Holiday feeding

[Gareth7]

Hi guys Was looking some advice of leaving my fish unattended for a few days not sure how long yet. I’ve read that people just leave them but I just want to check will my platies be ok for a week at most? Should I be feeding them up? I’ve only been feeding them once a day recently as I think I’d been over feeding due to some having long poo trails.

[Thedave]

I’ve read in the past that they can go 3 days between feeds, but I’m sure a member on here with more knowledge will confirm. Could you not get a food block for when your away?

[Gingerlove05]

They should be fine for a week, i’ve left mine for a week without food before now. Fish can go about 3 weeks without food as they will find bits around the tank (algae and other microorganisms, plus uneaten tiny specks of food). Just feed them as normal and do a water change before you go and they should be fine
You may find the tank is cleaner when you get back

[mikeyw64]

what he said

[Gingerlove05]

I’ve read in the past that they can go 3 days between feeds, but I’m sure a member on here with more knowledge will confirm. Could you not get a food block for when your away?

I’d avoid the feeding blocks as they can easily cause issues, either by over feeding or there being a lot of waste food left over that can contaminate the tank and cause spikes.

[plankton]

Don't feed them extra before you go, just normal amounts.
I've left mine for 3 weeks with no problems.

[Ric]

Very brave @plankton The longest I left mine without food was 10 days and that was no problem at all. They didn't even show that much interest when I put some food in again after I'd come back.

[Martinspuddle]

They should be fine for a week, i’ve left mine for a week without food before now. Fish can go about 3 weeks without food as they will find bits around the tank (algae and other microorganisms, plus uneaten tiny specks of food). Just feed them as normal and do a water change before you go and they should be fine
You may find the tank is cleaner when you get back

what he said

Don't feed them extra before you go, just normal amounts.
I've left mine for 3 weeks with no problems.

I've left mine for two weeks with no ill effects, you be surprised how much your fish will still find to eat during your time away. Don't change feeding or maintenance routes before you go away. However I would not suggest trying this with say large Cichlids or other predatory fishes... Or you might just come back to one very large fat fish!

I’ve read in the past that they can go 3 days between feeds, but I’m sure a member on here with more knowledge will confirm. Could you not get a food block for when your away?

Please avoid using the so called holiday feeding blocks, they not necessary and they cause can water quality issues which are detrimental to your fishes well being. I cannot understand why on earth their still being sold in the pet trade.

Before anyone asks, automatic fish feeders...

I have use these in the past from the Eheim to the Juwel feeder. Presently do have a Fish Mate F14 Aquarium Fish Feeder which have used for longer periods and then I set the feeder up to only fed every 2-3 days sparely. While it does work, it is best to only use fine food pellets or granular foods with this sort of device. Reason is while fish feeders are great, because there has to be an open hole for the food to drop in, flake and some other dry foods get damp and sticky for condensation. The Fish Mate F14 relies on a air pump blow a small constant amount of air though the device keeping the food dry, but still I found it was best to use granule foods not flake or tablet foods.

My advice to you I would say the same as Plankton, Gingerlove, mikeyw64 and Ric. Unless your going to be away more than your annual holidays I would not worry about feeding but if your thinking about longer periods, then maybe it might pay to purchase a good quality fish feeder or have a fellow fishkeeper to check in on your inmates the once and a while.

[Ric]

...and if it is not a fellow fishkeeper, you can always make up small food parcels with exact dates when to feed each parcel. This means you can build in starve days. Then hide all your usual food containers so the person is not tempted to top up the food you've measured out.

[mikeyw64]

that's what I did when I went to Mauritus just before Xmas.

Left Mumsie with small labelled food parcels to feed the fish on specific days

Not so much for the fishes benefit but to give her something to do ;o)