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Category Archives: Caring For Fish

Caring For Fish | What’s Gonna Happen To The Fish When You Go On Vacation?

May 18, 2010

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This article on caring for fish is a follow up from a previous post entitled “UV Aquarium Sterilizer – The Different Lamp Types“.

It’s that time of the year again. The bags are packed, the plane tickets bought and just when your mind is filled with the fun that you’re going to be having, a chill crawls down your spine. What about caring for fish while you’re gone?

Well, don’t worry cos there are steps that you can take to help with caring for fish so that they will be alive and well when you get back. This article will guide you on what you can do so that you don’t have to worry about your precious aquatic life.

Caring For Fish

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1) Do a partial water change: Before you leave, change about half of the water in your tank. This will lower the nitrate levels, as well as keep the water level nicely topped up.

2) Rinse the filter media. Give it a good rinse, or you could even change half the filter media if you wish. This will keep it running efficiently while you’re gone.

3) Aquarium Lights. If you have a freshwater plants or even a reef tank with corals, you will definitely have to provide your tank with adequate lighting. One thing you could do is purchase a timer, which is quite cheap, from your local electrical store.

4) Feeding: Honestly, fish can go several weeks without feeding. But if you’re worried about no one caring for fish and leaving them without food, you can always buy an automatic fish feeders which are not really that expensive. Never overfeed them, thinking that it will make them last longer without food, that’s not how it works.

The Wardley Vacation Food which you can get from That Fish Place is ideal if you’re gonna be gone for about 10 days.

Caring For Fish : Long Term

Well, what about caring for fish if you’re gonna be gone for more than a couple of weeks then these preparation won’t be sufficient. The best that you can do is to get a sitter to take over caring for fish. I’m sure that if you visit your local fish shop, you could hire a sitter to come by once a week for some daily maintenance. Or try getting the help of a neighbor.

Here’s a list of tasks you could ask your sitter to do when caring for fish for you:

1) Feed the fish. You could get a pill box from the local pharmacy and divide the food into weekly supplies.

2) Check the temperature. Let the sitter know what the temperature should be.

3) Inspect the tank for leaks.

4) Empty the protein skimmer. If you have never seen a protein skimmer that hasn’t been emptied in weeks, believe me it is not a pretty sight (or smell for that matter).

These are some of the precautions you could take if you’re going on vacation. Just get these tasks done and enjoy your holiday. Trust me, your fish will be there when you get back.