how long will phantom last without food

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cudamaster13

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2008
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southern california
i will be gone for six days and was wondering how long my three inch blue phantom pleco will last without food? he eats whole pieces of zuccini and i will be feeding him a day before i leave but will he be okay?
 
Don't worry he should be fine. +1 to wc and double up on food

Depending on the time line try and feed him at night, then wake up early wc and drop some more food in before you head out.
 
How about a possibility of automatic feeder? It's probably gonna be fine but I wouldn't want to find out. I'd rather be safe than sorry and also depends on your tank load

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I would say do a really good water change before you leave and double up on food.

Don't worry he should be fine. +1 to wc and double up on food

Depending on the time line try and feed him at night, then wake up early wc and drop some more food in before you head out.

How about a possibility of automatic feeder? It's probably gonna be fine but I wouldn't want to find out. I'd rather be safe than sorry and also depends on your tank load

Sent from my LT18i using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

All three are great ideas x3 on a 50-75% wc before departure and id definatly do a 75% vac while your at it to avoid rotting food! Also maybe clean filter pads or rinse media before you leave just to ensure low nitrates. Id also test water to make sure everything is solid! Fish will live w/o feeding for a few weeks if healthy so no worries on that. Lock cover up tight and make sure wiring and hoses are solid, and if you have cats then make sure it cannot disrupt youe setup!

GL

#1 S. Vettel
 
And keep the tank dark/lights off while you're of on vacation.
I was gone for 8 days on vacation, and my L91, L204, L114 and L7 were fine. Yours should be ok for 6.
 
I often leave my plecos for a week without food without any problems. The exception is babies. I put an automatic feeder on their tanks that feed at 1/2 to 1/3 the normal amount. Too much food is a much greater problem than too little. Most of us have had fish (even plecos) get into our sumps with little or no food for several weeks. I just pulled an L600 out of my sump that was stuck under the ceramic rings for over 6 months. It hadn't gown at all from 2.5" but look fine otherwise. Yours at 3" should do fine. Cleaning the filter, gravel and changing the water are the important things. You may knock down the temperature a little as well but not too low.
 
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