Reduced feeding plan if I ever get stuck out of town

[Cardeater]

I was just thinking about this the past few days for obvious reasons in the news. I travel a decent amount and I was wondering what my plan should be if I get stuck out of town for say 14 days or got sick. My mom was asking me how to feed the tank. Currently I leave food measured in pill boxes for the days I'm gone. I told her just not to feed the one time I was delayed a day.

If it were a longer time, what directions should I give? I water change twice a week so I'd be concerned about the nitrates building up.

Have her feed every other day or every several days to preserve water quality? Don't feed for first week? I'd feel better having a plan in the unlikely event so please give me some ideas.

Ive been out of town for a month in the past but that was when I only had the pleco and 3 clown Loaches in the 125g and wasn't knowledgeable about nitrates. I've never been gone longer than a week with current setup

Tanks:
10g with 7 dwarf rainbows
125g:
7 clown loaches (1 big one, rest about 5")
1 12" pleco (hypostomus)
14 rainbow fish (dority, millennium, and solendida, so mostly 3-4")
4 panda garra

 

[fishhead0103666]

If I were you I’d load up on pothos, peace lilies, lucky bamboo, and aquatic plants as a first defense. The plants will do a lot for you.

I’d have her feed every 2-3 days in addition to this.

 

[MrsE88]

When I’m gone a week or two I just don’t feed the tanks. I feel it’s safer for them to go without eating then to have waste build up without their normal water changes.

 

[esoxlucius]

You'll be surprised just how long fish can go without food. The day before any planned trip i'd do a fin level water change and just get your mum to feed a couple of times a week. Ensure she doesn't fall into the trap of feeding extra because "they looked hungry". That will help slow down your nitrate build up until you return. Get her to do a daily headcount on fish in case one dies, in which case it's essential she nets out the body.

Or, if your mum is pretty clued up and able bodied you could teach her how to do a partial water change. If she gets the hang of everything involved then you're laughing.

 

[Rocksor]

If you are gone at most 7 days.... no feeding plan. I find nitrates dont go up as quickly (still below 20ppm) as when been fed 2-3 times a week. If you find yourself gone for 2-4 weeks, then separate out the food for each tank and have the fish fed 1 time every 7 days.

 

[RD.]

When I’m gone a week or two I just don’t feed the tanks. I feel it’s safer for them to go without eating then to have waste build up without their normal water changes.

+1

Also, if you are really concerned this could become reality, I would lose the 12" pleco in the 125.

One thing that is often overlooked when suggesting pothos etc is that those plants are only good at removing the build up of waste byproducts, such as nitrates, but will not help in reducing other elements that build up between the flushing of the toilet, such as the build up of bacteria.

 

[Cardeater]

+1

Also, if you are really concerned this could become reality, I would lose the 12" pleco in the 125.

One thing that is often overlooked when suggesting pothos etc is that those plants are only good at removing the build up of waste byproducts, such as nitrates, but will not help in reducing other elements that build up between the flushing of the toilet, such as the build up of bacteria.

I can't get rid of him (I can't accurately sex the pleco but my mother named the pleco "Arod"). I bought him years ago for "algae control" because I didn't know any better. I'm lucky the commons back then were these hypostomus instead of the species they sell now that get 20"+. If I were setting up this tank now, I'd get a bristlenose or just get a bunch more panda garra.

I realize he's the biggest load in this tank. I see his foot long poop.


It's her favorite fish, I guess because she used to feed him zucchini when I was in college and when I used to travel in the past. I just feed wafers now because zucchini left too much of a mess and the high quality wafers are better for him anyway.

It should not happen that I'm gone for long periods but I realized I had no answer for my mom when she asked what to do if I were forced to be gone longer (like the unlikely event if quarantine for example)?

The good thing is that she understands that the worse thing is for them to be overfed. She follows the direction of only putting the set amount for small tank (I usually just have her feed frozen cubes) and the amount I measured in the pill box for the bigger tank.

Since it's more uncertain now than it usually is, I think I'll skip more days in this feeding schedule for next week just to leave a buffer. Normally for this trip, Mon night departure, Fri morning return,
I'd fees frozen mysis when I get up and then do a big water change. I'd have her put no food Tuesday. Put food Wed and Thurs. Then I'd water change when I returned

I think now I'll just have her feed Wed and then nothing Tues and Thurs.

Thanks for all the ideas in this thread. I can't do pothos as I have a cat. I have all fake plants which obviously doesn't help. I considered.getting duckweed or something floating to eat up nitrates but didn't follow through.

I realize the best plan is to get a bigger tank with autowater change (and I could grow plants in a sump.too). I actually won't book any trips longer than 5-7 days because I don't want to leave the tank without a water change for longer than that.

 

[Cardeater]

You'll be surprised just how long fish can go without food. The day before any planned trip i'd do a fin level water change and just get your mum to feed a couple of times a week. Ensure she doesn't fall into the trap of feeding extra because "they looked hungry". That will help slow down your nitrate build up until you return. Get her to do a daily headcount on fish in case one dies, in which case it's essential she nets out the body.

Or, if your mum is pretty clued up and able bodied you could teach her how to do a partial water change. If she gets the hang of everything involved then you're laughing.

She's too old to do water changes (in her mid 80's).

That's a good point about looking for dead fish. I had a panda garra die, i think from the pleco knocking over my new sponges that I posted about last week. I was surprised how it created detectable ammonia just overnight and with all the filtration I have.

She said last weekend that she looks at the tank a lot when I'm gone to make sure no fish died. I had told her we could have had a catastrophe if a fish died when I was gone and the body was in there for several days.

If you are gone at most 7 days.... no feeding plan. I find nitrates dont go up as quickly (still below 20ppm) as when been fed 2-3 times a week. If you find yourself gone for 2-4 weeks, then separate out the food for each tank and have the fish fed 1 time every 7 days.

That a good plan that makes me realize I can go longer than 7 days.

I found out how long a fish can last without eating. I tried to treat this sick rainbowfish with swim bladder by fasting for a week. It didn't help. I fed him and he ate once but then I think he just completely stopped eating. He last over two more weeks.

I guess I know now that healthy fish can live just as long or longer with no food.
The only thing I'd be worried about is clown loaches nipping at the rainbowfish or even the pleco if they got too hungry. I'd also worry about the pleco sucking on my big loach (I've seen him try to push her out of a cave. Sometimes he just pushed her but I've seen him try to suck on her slime coat).