By Donna M. Recktenwalt
No matter the degree of involvement with our fish, there are occasions when we aquarists just can’t provide the level of care to our charges that we’d like, times when we simply must neglect our fish or be away from our fishrooms for a time. Whatever the reason for such a lapse, there is seldom cause for panic. In most cases, a little benign neglect will do the fish no harm; in others, a little planning ahead can reduce potential problems.
Fish need not necessarily be fed while you are away.
“I have routinely left my fish unfed for over two weeks,” reports Oleg Kiselev. “It’s far preferable … to find my fish hungry than to find dessicated carcasses on the floor and fungused bloated corpses in the tanks. Unless your tanks are completely sterile, they’re full of living creatures that the fish can graze on…. Java moss is a veritable treasure trove…. Fish can live like this for quite a while.”
“It is safer to leave fish unfed for a week or two than to allow an unexperienced friend to care for them,” agrees John Hladky.
“Don’t overfeed them as you leave,” advises Wright Huntley. “Instead, feed well until the next to last day. Starve [them] for one day, then give [them] a major water change to lower any ammonia produced, just as you leave. Avoid … those ‘vacation feeder’ blocks.” They drive the pH out of sight and do very little good.
“Keep the water quality high and the temperature within the survival range your fish can tolerate,” Wright further suggests. Many people forget that if the fish aren’t eating, they also aren’t excreting. The water change before you leave gives the fish the optimum possible water quality while you are away.
Most killikeepers maintain their tanks at ambient house temperatures. Don’t reset the thermostat to a lower range as you leave; this may result in the fish becoming stressed from cold beyond their tolerance levels.
Most killikeepers have lighting for their tanks. If you have no plants, you can leave the fishroom dark while you are gone; the fish will hardly mind at all. If you have plants, the tanks must have light. The most cost-effective and time-saving lighting systems are those utilizing timers to turn the lights on and off at regular, preset intervals. If you have not already taken this step, the modest investment of a plug-in timer for your tank lights is a very good idea.
G.C.K.A. Newsletter, December 1998