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So I am wondering if just the light of a well sunlit room will be ok. I have south american cichlids. Please help.

Thnks in advance

Don't put it in a sunlit room, the sunlight can cause algae to grow frighteningly quickly. Go to Wal-Mart and get a regular light timer. They're only a couple bucks and you can set them to have the light on for whatever amount of hours you want it to be on...normally 10-12 hours a day...

Lots of people use these timers even when they're at home so their fish aren't starved of light or overlit if they go out on the town for the day or evening...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

Get a Timer, it's easy to use & don't cost much. Try it a few days before you go, to see if it works Ok & Happy Holidays.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

If you close the curtains, the natural light and darkness in the room should be fine for the fish. Thats how they live in nature.

where do u get the time from .do u get it from a pet shop

You can get a Timer from a Hardware Store, or maybe a Pet Shop, but i'm not sure.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I got a timer from Wal-Mart for about $5 US.

Hey - welcome to fishprofiles.com

I agree with a light on a timer and not leaving in a sunlit room. Days are long right now and you could come back to an algae bloom.

Is someone else going to be feeding them? Do you have a feeding plan? More fish die from kind helpers who overfeed. I always get some empty pill bottles from the pharmacy and pre-measure what the individual is suppose to put in the tank.

Other, good added measures for vacation:

-A phone or pager number where you can be reached in an emergency.

-A battery operated backup in case of power outages (Penn-Plax B-11 ran for 4 days for me on 2-D batteries).

-Power Outage plan. If power is out for an hour or more, it is wise to disconnect the filter from it's source. This enables you to pull the filter off the tank and dump the stagnant water and filter media prior to operating again. Harmful bacteria and/or nitrites can develop in power filter reservoirs in just over an hour with no oxygenated air flowing through them. The good bacteria consume remaining o2, then bad bacteria (grows in the absence of o2) develops. Marineland recommends cleaning out the filter in any outage 1 hour or more. Bio-wheels should be dropped into the tank to keep the cutlure live. I would probably do the same with a filter sponge or bag.

-Net with instructions to remove any dead fish which can give rise to ammonia and kill off the other fish, not to mention spread bacteria or parasites. I made a printout with pics of each type of fish I had and my friend did a headcount daily.

-Instructions on what to do if a fish is injured or sick. I set up an empty 5 gallon with just an airstone (and checkvalve) so my friend could fish out anyone who was in trouble. As always, when you have it, it isn't needed. I filled it partially with water from the main tank to minimize stress.

This list of issues may seem to be overkill, however, it is a compilation of things I gathered from vacation disasters and turned into my vacation plan. I invite my "fish-sitter" over the day before I leave and review each of the points and feeding. I explained how easily ammonia can kill to discourage additional feeding.

Diane

[span class="edited"][Edited by Cory_Di 2004-07-09 08:17][/span]