going away for 4 days, what to do with discus?

[bon243]

I'm going away for 4 days, and i am wondering how to take care of them on that time span?

[Eddie Wells]

As long as they aren't juvies just change water before you go and they will be fine till you get back.

[wendy9722]

As long as they aren't juvies just change water before you go and they will be fine till you get back.

+1

[scottthomas]

+1

+2 4 days is nothing if they have clean water.

[Chad Adams]

+2 4 days is nothing if they have clean water.

+++ They'll be fine.
Chad

[Bud Smith]

agree with everyone - the only thing I can add comes my experience a few years ago - I left for a week and while I was gone storms came through my are area and I lost power at my house and lost a tank full of angels
If you have some one who lives close by that could check your discus in case weather hits your area may be a good idea unless you have emergency back-up power

[Keith Perkins]

And use a timer to keep the lighting about the way they are use to having it.

[Jennie]

and don't feed for 24 hours before water change
As long as they aren't juvies just change water before you go and they will be fine till you get back.

[Keith Perkins]

Got all that? LOL Really, they'll be fine.

[calihawker]

Got all that? LOL Really, they'll be fine.

:) +1

Steve

[zchauvin]

since you are discussing the topic, I will be going to florida july 3rd-11th. Do I just do the water change before leaving as well???

[MSD]

Get an auto-feeder and feed lightly flakes or pellets, which ever you already use, while you are gone.

[zchauvin]

alrighty. I have seen many of these auto feeders and lfs and petco, petsmart ect.. what would you suggest brand wise or are they all around the same thing.

[Keith Perkins]

since you are discussing the topic, I will be going to florida july 3rd-11th. Do I just do the water change before leaving as well???

I'd use the same advice as given above, stop feeding 24 hours before you go and do as big a WC as you can as close as you can before you go. It's said healthy adult discus can go a month without eating, a week is no problem. Their water will stay a lot cleaner if you don't feed them at all while you're gone.

[Darrell Ward]

Yep, I wouldn't feed at all while away. Less food in the water, less poop, equals cleaner water. A light timer is a good thing, if you're home, or away. Fish are more relaxed in a steady day, night cycle.

[zchauvin]

Sounds good, my lights are on a timer for 12 hours a day. Normally 8-8. I will just do the wc and not feed I suppose. What about if they are growouts. I do not know how big they will be by then I am buying 6 2.5-3" fish at the beginning of next month

[Darrell Ward]

4 days is not going to be a big deal. 3" fish should be big enough to handle it.

[zchauvin]

4 days is not going to be a big deal. 3" fish should be big enough to handle it.

I will be gone 7 :/ still no problem ??

[Darrell Ward]

OOPS! Missed that part. 7 days is a bit of a stretch for little ones IMO with no food or water changes. I'm sure they will survive, but it could set back their growth a bit. If I were planning on buying babies, I would probably wait until I returned from my trip just to play it safe.

[bon243]

my discus are still kinda juvies about 3"
still think they'll be okay?

[Darrell Ward]

I think it would be OK with only 4 days. 7 full days, might be pushing it with little ones.

[Neco]

I´m usually travelling, so this is nothing new for me, I agree with most of the comments, what I do:

Don´t feed the day before
Clean everything perfectly, and do a water change
Let them alone, no food, no need of water change, if they are healthy even one week won´t be a problem, 8-10 days... they won´t die, but more than 10 days starts to be a "little too much" (always depends on the discus, they´re not all the same, as we aren´t)

To feel safe (as I said I use to travel), I´ve also video cameras in the fish room, and can see what happends from any place with just a simple internet connection (laptop, phone...), I can operate all the different solenoid valves of the installation remotely (water changes, add food, turn on/off lights...), and I´ve some electronic programmers doing the water changes, so I don´t really need to be there anyway.

I don´t trust those small battery feeders, sometimes they can put you in difficult situations, I remember one time years ago (didn´t have some of the "things" I have now), that one of those droped ALL the food in the tank, I still don´t know why, you can imagine the result.

[AFKCW]

What about juveniles .. how long can they go? (In other words, what is the smallest size/youngest discus that can be left for 4 days without messing up their growth?
Thanks. Very good advice given on this forum.

[Keith Perkins]

Wanda, you might get better responses to this question if you get brave and start a thread of your own. :) I'm be interested to hear opinions on this one, because I just don't leave fish unattended that aren't in excess of a year old.