Going on Vacation

[troublesum]

I will be gone for 10 Days would my Midas be good not eating for 10 days or should I get an automatic feeder.
I plan on doing a 80% water change the day before i leave and not feed him. I'm worried that the automated feeder would raise my Nitrates as i normally do 2 50% WC a week he's an 8in F1 Midas in a 125 by himself with 2 FX6.

 

[philipraposo1982]

Otherwise a tank that size and only one fish with 2 big water changes weekly you probably have little to no nitrates at all.

Using and auto feeder is going to be fine, just set it to feed a small amount of food compared to what you normally feed. This way it reduces the risk of anything happening.

Try it for a bit while your home and see how it works for you. They are not expensive and I love my eheim model. Always been reliable for me.

 

[piranhaman00]

I had an auto feeder on an oscar tank and when I came back home after a week the entire feeder was in the tank and the tanks was absolutely gross. Oscar was fine though, I guess he was able to jump out and grab the feeder lol

 

[Drstrangelove]

Unless your fish is underfed with a sunken belly, I would not worry about not feeding for 10 days. An auto feeder might work, but it entails a risk if it malfunctions.

Juvenile / adult Fish in the wild often go without food for that long, without problems.

 

[duanes]

I agree with the others that say it's better "not" to feed while on vacation.
The only time I've had problems is when I tried some kind of gizmo while away.
Water quality will remain better without food, and you never know when or if a filter is going to stop, or pump break down while you're gone, so having less waste to foul the tank in a much better way to go. Fish can easily go weeks without food.

 

[Allan01230]

As others have stated he will be fine without feeding as long as he is in good shape now

 

[fishnatics]

Your fish will be fine without food for 10days. I take a 2 week vac every year and all I do is a water change a few days before I leave.

 

[skjl47]

Using and auto feeder is going to be fine, just set it to feed a small amount of food

I would not worry about not feeding for 10 days.

it's better "not" to feed while on vacation.

Fish can easily go weeks without food.

he will be fine without feeding as long as he is in good shape now

Hello; let me add another vote for the "do not feed" tally. For a one time trip this is likely the best.

I have used an auto feeder in the past. I had a job that had me away for five days a week for ten months. I got one of the auto feeders run by a battery and a clock mechanism. It worked just fine.
A word of caution. Do not use an auto feeder unless you set it up a week or so before being away. A number of things will need to be adjusted. Finding a dry food that feeds properly is one. Adjusting the mechanism to dispense the right amount can take some trial and error. I found that my feeder was dumping some of the food onto a cover so had to reposition it a bit. My feeder dumped food twice a day so that had to be take into account.
Anyway the feeder worked well once adjusted. The battery was good for over two months. The food chamber held plenty of food for a few weeks.

I still go with the do not feed group. the few times I lost tanks was when someone decided to feed when I was away. They overfed and the tank soured.

Good luck

 

[Boomer1224]

I have gone away on vacations in the past and have not fed my fish the entire time like stated above just do a good water change before you go

 

[troublesum]

Thanks, mates yes we a big fat pig i guess he can go a few days without eating plus i have to feed him sinking pellets as he's scared to feed from the top i will overfeed him the day before then do a massive WC