Gone a long time what about my plants and fish??!

[Paavn]

So... if one is going to be gone for about a month or so what should they do prior to leaving?
i have someone that can feed my fish and i can try to get them to do the dosing for my plants but is there anything else i should prepare?

before leaving i'd definitely do a large water change and gravel vacuum since theres no one to do it for about 4 weeks

i also have a shrimp tank so should i just do the same to that tank? i don't dose ferts in that tank daily more of weekly just because i dont want to kill them with a copper over dose

[xmas_one]

Just get someone to feed maybe 2x a week. That's it.

[Paavn]

Thanks Dan sounds simple enough

oh i should get RO for top off

[C2C7390]

twice a week is good
dosing twice a week shouldnt be a problem either

but your plan sounds pretty solid...just make sure that the sitter knows not to over feed

[Neon Shrimp]

Paavn, One very important thing you want to do is make it easy and clear to the person(s) taking care of your tank about what you want done. Because one slight misstep or change in the instruction could mean disaster can be waiting for you when you get back. It does not matter if the person is a pro or a neverbie because this is not their tank, it's yours

These are a few things I do:

-make a list with check boxes and dates next to the duties so your helper can know what was done.
-ration feeding/dosing/whatever into clearly labeled bags for each day/action.
-feed less than usual (especially with shrimp) they will be fine and there is much less chance the water will foul before you get back.
-make sure that equipment is working well and the timers/feeder equipment is in good working shape before you go. I have my lights on a timer when I know I won't be around.
-Again for shrimp tanks FEED LESS! They will be more than fine with less food and will work on the microorganisms and algae they normally don't get to since we are stuffing them with our specialty foods

Ultimately you make the choice of asking your friends/family/acquaintance to help you with this so we are responsible for this decision, even if things go wrong If you want to make sure your animals are really safe you can go the extra mile and have another hobbyist petsit your prized super rare shrimp or fish in their tank for a month

Have fun and try not to get sun burned

[Paavn]

thanks guys!
my dad is probably going to be doing it since he kept fish way back in the day and has more of an interest in it than my mom. he does feed them time to time when im not home or go out of town for a few days

i already have my lights on timers (used to forget to turn them on time to time)

unfortunately im going to be going to india during the darn rainy/monsoon season. but it does beat the heat there lol gets way way too hot!

[xmas_one]

^^^ what Richard said..

That should be a sticky in a FAQ list, well put.

I just had a novel idea for a DIY vacation feeder. Attach a prescription bottle to the face of a 24 hour timer. Put holes in the bottle that correspond to the desired feeding time. It would work best with pellets and the "just right" sized holes.

[Neon Shrimp]

That should be a sticky in a FAQ list, well put.

This whole topic is important for all who go away from their tanks for a period of time.

Making this thread a sticky until asked to be unstuck

[Zzyzx85]

Went to China during the summer a few years back (almost 10 years ) and the rain was a relief. It was just another way of cooling off. Of course, people thought we were crazy Americans walking around in the rain.

[Paavn]

yea its been almost 10 years now for me. it'll be interesting to see how they keep their tanks there apparently my grandpa's friend runs a zoo in his house lol

[Neon Shrimp]

yea its been almost 10 years now for me. it'll be interesting to see how they keep their tanks there apparently my grandpa's friend runs a zoo in his house lol

Cool, you better take some pictures of this house/zoo Paavn


Alright, let's get back on topic unless you want me to create a new thread for further discuss our travel experiences (I don't mind ).

[h.embass]

Get some help from your relatives or friends. We don't want to ignore the fishes and plants. You might find them dead after you have gone home from leaving. It best to make sure that they are well taken care of and not just being left behind. They are living things and for some reason, many people give great value to them so you should do the same thing.

[sus4ntoh]

Thank you for this sticky as I will be travelling on Aug for 3 weeks. Hope my in law loves my fish. Hmm....

[Gabby]

So, I work out of town 3 months out of the year, and am only home every other weekend during that time. In the past, I got little pill boxes from the drug store and prefilled them with the exact amount I wanted to feed per tank and labeling each cell with a date. That way, I was sure they didn't overfeed. That way I could put a mix of foods (sinking and floating for example) without leaving it up to the person to estimate how much of each to feed. I bet you could do something similar with Ferts.... Maybe in little jars/Tupperware?

I feel like overfeeding is the biggest concern for someone watching my fish.

I would also want to give them a list of things to call me if they happen, and the number of an aquarist I trust just in case.

[bloominganna]

Omg, you have a shrimp tank? That's kinda cool. How do you start having them?

Right now, I'm moving to a my new home as I'm migrating for a while. Was thinking to start a new tank too.