dose any of you have an aquarium? i have a question...

United States
April 4, 2008 8:19am CST
ok i always take good care of my fish everyday ( feed them twice a day ,water change every week etc etc)but unfortunely i have to go somewhere saturday and sunday and i won't be home and none of my friends can come over to feed them, so my question is what can i do ? what about the light? should i leave it on or off ?
2 people like this
5 responses
@roxanne271 (2034)
• Trinidad And Tobago
4 Apr 08
I've had alot of fishes before. If your aquarium has a small amount of algae or moss on the sides then the fish can feed on that for those 2 days you are gone. Also it depends on the size of the fish, are they babies or adults? Babies would definitely die without food for 2 days but adults can hold their own with the moss. If the light is used to provide heat for the fish I would recommend leaving it on if the place tends to get cold but otherwise they really don't need the light on for the whole 2 days. Hope this helps you.
2 people like this
• United States
4 Apr 08
yes that definetely helped thank you so much
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@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
4 Apr 08
I don't think fish have a problem going a couple of days without food. I've done it before (years ago). If you're gone more than a couple of days, they do have things you can buy that will feed them over several days. I believe they are compacted so they don't dissolve right away and overfeed/contaminate the water. As for the light, I wouldn't leave it on. I think it would be better for them to go a day or two with just natural light than not have a way to get out of the harsh light at least part of the day. Is the tank heated? Do you need the light for that?
2 people like this
• United States
4 Apr 08
thanks for your answer i feel better now..it won't even be two days only a day and a half so i guess they'll be ok . oh and i dont need a heater because my room is pretty warm . thank you
2 people like this
• United States
4 Apr 08
I dont want to be rude or whatever but you feed them to much and change the water to often. You should only feed them once every other day and do a partial water change every 2 weeks. Just so you know. As far as leaving them they will be fine. I would feed them a little before you leave and they will do great. As far as the light goes do which ever you feel comfortable with. If you think it will be fine left on and wont catch the house on fire while your away then leave it on..othere wise turn it off. They will be fine either way. Thats the nice thing about fish. They are simple to care for and dont need a sitter while your away. ~May The Kisses Of An Angel Cover And Protect You Always~ Copper
• United States
7 Apr 08
I have been raising tropical fish for over 55 years and I can tell you that no one goes around in the wild and feeds the fish every day, they sometimes go for weeks or even months without eating (as long as they are in good condition before they go through this fasting). And as long as you do not have newly hatched fry in your tank, going for a few days will actually do good for the fish by cleaning out the intestines. If you have fry n the tank I would make sure to have plenty of live plants especially Java Moss so that the babies will have a place to hid and also where there is live food in the form of infusoria for them to eat. As for the light put it on a timer so the people outside will think that there is someone in the house. If there is no live aquarium plants in your tank then regular room light will be fine for the fish. Don't use a light as the means to heat your tank because it cannot be controlled like a thermostatically controlled heater. The submersibles ones are the better ones because you can put them on the bottom of the tank and there will be less likely of a thermalcline. do not feed extra before you go away, or you might pollute the tank with the food that does not get eaten. Find and join a local aquarium club so that you can find out more information and maybe even give some good advise to others.
• United States
7 Apr 08
Thank you so much for your answer and i agree with you when you say that in the wild they don't get to eat twice a day , but i've had them for so long and i always feed them that when i cant i worry
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@Seraphine (385)
• Finland
6 Apr 08
On a few occasions I've had to leave my fish without getting fed for 5-6 days and they managed just fine even though they usually do get fed twice a day. I've always kept the lights on a timer, so it's turned on and off automatically cause without that I'd probably forget to turn it on some days and I know my plants wouldn't like that much. But if you don't have a timer, then it's better to leave it off.
1 person likes this