MatsP - Vacation Feeding

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 25 Oct 2006, 23:25

Mats, I read your article in Shane's World regarding feeding Plecos. Am leaving for a week vacation Nov. 4 and am wondering if I should not feed my L239 and L81 for the week (pet sitter) due to water quality deterioration or if your recipe for the "slurry" painted on the rock would work since it dissolves slowly. In a food processor I ground up shrimp, romaine lettuce, sweet red pepper, yellow squash, cucumber, zucchini, 5 algae tablets soaked in a little aquarium water, the white of an egg and added a little Kent Zoe. Painted this slurry on (3) 3" dia. round rocks and am allowing to dry and harden. First, would this work for vacation feeding? Two, should I paint several layers and allow each to harden? How long does this mixture last in the tank? Overnight or days? I shall add this to their weekly feeding. Great article! Printed and adding to my notebook for future reference. Posted pics in my gallery if anyone wants to see my two beauties and their home. Thanks, Mats. Joyce

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 26 Oct 2006, 10:21

A week is probably short enough that you could, at least if you wanted to, just not feed the fish, and they will be perfectly fine.

Alternatively, I'd package up "ready made" frozen portions in the freezer.

The risk with "fish-sitters" is that they feed too much if you don't "portion it up" (assuming of course they are not EXPERIENCED fish-keepers themselves...).

The bit about "driedd egg painted on rocks" is actually not part of what I wrote, Jools added that portion to my original content. Your mix sounds like a very good one tho'. I wouldn't leave it in the tank for more than a day, maybe two at the most.

Here's what I would do:
Fix up two or three portions of food, that are roughly what you'd normally feed your fish. If it's fresh food, stick it in the freezer, and tell your fisk-sitter to give one on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (or Monday/Thursday of you do just two).

It's MUCH easier to kill fish by overfeeding than underfeeding.

--
Mats

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 26 Oct 2006, 18:15

Thanks, Mats. My pet sitter is actually for my 18 year old cat, but would feed plecos if asked. I shall let them work on the little algae in the tank until I return and can monitor the quality of the water. The hard slurry mixture on the rock will be added to their weekly diet. Think I shall try one tonight since it is dry and hard. I am now hurting for freezer space since the upper part of my freezer looks like a gourmet section for the plecos. Have cut each veggie and frozen on a sheet, then put in a container that is labeled. Have one or more containers for each veggie. Easy to get dinner ready for them and don't waste a lot of fresh veggies. Also, after freezing and thawing, the veggie strip or chunk is softer for them to eat. I rubber band the veggie strip to a small flat rock (2 choices each night) and use plastic tongs to place and retrieve the food in the tank. Joyce

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 26 Oct 2006, 22:50

I went on holiday for a week, i fed them hevely for 3 days and did a 50% water change after i feed them. and when i returned they looked well and i had no loses and that goes for the 1ft long goldfish i had in the tank as well.

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 27 Oct 2006, 10:14

My own personal feelings on this would be not to experiment with a new way to feed when you're not around.

Best to try the egg mixture when you get back, as if it goes wrong it could easily pollute the water.

If the plecs are fat they should be fine for a week without food.

I have used both Mats and Iporangensis Headachs techniques before with no problems.

Have a nice holiday, sorry vacation.

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 27 Oct 2006, 18:41

Thanks everyone! My plecos are nice and plump and there is some algae on a couple of the rocks and on the glass so they will have some food available. They have 2 driftwoods for cellulose, if they want it. I will do a water change before leaving and not clean the glass. Please be assured that I would never experiment with my two beauties. Do not want to leave anything to chance! Since there is food left each morning I feel that I am already feeding heavy. These guys are only 2-1/2 - 3" long (changed from 3 - 3-1/2"). I put the rock with the hardened "slurry" mixture in the tank last night along with a slice of zucchini/courgette and the rock was clean this AM and a lot of zucchini gone. Looks like they enjoyed their pureed mixture! Am leaving next Saturday (11/4)so I shall stick some shrimp pellets in veggies, give some bloodworms one night with a veggie and another night a shrimp and veggie to build up protein before leaving. Think that the addition of a little more protein will bulk them up and "stick to their ribs" more than a lot of veggies going into a "fast". Is this a good plan in your estimation? Thanks, Racoll - "holiday" works, too! Joyce

Judazzz · Post by **Judazzz** » 28 Oct 2006, 15:57

I just came back from a 10-day vacation, during which my fish (Loricarids - including Aufwuchs-eaters like yours - , Corydoras, Apisto's and small Characins) weren't fed or looked after at all. And although I was a bit worried that I may had overplayed my hand, all the fish were perfectly fine and healthy when I came back (even in the largest tank, where the automated light system failed to work, and all plants had died and started decaying during the 10-day period of darkness).
Before I left, I heavily fed my fish for a number of days to beef them up a bit ('safe' foods of which I knew it would be eaten for sure), and also did large daily water changes to obtain as good a water quality as possible. And then I let nature take its course - which it did wonderfully ;)

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 28 Oct 2006, 17:14

Thank you, Jonas, for the info. Since I only have 2 small plecos I feed around 7PM when my overhead light goes off and my Aqualight Blue/Moonlight comes on. I remove the food which is rubber banded to flat rocks at 7AM. Therefore, nothing decays in the tank. I do know that I overfeed because food is left over, although obviously eaten. I test my tank regularly and do a small water change each week even though my tank tests 0-0-0 etc.

Glad that your fish fared well over the lengthy period of time. I bet you were worried! I would be!

I shall perform a water change on Saturday AM before we leave for the airport! And, after receiving all of these endorsements for letting them be, I shall not worry! Huh? Whose crazy? Of course, I shall still worry, but not as much.

Joyce

Judazzz · Post by **Judazzz** » 28 Oct 2006, 17:32

Yeah, worrying about your fish (even when you stay away for a much shorter period of time, and even when there's someone taking care of the fish during your absence) is something that has been firmly anchored into our systems, I guess

I've placed the care of my fish in the hands of others numberous times in the past, and each time I couldn't stop worrying about what might happen.
Weird thing is that although every time it went perfectly smoothly, and although I usually become completely submerged in my holiday experience in no-time, the worrying never completely vanishes (like a nagging little voice in my head that just doesn't shut up). Perhaps I should install webcams the next time I move, so I can keep watching them, hehe...

I would do the same, if I were in standing your shoes - perhaps one last feeding on saturday, one last water change and final filter check on Sunday (the thought that one of my canisters would start leaking, draining my tank - and my appartment, and my neighbours' downstairs - within hours, while I was basking in the Spanish sun nearly gave me nightmares, lol), and then the anxiety... I mean holiday can start ;)
But it's assuring to know that we generally tend to underestimate our fish and what they are capable of - better than overestimating them, I'd say!

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 28 Oct 2006, 17:51

Great! Now you give me more to worry about! Didn't think about my tank exploding or other horrible things happening! Another worry is the possible electical outage due to a storm! Yikes! That would be the worst. Had an outage for 74 hours a while back and had to rent a generator and hook up my refrigerator and my aquarium and one light! If need be I would have forgotten the light and used candles!

Seriously, I shall try not to think about the worst that could happen and enjoy a week in the Florida Keys snorkeling and watching gorgeous tropical fish in nice warm water! Unlike our temperatures at home in Ohio!

If you have a chance, I have posted pics recently. Photos of my little 20 gallon long tank and my 2 beauties. Please take a look if you are so inclined. Wish they weren't so shy. It's like having a landscaped aquarium to view with no fish! Joyce

Joyce8025 · Post by **Joyce8025** » 12 Nov 2006, 19:32

Thanks to everyone who gave me great advice before leaving on vacation. I am back from 80 degree Florida Keys to 40 degree Cincinnati, Ohio. Both plecos are in fine shape. Tank looks great. Suprised that they didn't eat the Elodea! Gave them sweet potato upon arrival yesterday afternoon and last night added a small shrimp. The Blue came out in the afternoon to eat, but the Gold Nugget waited until lights went out. Purchased a composite floating log for them in a pet shop in Marathon, Florida. Added it but so far no one is trying it out. If they use it I shall post the results and info if anyone would be interested in purchasing one. Only saw these in this shop. Bet they are available on line. Bought another LED light that I am going to put on the opposite side of my tank for brighter viewing. Such great toys! Again, thanks! Joyce

MatsP - Vacation Feeding

MatsP - Vacation Feeding

Vacation feeding