Holidays=12 days no water change?

[Tin Pusher]

Just thinking ahead to March where I am out of town for 12 days. Food will be by autofeeders but I have searched ebay and cannot find an auto W/C device. ;D There is no one available to come by my house and change the water. I was going to grow some large Swords in pots as per a great article a read on this site and place them in the tank before I go. Along with some extra filters will that be enough?

[Carol_Roberts]

If you can't change water for 12 days barely feed at all while away. Fish will be hungry, but healthier than if left in polluted water for 12 days.
Carol :heart1:

[Richman]

Carol is right. You run far less risk by not feeding. If you can get someone to come in and do a moderate feeding (just once) after 6 days, that would be good. Just make sure they don't overfeed. Dumping food in every day with no water changes is setting up a very unhealthy situation. If your fish are in good health, it will take longer than 12 days to starve them to death. Don't worry. IME

[korbi_doc]

;D ;D I was away for 9 days in Oct. Someone fed the young fish in the 90g & 125g once/day. The food was sorted in tiny plastic cups & marked by day. Had 9 young'uns in the QT 37g & my son-in-law changed the water once during that time. All fish did very well. Had prepared them with w/c & filter cleanings & also placed Zeolite in the filters. Put it in a HOT magnum for the 125 & the sump of the wet/dry for 90. The 37g had AC300 with Zeolite + sponge filters, lots air for all since I have a central air pump to all tanks with extra airstones & sponge filters. If you prepare well they'll do fine. I am having a knee surgery in Dec, will be away 2 wks, & hope that with the same preparedness they'll be ok. The babies from QT are now in the 125, but that puts that tank at the top of the bioload, so will have to add the HOT M. again; it has a Lifeguard & 4 sponge filters , 2 are 80g rated. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do! lol, Dottie :bounce: :bounce2: :bounce:

I think it won't be a problem at all, as long as you have a healthy tank going. If you read the old discus books they speak of the "extreme frequency" with which water changes must be carried out, and that "extreme frequency" is once every month and a half or so. I think that as long as you don't overfeed you should be fine.

brad

[Tin Pusher]

Thanks :)