 13 at the moment...

Thanks

 

[mr_cool_guy]

also set your heater to around 74 degrees, this will slow there matabolism so they wont eat as much

 

[mukundam123]

also set your heater to around 74 degrees, this will slow there matabolism so they wont eat as much

Another very valid point. These changes in temp/light/food shouldn't cause any increased aggression should they? My stocking list's not perfect yet, so I've got a big aurateus male, with one female, whilst the other fish are about half their size....don't want him killing any of the fish.

Thanks!

 

[Muske]

13 hours would seem to be enough for algae growth.