How long without feeding is okay?

[Tcox]

I'll soon be going on vacation. I'll be away from the tank for a total of 3.5 days. I have all the equipment needed to keep everything consistent except for food. I don't have a trusted person to come feed. Should I buy an auto feeder or will they be fine for this amount of time without food? I have:
1 6 line wrasse
1 candy cane hogfish
1 sapphire damsel
1 clown goby
1 circus goby

This is a 60 gallon cube that's been up and running for about 6 months.

 

[JTL]

I would probably be ok without food for 3 days but I sure wouldn't like it.

 

[ComforablyNumb]

4 day fast...no problem

 

[zeebies]

I just feed heavily for 2 days before I leave. Then, don't worry about it at all. I've gone 5 days no feeding with no casualties.

 

[mcgyvr]

another "not a problem at all" vote..

 

[Indymann99]

+1 totally fine for that duration. :thumbsup:

 

[Tcox]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your expertise. It's always great to have RC.

 

[davocean]

Agree not an issue, unless you had anything borderline on nipping things like a dwarf angel, if hungry that could cross borderline maybe, but I will say an autofeeder is always nice to have even when not on vacation.

 

[billdogg]

In a general sense, I agree with the above, but there are several buts.......

Is the tank well established? If so, there is usually plenty of things for the fish to find to eat.

Do you have any difficult and/or frequent feeders such as Anthias, pipefish, mandarins etc? If so, then an auto feeder for them is pretty much a must have.

If you do decide on an auto feeder, DO NOT set it up the day or two before you leave. That is a sure-fire recipe for either under or (usually) over feeding. It will take a week or two to get one dialed in so that it is consistent. Ditto for an ATO or dosers, btw.

hth

 

[davocean]

Agree w/ Bill, in fact when I first get an autofeeder I set it on a plate and run a full week cycle just to see what dumps out to be safe.

 

[Timfish]

Another +1 for Bill.

 

[Tcox]

I don't have anybody finicky they're all pretty easy going. As I listed in my original post, I have:



1 6 line wrasse
1 candy cane hogfish
1 sapphire damsel
1 clown goby
1 circus goby



My tank has been setup for about 6 months. It's not a mature tank per sè, but it is well established.

 

[billdogg]

The only one I would be concerned about is the 6 line wrasse. IME, they all go rogue eventually, and for whatever reason gives them an excuse. I'd hate for hunger to push it over into "Kill 'em All" mode

 

[kenneth wolfe]

Just buy a auto feeder..never thought I wanted one , but I find it easier to control nutrients with auto feeder..

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[Fiver]

Fish will be fine for a week with no food if they're in good shape.

BUT, my brittle star went rogue once while I was on vacation and ate my toadstool coral!

 

[ryeguyy84]

I'd say your fine but just a thought I had about the 6 line. mine used to eat pods on the rocks all day long, what if you drop some tiger pods in the tank as a snack he can eat while you're away? again, just a thought.

 

[mefisto]

In genaral a few days without food should not be a problem.

Unless you are running ULNS on the very edge. In that case you might have to take extra measurements to prevent your corals from flipping over and die.

 

[Frogmanx82]

Agree that 4 days is not an issue but an auto feeder is handy. You have two main choices. The drum type that dumps all at once or a wheel that slowly feeds over the course of an hour. The drum is hard to get just right but there wheel puts less aggressive eaters at a disadvantage. If anyone knows of a good feeder that dumps a premeasured amount it would be a good third option.

 

[kenneth wolfe]

Cheap, easy, works, forgot brand will look, have one on my apex, this is actually better than apex for simple feeding , one ,two, three times a day. I make my own feed from ebay supplier , save a fortune..

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