Going on Vacation

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anarekist

anarekist

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 4, 2011
2,177
9
38
Los Angeles
Hey guys Im going on vacation next week and was thinking about what to do in regards to care of my tank. I'll be gone a week and was thinking what i should do to prepare for my absence.

I'm not worried about keeping them fed since they are fish and capable of going without food for quite some time.
I will preform a large water change right before i leave but i was thinking about how people ship fish and they "purge" them before shipping so they dont poop and foul the water they are in while in transit. Got me thinking about maybe i should purge my tank before i leave too to minimize the rate of nitrate production while im away. How many days should i stop feeding them? and should i start feeding them heavily untill the day i should stop so they can "purge"?

what do you guys think, what do you guys do when you have to be away from your tank awhile?
 
I'm going on vacation next week too, but I'm lucky enough to have a reliable house sitter to feed my fish and ray...
The auto drip system takes care of the wc. It will be the first time I've left for 10 days, so I'm crossing my fingers nothing goes wrong.

I don't think a week away will do any harm whether you purge them or not - unless your tank is stocked at max capacity. If it's actually 7 days, just do a wc right before you leave and another one as soon as you get back.
 
If you purge your tank, then starve them while you're gone, the amount of time you're asking your fish to go without food is cruel and unreasonable. You're going to be gone a week. They can swim in poop for a week. You don't need to starve them.
Why not get a house sitter?
 
i have to change the water about every other day to keep the nitrates below 40ppm.
 
I just came back from a 8-day, 7-night vacation. I fed my fish Friday night and Sat morning. I did waterchange late Saturday night, left early Sunday morning and didn't get back until following Sunday midnight. There was no feeding for most of my fish during my vacation, except the one that require daily feeding like Armatus and GATF. I only lost one baby Albino pacu, probably from starving. IMO, it's better not to have a sitter when you're away for a week or less. No one will care for your fish as much as yourself. Either too much food, or forgot to close the lid...
 
I only have someone who feeds my cichlids and gouramis sticks and flakes. Nobody feeds frosted foods when I'm away, and that is sometimes more than 2 weeks.
 
jlnguyen74 said:
I just came back from a 8-day, 7-night vacation. I fed my fish Friday night and Sat morning. I did waterchange late Saturday night, left early Sunday morning and didn't get back until following Sunday midnight. There was no feeding for most of my fish during my vacation, except the one that require daily feeding like Armatus and GATF. I only lost one baby Albino pacu, probably from starving. IMO, it's better not to have a sitter when you're away for a week or less. No one will care for your fish as much as yourself. Either too much food, or forgot to close the lid...
Click to expand...

Right, no one will care for them like you, so let them starve to death. Brilliant.

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im gona do a major water change before the day i leave, stop feeding a day before i leave and have already turned the temp down to min.
 
so im back home and i think i might be missing a clown loach, not sure.. im sure that one of my africans got eaten tho, oh well. everyone else seems fine. im glad the mokebe is still alive being the smallest poly.
 
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