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I noticed that Old Timer says 10-14 days without food in a prior post. I'm leaving for 15 days real soon. I was planning on dropping one of those 3 day feeders in each of tanks (55gal, 29 gal, 10 gal), maybe two in the 55 gal. Then I noticed on another post that they may cause a mini cycle because the ammonia may spike.... Now I don't know whether I should just feed them right before I go and hope for the best for the little guys, or if I should take a chance on the feeders.

The fish I have in each tank are: 55 gal
4 Pristella Tetras, 4 Bloodfin Tetras, 9 WCMM, 5 Albino Cories

29 gal 6 Danios and 8 WCMM and 10 gal 1 Danio and 2 WCMM

It has been 8 months since I have added new fish to any of the above tanks. I believe the fish I have in the 29 gal and the 10 gal are very hardy. But the 55 gal has pristella tetras so I'm very worried. If anyone could give me direction, it would be greatly appreciated!

Would it be possible to buy an automatic feeder for your 55 gallon tank? Also if your tanks are planted the fish will have a much better chance of surviving.

I would get a friend or a neighbor to feed your fish.

NeptunesLady,

I have left my fish and they have not been fed for 10-15 days, however let me clarify my information.

There were no really small or extra delicate fish involved and I'm sure that the larger the body mass the longer the fish can go without food.

Additionally, there were no live plants in the tanks so I was able to keep the lights of the tanks turned off and I also kept the room fairly dark and therefore was able to keep the activity level of the fish lower.

With smaller fish it they may not be able to sustain that long of period, but they might.

As stated in a previous post you may want to get a neighbor or friend to come in and feed the fish while gone. Premeasure the amounts to be fed and I would only have them come in say every 2-3 days as that would also help to eliminate any over feedings. Emphasize that the fish only need what you have designated. I would also hide the rest of your food to keep anyone from being a good samaritan and feeding the hungry little guys more than you want.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

i would go with a 7 day feeder, i would have to say two weeks without food is to long.

If you can get an automatic feeder or maybe someone that can feed your fish while you're away. Your fish can survive 15 days without food, but IMO you're with the limit.


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Everyone thanks for replying. Old timer, I'm glad I caught your attention, as I did want the clarification. I was wondering if the kind of fish mattered. Thanks alot for getting back to me.

OK.. so it sounds like the 15 days is going to be too long for my little guys to make it on their own.

Ok.... so what about those 7 day pyramid feeders, are they really as bad as it sounds? Friends or neighbors are not an option. Thanks again to all

By the way, I don't have any plants, and one more question... should I leave the lights off the whole time? Thanks,

if u have a timer for your light, set it up so that the tank has few hrs of light (assuming no sun ligh reachs your tank) ...otherwise just leave it off

Hi, Im not entirely sure of this, But arent those "vacation feeder blocks" just plaster of paris with a little food mixed in?
I have heard that they can cause a huge mess in a tank because they are 95% plaster of paris.
I would not be tempted to use them. Better off to not feed, or buy an auto feeder, or have a friend/relative/neighbor feed them for you.


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I'd just get one of those automatic feeder machines... Run it a few days before leaving, just so you know it's working properly (and remember, better to underfeed than overfeed), then just make sure you have enough food in the container.

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Most fish can go seven days or so without feeding, but I would not personally go more then four. I do not like feeding blocks, and as was previously eluded to automatic feeders can malfunction. I would have a trusted friend or relative feed them every three days, and only premeasured amounts. lights can be on a timer just fine.

They *should* be ok for 15 days as long as they are healthy and well fed. I took a trip to FL in January, there were a lot of snowstorms so the person that was supposed to be feeding wasn't able to get to my house. They went for 14 days with no food, and I didn't have a single loss. They were just VERY hungry when I got home! ]

I have also had to leave fish without food for almost as long before and have never had any losses from it. IMO if they are healthy enough they should be fine. A trick I like to use is to lower the heat in the tank gradually over a few weeks before I leave to lower their metabolism so they won't be inclined to eat much anyway and will produce less waste while I'm gone. I usually drop the tank temperature about 5 degrees.

In the tanks with the zebra danios and WCMMs they can get quite cool without causing any problems, I would probably go as far as to unplug the heaters on the smaller tanks as long as your house won't be getting any colder than say 65F. BTW those are cold water fish anyway and don't really need a heated tank.

Because you have the pristellas in the 55, you don't want it getting any cooler than about 75F, so leave the heater and adjust it so it is just barely in this range. I know it sounds risky but I have done it with cardinal tetras with no ill effects at all. In fact my tanks are kept a bit cooler in the winter to save on energy and because my fish seem to do better with a "hibernation" period every year. Lowering the heat in the tanks while you're away will also reduce the chance of a heater malfunction, which could be especially disastrous if you're not around to see it happen.

The fish I have left for about 2 weeks without food include zebra danios, bettas, panda corys, metae corys, cardinal tetras, a whole LOT of other tetras (can't remember specifics right now, I have kept many characins at different times over the years), goldfish, a bunch of gouramis, livebearers, etc. They have all been fine. IME with pristellas they are pretty hardy, the stockier body shaped tetras all seem to be hardy of the ones I have kept. For example cardinals are much more delicate and if they can last 2 weeks then I see no reason why pristellas can't. Remember that in the wild it is common for fish to go through periods where food is scarce (especially in winter months) so they have developed the ability to survive for a while without food.

As has been stated above, feeder blocks and pyramid feeders are garbage. The food isn't very nutritious and they foul tank water really badly. They just aren't worth the mess. If you can get an automatic feeder that would be great but if you can't and you don't have anyone to come in and feed then I would just feed them right before you leave and hope for the best, as you said.