Vacation Feeding

[mandingo]

I don't know what to do, I'm going on vacation and don't have anyone to come over to feed my fish. I have a 120Gal. with Lion, Puffers, Tangs and Angels. I currently feed a variety of diffrent frozen foods. What do I do about this I'll be gone for 10 days. Please anyone with any suggestions.

 

[scubadoo]

You can buy battery operated flake fish food feeders. Can be time programmed to feed the fish twice daily. Doubt your lionfish will eat the flake. The rest of the fish should. You can also adjust the portions. If you decide to purchase one be sure to get one that you can hook an air pump to. This will keep the food inside dry. I do beleive you could feed your lionfish heavily before you leave and he will probably be okay......but I am not certain as it has been years since I have kept one.

 

[joker_ca]

you could also introduce ghost shrimp and your fish should pick them off i did that for a hawk i had and was gone for two weeks and he survived, and used a automatic feeder to feed pellets since my fish dont like flake and it worked pretty good

 

[mbrands]

Have you tried asking your LFS if they offer any kind of service in which they would visit your house once or twice? I know there are companies in Phoenix who take care of tanks for local businesses (doctor's offices, restaurants, etc). Maybe you could pay them to do it? Just a thought.

 

[joker_ca]

thats a business, i wouldn't trust anyone that i dont know to be in my house alone without any supervision:nope:

 

[mbrands]

Just a suggestion.
I've used a pet sitter company to check on our dogs while we were on vacation (instead of boarding them), but I agree that you wouldn't want to do it unless you trust them.

 

[mytank]

when I was gone I used the battery operated feeders. But, I am curious how are you going to handle the water evaporation??????? I know when I got back home after even 1 week there was alot of water that evaporated out.

 

[scubadoo]

Normally I keep my salinity at about 1.024. When going on vacation, I drop it to about 1.021 or so over a period of a couple weeks. When I return the salinty is about where it normally is. The reverse happens with a slow rise each day. When I get home I mix a little salt and top the tank off. This will not work for a reef tank but I have never had a problem with my fish. I also try and raise the level of the water before I leave...I don't run a sump so I do not have to worry about floods. with the incresed water load in the tank. I do not have an automatic top-off system and I have found this method works for me. I use the battery operated fish food feeder. I believe I have been gone for 11 days in the past and all was well. I have a drain attachemnt on my protein skimmer so the cup does not overflow...but the bucket is quite nasty and smelly. My fish are pretty hardy and battle tough as they are all about 5 years old.
I am not certain if this is the best way to handle the situation, but it has worked for me.