Tips for going out of town!

salt nate

salt nate

Member
I am going out of town for four days on thanksgiving and I thought maybe I could learn from some of your mistakes

Please be so kind as to share some helpful reminders to me so that I can avoid a disaster!
BTW...I have a nice neighbor who will be looking in on my fish, but she knows ABSOLUTELY nothing about keeping fish.

Oh yeah, I feed frozen cubes of food and I have 2-75 gallon tanks. I have to top off about 1/2 gallon of water in each, per day.
 
kevin34

kevin34

Active Member
i would let your neighbor feed them but maybe you should hook up an auto top off unit before you leave. thats what I would do.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
For four days I don't know that I would worry about feeding the fish, most of the catastrophies I have read about on here have been from good intentioned tank watchers overfeeding the fish. If you do let her feed be sure to measure out the food into daily feedings before you go.
 
ilovemytank

ilovemytank

Member
I feed frozen cubes too. I seperated each feedings worth of cubes into individual sandwhich bags. I had the person feeding my fish and walking my dogs put one bag into water cup ( need I say with water ) and let it thaw while they walked the dogs. When they got back they could then pour the cup into the tank. I wouldn't let them shut off anything. I also have them add a gallon of water each time they came over. I think I add two gallons a day. I'm going to research tank toppers.
 
salt nate

salt nate

Member
yeah, ive heard of those auto top offs, but I dont think I can afford one right now. If I fill my sump all the way up, it should be ok, unless the power goes off and it overflows!
yeah, I feed one cube per tank, per day. Hopefully she can follow directions!
 
M

markeo99

Guest
I have a top off plan that costs less thna 20$
cheap all plastic float 12$
and then a jug you you can set on a shelf to gravity feed I used a garbage can with 10$ bulkhead
you just need some way to drill a 1/2 inch hole for the float to mount
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
IMO don't let her feed, fish will be fine for 4 days.
IMO don't fill the sump all the way up. Make 4 jugs of top-off water. Label them day 1-4. Show her where to add them.
Don't worry about it. That should be the easiest route for her to follow.
 
M

markeo99

Guest
I have also drawn a line on my sump and tell them the water should stay at the line so if its know they know exactly how much to put in
 
tpigg81

tpigg81

Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2843345
IMO don't let her feed, fish will be fine for 4 days.
IMO don't fill the sump all the way up. Make 4 jugs of top-off water. Label them day 1-4. Show her where to add them.
Don't worry about it. That should be the easiest route for her to follow.
+1
 
jmesmcm

jmesmcm

Member
For 4 days I usually only have the water topped up if going for longer than I leave food in baggies. As for topping up the water I leave a bucket with a heater in it and have marked high and low water points on my sump. When ever they come scoop water from the heated bucket into the sump until it reaches the high water mark and refill the heated bucket from the unheated bucket as necessary.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Don't forget your 100 hail mary's.
I lost a whole tank of seahorses on one vacation.
My reef on another.
These were long vacations, but keep people away from your tank the best you can.
Get them to come look, but put yellow crime scene ribbon at about an 8' radius around the tank.
And if they have a kid (and even though they promise not to bring them).... install a "Toddler Zapper" that detects small sticky fingers carrying pennies for the wishing well... and zaps accordingly. I don't care if he's your Reverend, he will lie and bring that child over!
 
salt nate

salt nate

Member
ha ha cran! no, she has no kids.
wow, I didnt know they had toppers for that cheap! is it a diy?
My fish just swim in circles all day looking for food, four days seems like a long time... You dont think a cube a day will be easy enough for her?
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
If that is what you normally feed its fine as long as you threaten her with her life if she feeds any more than that. It's the well intentioned ones that will get you especially when they see your fish swimming around looking for food. They will slip them a little extra because they looked hungry.
 
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