Fish without food

[Freind]

Hi,
I'm trying to find that for how many days the fishes will be fine without the food. Please note that my tank newly developed and I added the fish, clown and green chromes, a week ago.

I also like to know that I have to turn off the pump while feeding as my overflow is from the top. Click the link below to see the over flow style . Is okay to turn the system of for 15-20 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9aOD2MyTiU

Thanks

 

[patsfan1130]

I travel on business quite a lot. My fish easily go a week without food. I've pushed to 10 days before. Never had a loss.

Fish can go quite a while although with a newer tank without much growth to pick on I wouldn't push it that far.

My 2 cents

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It's best to feed the fish at least once a day. I feed mine twice daily. Some species of fish need to be fed three times daily. You'll want to look up the care requirements for the fish you have.

Turning off the pumps for 15-20 minutes won't be a problem.

 

[chrisfont23]

I feed every other day but I would imagine you will get a million answers with different variations or opinion. I don't think there is a set limit. Some fish like to graze though, so if you have a fish like a Tang, for example, it might be best to leave some sea veggies hanging around during the days you do feed.

 

[ca1ore]

I have gone away for 7 - 10 days dozens of times and cannot recall losing a fish to malnutrition as a result. Just feed a bit extra ahead of any trip.

 

[mattix]

you could try one of those automatic feeders with some pellet food.

 

[whosurcaddie]

Fish can live for 14 days without food. Some when breeding can go even longer without it. Am I saying don't feed your fish for 2 weeks no I'm not. But a week will be just fine.

 

[HumbleFish]

you could try one of those automatic feeders with some pellet food.

+1 Eheim makes a good one (cheap too). Capable of dispensing flake or pellets. However 7-10 days should be fine so long as the fish is healthy. However, I wouldn't push it in a tank you know has Ich. Or with a fish with a high metabolism such as a Moorish Idol.

 

[immortl]

Over the past year I have traveled extensively for work. During most multiweek trips I would have a friend stop by to feed the tank once or twice a week. For shorter one week trips, the fish and corals all did fine without feedings, even my sun coral. I tend to feed a good bit before I go, do a water change right before I leave, and then another when I get back. The fish, corals, and anemones have all remained healthy. As noted, if you have a particularly high needs fish, you may need to come up with a different plan.

Prior to setting up my Tunez Osmolator, the biggest concern was top off water. Setting the house temp down to 50 while away increased the evaporation rate, even with a covered biocube 29.

My livestock includes:
2 - oscellaris
1 - gold assessor
1 - helfrichi
2 - RBTA
Duncan
Sun Coral
Candy Cane Coral
Maze Brain
Fire Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp

It's a pretty basic group of easy to care for and hardy items.

 

[thegrun]

I use an Eheim feeder when we are away on vacation. I made an acrylic holder that has a feed tube that extends a couple of inches underwater. That way when it dumps the food it doesn't get sucked into the overflow, it stays in the tube until saturated and then sinks for the fish to eat.

 

[Paul B]

When I got drafted I had a large catfish in a 20 gallon tank. I went to Viet Nam and the thing died the week before I got home. I don't think anyone fed it during that year but I would not recommend that. But fish can go for probably a couple of weeks with out food but I wouldn't do it on purpose for more than about 10 days.

 

[dkeller_nc]

You don't have to turn off your return pump while feeding, btw. I'm presuming you're doing it to prevent floating food from getting skimmed off of the surface into the sump.

You simply need to either start feeding frozen food with a disposable pipette (many net retailers sell the disposable pipettes), or if you feed dry, feed a sinking pellet. The sinking pellets will still float briefly, so instead of just dropping them onto the surface, take a pinch between your thumb and forefinger and place it under the surface. Most sinking pellets won't re-float.

 

[Freind]

Thank you all. My fish will skip three meals so I hope there won't be any problem.

 

[fishroomlady]

wow, I just learned something reading this.

 

[chrisfont23]

Fish without food

Here's a close up of the Eheim automatic fish feeder