How to Feed Fish While on Vacation?

Are you going on a business trip or perhaps taking a vacation soon? What are your plans for your fish while you’re gone? Thankfully, there are numerous simple ways to keep your fish fed during the holidays and vacations:

Should I feed my fish when I go on vacation?

Many fish can go for weeks without eating. Let’s face it, fishes in tanks have it pretty well. Out in the wild, is your fish getting food supplied to them by hand? Certainly not! Fish in their natural environment have it a lot tougher. It could be days and perhaps even weeks before they can get proper food. It is a luxury to eat every day. So, how long can your pet fish endure without eating?

Just about any fish can spend a few days without eating, and many expert fish hobbyists will gladly leave their pet fish unfed for this period. That’s great news if you’re arranging a weekend getaway. However, what will happen if you wish to stay for a more extended period? Is there a limit to how long you can be away without feeding your fish? The thing is, there are no black and white answers. Three factors influence your fish’s ability to go without food for an extended period:

The length of time your fish may go without consuming food is typically determined by their size and age. In simple terms, bigger and older fish have more fat reserves to fall back on when things get tricky. Large cichlids could go without food for far longer than, say, pencil fish.

What your fish consumes is also a critical factor. Carnivores go days without eating, but herbivores eat each day. These aren’t concrete laws, and they may change depending on the species in your aquarium.

The general principle is that the larger and more mature your fish are, it’s more likely that they will endure extended periods without nourishment. This means, therefore, in some situations, you can abandon your fish without food for as long as 14 days without affecting their wellbeing.

How you can feed your Fish while on Vacation

There is just one viable option for vacation planning: leave your pet fish at home. Worrying over how your fish are doing for the duration of your vacation is not an excellent way to relax. And so, while you’re away from home, here are three easy tactics you can employ to keep your fish nourished and happy.

Let your Neighbor feed your Fish

You don’t need a babysitter; what you need is a competent fish sitter! If you’re fortunate enough to belong to a fish club or community, you may well be able to persuade someone to look after your fish while you’re gone. If it fails, you’ll have to enlist the help of your neighbor. Just don’t hold your breath, expecting too much.

Do you recall how steep the learning curve was when you first set your tank up? It’s unreasonable to expect your neighbor or relative who doesn’t know anything about fishkeeping to maintain your tank correctly. The key is to keep things as simple as possible. Forget about changing the water, substrate cleanliness, and anything else that is even mildly hard. Simply give your fish sitter a straightforward command: keep your pet fish nourished.

That seems to be a straightforward command, right? That’s not always the case. Overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes made by those who are unfamiliar with fish. Pre-measuring each meal into a receptacle is the easiest method to avoid this. Using a pill organizer is the most effective method, and it can carry a daily portion of your fish’s preferred food. It doesn’t get any simpler than that! All the fish sitter must do is drop the contents of each package of food into the tank at the right moment.

Use automatic Fish Feeders

Automatic feeders are available in both plug-in and battery-powered variants. They include timers that may be configured to deliver the right volume of food at the right time once or several more times each day. The dispenser’s mouth can be regulated to provide a particular quantity of food during every feeding session. These are fantastic to have at any time. Get one before going on holiday. You can change the schedule and amount of food delivered to ensure that the fish are fed appropriately day after day. These work wonderfully for nourishing your fish while you are not at home so long as the dispenser is loaded before you depart and contains sufficient food to disburse for the time you are away.

If you’re looking for an automatic fish feeder that you can constantly rely on, then look no further than Eheim. It’s dependable, and, more significantly, it provides excellent bang for the buck. Sure, it costs more than some less expensive and lower-end options, but shelling out some extra dollars for this device is well worth it. It usually administers pellets and sometimes even dry worms, according to the portions and times you specify. You’ll also enjoy that you can serve your fish up to four times per day with this nifty gadget.

If you are interested, you can find here a detailed best list about automatic fish feeders.

Feed slow-release Fish Food

Slow-release fish food refers to any fish meal that can be fed to your fish over a while without necessitating you to be present. Slow-release fish food does not look exceptional at first sight, and it’s just a big, solid slab of fish food. This block begins to dissolve as soon as it is placed in your tank, and food is released as the block dissolves, much to the enjoyment of the hungry fish.

However, how can this assist you? Let’s assume you wish to get away from your house for the weekend. If you have to be out for business or simply want to take a well-deserved holiday, how will you nourish your fish while you’re gone? You don’t have to feed your fish since slow-release fish food gets the job done for you. If you put a couple of blocks in your tank, the fish would be nourished till you come back.

Slow-release fish food is a cost-effective method of feeding your pet fish while on vacation, with a pack costing only a few bucks. Before you go, simply throw a few blocks into the aquarium. That’s all there is to it. The length of time that fish food blocks will sustain your fish are categorized. Weekend feeder blocks can last as long as three days, which is enough time to keep your fish nourished while you’re away for the weekend. Vacation feeder blocks, meanwhile, can last as long as 14 days, permitting you to go on a long leisurely vacation.

Conclusion – How to Feed Fish While on Vacation?

That’s all there is to it. These are three great ways to keep your fish from going hungry while you’re away. Let’s be honest, though; nothing beats feeding your fish while keeping an eye on them. But at the very least, these ideas will guarantee that you’ll still have live fish waiting for you when you get home.