Western Cichlid Forum

Going Away For a Weekender – Who’s Gonna Feed The Fish?

With summer coming along and people spending more time away its often
asked ‘who’s gonna feed my fish while I’m in Margret River’ or ‘Will
my fish survive if I go away to Rottnest for a weekend or so’.
These are some ideas for feeding your fish for up to a week.

• Just forget about ‘em. Many cichlids and community
  fish survive without food for an occassional weekend or so, provided
  they are peaceful species of similar size. Be careful with mismatches
  between aggressive and mellow fish as a hungry aggressive fish will
  lead to fewer mellow fish upon your return.
• Have a friend or neighbor stop in. Often a
  neighbor or friend is asked to check up on the house while your
  away. Why not ask them to feed the fish as well. If they are inexperienced
  with fish it is wise to find an appropriate measuring container
  big enough for your daily feed. This will reduce the risk of overfeeding.
• Use commercial “feeder blocks”. These
  inexpensive little blocks slowly dissolve to release granular bits
  of food, and generally last either a weekend or about two weeks.For
  a short weekender away these are fine.
• Set up a mechanical feeder. There are several
  excellent automated feeding machines available that are either battery
  operated or plug into an electrical outlet. Some models feed twice
  per day, twelve hours apart; others can be programmed rather precisely
  as to times, numbers and even sizes of feedings. Most are designed
  to deliver flake foods, but some can be used with pellets or other
  dry foods as well.

Avoid the temptation to feed the fish a huge
meal just before leaving. Fish can’t really store food, and poor
water quality from overfeeding is far more dangerous than going
hungry for a few days. Also, take care not to close up the house
so tightly that the room temperature soars to very hot temperatures,
which again is much more critical than a couple of missed meals.

Chuckmeister