Spring Break Fish Dilemma

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fenton06

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2009
81
0
36
Ankeny, IA
Hey all, I have an interesting (and stupid) dilemma. I got my fish before I cycled my tank (yeah, I know) and have been doing 25-50% water changes daily to keep the ammonia at bay. The interesting part is that spring break is coming up and I will be gone for 9 days, but I will be back one day about half way through. My setup is a one small oscar, it is about 3 inches and then 5 1.5 inch clown loaches. (I know the tank is too small, I am getting a 75 for everyone to go in soon!) I am not sure how to feed or keep them alive over this period of time. I think that they would be ok without food for 4 days if I feed them really well for the upcoming week, and then feed them when I am there for a day and do a LARGE (75ish%) water change.

Any thoughts? thanks guys!
 
There are slow dissolving fish food blocks,shells, etc at LFS. However I think it's a bad idea to leave theses guys in an uncycled tank. You will probably lose them.
 
not at 3 inches. these things are big, and cause you have the CLs on the bottom you prolly outta throw 2-3 in there.
 
You should never change water during the cycle, it just prolongs it. And if you are going to be gone nine days, I'd just forget about feeding. The fish will make it.
 
Not change the water during the cycle? I checked my ammonia and it was over 8 ppm so I started doing water changes every day. Won't the fish die if i just let them stay in water while I let it cycle? I understand (now) that if i just let it cycle without fish there would be no water changes but since there are fish that I want to stay alive don't I need to do the water changes? :confused:
 
bring them back to the LFS to hold for you and they will usually hold it for you over a prolonged vacation, if you are going to ask them to babysit your fish then tell them you made a mistake buying them when your tank wasnt cycled they will probably hold it for you until its cycled I would also buy a Molly or a Balloon Molly to help speed up the process. :)
 
The last thing you want to do is a big feed or use feeder blocks in an uncycled tank.Do a big waterchange before you leave and when you stop in and hope for the best.If you can get some material from a cycled filter add it to your filter.
 
yeah ima have the same dilemma over the my summer break... but my 100 gal is completely cycles.. how will i be able to keep the fish feed for 2 weeks?
 
So if I go to my LFS and ask for some freshwater filter "nastyness" you think they would give me some and it would cycle or be close to cycled after a week?
 
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