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By Lorraine | 09 April 2020 | 0 Comments

Feeding and Care for Your Fish on Holiday or Vacation

 


Are you going on vacation or planning your holidays right away? What will happen to your fish when you are away? The good news is here are some simple options to feed your fish while you are on vacation. One is to find another person who can look after the fish, or you can get your fish a commercial holiday fish feeder provided by the fish shop online, or you can buy an automatic fish feeder-this one can be used daily anyway. The final option is to not feed your fish when you are on vacation.
 

Feeding Your Fish on Holiday

 
Use a Vacation Feeder
Let's start with the simplest way of feeding: using a vacation feeder. They come in sizes of 2 days (weekends), 7 days, and 14 days. There are two basic types, one with food embedded in calcium blocks and the other with food embedded in gel. In each case, the blocks gradually dissolved in the water, releasing food particles for fish to eat. The advantages of the feeder block are:

1. Provide food to your fish when you are away for up to 14 days.
2. As the calcium block gradually dissolves, it slowly dissolves and periodically releases food (although the calcium block will dissolve faster in soft, acid water than it will in hard, basic water).
3. It includes natural ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of all the fish in your aquarium.
4. Do not use in fish bowls or unfiltered or unaerated fish tanks, as water circulation is needed to dissolve and blocks.
5. The gel blocks may work better in some water conditions as the gel block is plaster-free and does not cloud water.
6. Make sure the number of blocks used in the aquarium is sufficient for all fish in the aquarium. But during your time away, feeding fish less food is better than overfeeding. If larger calcium blocks are used, especially in soft water conditions, they can affect the water chemistry of the aquarium. Gel feeders are unlikely to cause changes in water quality. 
Automatic Feeders
There are two types of automatic feeders: plug-in type and battery-operated type. They have timers that can be set to dispense the right amount of food once or multiple times a day. The opening of the food dispenser can be adjusted to deliver a certain amount of food with each feeding. As long as the food dispenser is full before you leave and there is enough food to dispense during your vacation time, these automatic feeders will be good for your fish feeding when you leave. 
 

Not to Feed Your Fish

Living in a water environment has its benefits-fish don't have to wait for you to give them water to drink. As for food, freshwater fish can live without eating for several days. Healthy adult fish can live without eating for a week or two. However, young fish do not have the fat reserves of adult fish, and they cannot live without eating for a long time.
 
This does not mean that you should not feed your fish often, but your fish can be left unfed during a long weekend holiday. However, keep in mind that food is not the only thing to consider when you are on vacation. If you are not at home, you must ensure that your filters, water heaters, and lighting are properly maintained.
 

Care for Your Fish When on Vacation


 

Set a timer
Aquarium lights should usually be turned off at night and turned on in the morning. Lighting is easy to handle, by purchasing and setting a timer. You don't need to buy a fancy one, as long as it can turn on and off the aquarium lights once a day. Put the light on the timer and keep it in this state. Then, your fish will have a consistent day and night cycle.
 
Control water temperature
The water temperature in the aquarium should remain fairly stable. Fish are used to gradual seasonal changes in temperature in the wild, but if the changes are dramatic, they are vulnerable to disease. If the holidays are the coldest of the year, make sure your fish tank heater is working and don't turn your room temperature too low. Tropical fish like water temperatures of about 74-78 degrees Fahrenheit and do not do well at water temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
During the summer vacation, if the indoor temperature exceeds 80 degrees, you can adjust the air conditioner to the most suitable temperature so that the fish will be comfortable when you go out. If you don't have air conditioning, it's best to arrange for someone to check the fish in the event of a heatwave.
 

The physical condition of fish

The physical condition of your fish is another important factor to care about. Before you go on vacation, check them to make sure they are not sick. If you notice any abnormalities, consult your fish shop online or aquatic veterinarian before leaving. Otherwise, you may return with an aquarium full of sick and dead fish.
 
You need to prepare the following things in advance, and you can leave for traveling less troubled.

1. Clean the fish tank a week before you leave.
aquarium cleaning kit
2. Fill the fish tank with water the day before you leave.  aquarium water flow control valve
3. Check the water temperature to make sure it is within the proper range. fish tank temperature control
4. Check the filter and make sure it is running at full capacity. 
aquarium corner filter
5. Check all fish carefully to make sure they are healthy.
6. If you have someone who looks after the fish, measure the food into a fish tray feeder. Give him your phone number and the phone number of the pet store. 
aquarium vacation feeder

After doing those as Senzeal suggests, you can go enjoy your holidays care-free!

You might be also interested in:
How to Choose Ornamental Fish Feed
How Do You Feed a Betta Fish?
Feed Tropical Fish
Easily Feed Fish in the Aquarium When on Vacation

 

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