im going away for two weeks this easter, all my friends are students and are also leaving. so theres noone to feed the fish i heard about these holiday blocks that last for two weeks or something. Anyone know any pointers of leaving your fish alone for a shorttime?
The tetra gel ones are supposedly the best, that's about all I know. Used some this past week when I was away but havent been back to check the fish and see how it went yet.
The college I work at closes for 2 weeks (up to 3) around new years.. Before my bichir there jumped, I just threw in 2 dozen ghost shrimp and let it be... when I'd get back, there would still be 4 or 5.... Currently have black skirt tetras and one peppered cory (rescue from a coworker) in there, they did 2 weeks fine. I just fed 'em really heavy the last second before I walked out the door and let 'em be...
It really depends on that. Large fish should be fine provided they're in good condition and the tank isn't massively over-stocked. Another thing to watch out for is size difference, sometimes fish might be alright together while everyones being fed, but if you starve them for a while they start looking at their friends as food. A friend had a big ornate bichir living with some big clown loaches, they'd been together fine for about a year but when he went away for a couple of weeks the bichir got hungry and started snacking on the loaches.
Those holiday blocks are useless if you have any snails or plecos because they will just sit on them and they'll be gone relatively quickly. I like automatic feeders that dump food into the tank twice a day. You can buy them for less than $20 online and they do a good job. I usually set mine up a week before I leave so I can gauge food and just to make sure things are working properly. Also don't forget to give your tank a good cleaning before you leave.
I feed a puffer with an auto feeder when Im gone. I went with a $40 digital one which was a good idea because it can feed just once a day which is much more tank friendly. I just fill it with shrimp pellets and turn it on and walk out the door.
