Lessons learned leaving open sump for 1-2 week vacation?
- Thread starter ty next
- Start date
Why an auto feeder?
Personally I think it’s better to not feed while you’re gone so ammonia doesn’t build up and possibly cause a problem.
I didn’t do anything special when I left for a week vacation. Just a big water change the day before. Left the system running as normal.
I did the same for all my tanks and my pond. No auto feeders. Everyone was fine when I got back.
Personally I think it’s better to not feed while you’re gone so ammonia doesn’t build up and possibly cause a problem.
I didn’t do anything special when I left for a week vacation. Just a big water change the day before. Left the system running as normal.
I did the same for all my tanks and my pond. No auto feeders. Everyone was fine when I got back.
The thing I worried about the most is evaporation and the first time I was leaving for a longer period I tested my tank, leaving it alone for 3 weeks, the period I was going to go away for, only on auto-feeder and no water changes.
So far I've been away several times for 2 and 3 weeks and I've had no issues. I have used an auto-feeder on my large tank, only because there's a mixture of small and big fish. I didn't want the bigger ones to get too hungry. I've had the auto-feeder dropping only a small amount of food though, enough to keep them going. If its just a week I wouldn't worry about the feeding part
So far I've been away several times for 2 and 3 weeks and I've had no issues. I have used an auto-feeder on my large tank, only because there's a mixture of small and big fish. I didn't want the bigger ones to get too hungry. I've had the auto-feeder dropping only a small amount of food though, enough to keep them going. If its just a week I wouldn't worry about the feeding part
When I went away for 10 days in summer 2018 I was worried about various scenarios which could have happened. For the weeks leading up to the holiday I did dummy runs, ie, different feeding options, didn't top up evaporated water levels, no vacuuming etc etc. I just kept a beady eye on what was going on and towards the end of the 10 day dummy runs i'd test the water to give me an idea of nitrate build up.
By the time the actual holiday came and I was away for real I knew what I needed to do.
1. Big water change the night before going. When refilling after said water change I put enough water in the system, more than usual, to cope with evaporation.
2. My neighbour came and fed the fish, every other day, and the very bare minimum at that.
I knew that when I got back that my nitrate would be around a certain level, and it was, and I knew that the water level in my sump would be at a certain level, and it was.
That holiday has left me with complete confidence now for any future holidays I may have. You just need to put the work in beforehand.
By the time the actual holiday came and I was away for real I knew what I needed to do.
1. Big water change the night before going. When refilling after said water change I put enough water in the system, more than usual, to cope with evaporation.
2. My neighbour came and fed the fish, every other day, and the very bare minimum at that.
I knew that when I got back that my nitrate would be around a certain level, and it was, and I knew that the water level in my sump would be at a certain level, and it was.
That holiday has left me with complete confidence now for any future holidays I may have. You just need to put the work in beforehand.
I agree. I think that is the key. Every tank is different and a test run before one leaves is a very good idea.
I agree that there's no need to have auto feeders, or even a neighbor do it.
The only time I ever had deaths during vacation was when I had a neighbor feed, and I came back to rotting food and dead fish.
After that a large water change the day before, sumps filled to close to the top, and no feeding, auto or otherwise, have gone for 2 weeks at times, and no problems.
Most fish can go much longer.
The only time I ever had deaths during vacation was when I had a neighbor feed, and I came back to rotting food and dead fish.
After that a large water change the day before, sumps filled to close to the top, and no feeding, auto or otherwise, have gone for 2 weeks at times, and no problems.
Most fish can go much longer.
Agree with all above. When i go away for weeks i just do huge wc maybe 80-90%. Then no feeding at all when im gone. Have been away for a month at most without problem. A healthy fish should be able to go without food for really long time. Only time i have had someone feed my fish was when i hade some small raypups. And that was by another raykeeper so i felt totally secure with that.
To help with evaporation I have a lid for my sump made from twin wall polycarbonate that is used for small green houses. Easy to cut and is ridgide.
Last summer went away for two weeks left my guy (an Oscar in a solo tank) and no one fed him. Big water change before and after, cleaned all the filters out. Not sure I would recommend stressing my fish out with “test vacations,” especially given the experiences of other hobbyists who have successfully left fish without issue.
