# How long can fish go without eating?



## socc11girl

Hi all,

I will be going out of town for 12 days, and am wondering if that is too long to go without feeding the fish? I have heard that the pyramids are not good for tank because there is too much waste. Also, I am unable to easily setup an auto-feeder because I have a fluval edge, so the top of the tank doesn't allow me to attach the auto-feeders. 

Here is what I have in my 12 gallon tank:
- 2 glass catfish
- 2 guppies
- 2 neon tetras
- 2 endler's livebearer's 
- 1 tetra
- 1 albino pleco

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thank you!


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## lohachata

feed well up until 3 days before leaving...
day 3......feed only spirulina flakes.....
day 2......do not feed.......do a large 40% water change.....
day 1......do nothing..........

usually well fed fish can go 2-3 weeks without food.....
so i think you should be fine...
some people have a friend come in every day to feed the fish....bad mistake....
if you do have someone come in to feed make sure it is only twice a week..prepackage each feeding in a sandwich bag and tell them how to feed ....only 1 bag at a time....


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## ZebraDanio12

I had a friend come once to take care of my fish....When I got home...My tanks were uggglyy. They will be fine without food.


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## BettaGuy

I agree, don't have someone come over to feed them. Just let the fish starve over the twelve days your gone, or maybe have someone feed them once (but do what loha said packaging wise, really smart idea)


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## Betta man

Fish can go a long time without food. I was at an aquarium club meeting, and a guy there said that he received a call from his fish sitter saying that all his fish were hanging out on their backs. He also asked if that was normal. When the guy got home, they were all dead. He was only gone 11 days. I unless you're gone for more then 3 weeks, it should be fine.


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## Ghost Knife

I have an automatic fish feeder that feeds a small amount every 12 hours for my 20 gallon office tank. It usually works just fine. I'll be going back to the office tomorrow for the first time since last Wednesday so I hope everything is in good shape.


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## Betta man

With auto feeders, you want to test them out first for at least 3 days.


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## Ghost Knife

Betta man said:


> With auto feeders, you want to test them out first for at least 3 days.


I've had mine for a couple years and it works out great since there are times when I don't visit the office for 2 weeks or so.


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## Redhead305

i do the pre package technique. if im ever gone i pack all the bags i need and tell my grandmother who lives next door to simply come over and toss a bag in. usually the bag is the mix of foods i give my lil guys


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## socc11girl

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I think I might have a friend come over once in the middle of my trip, but I will leave a baggy of food for them so that they don't overfeed. Thanks again!


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## FRIENDLYFISHIES

great idea with the pre bagging!


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## Guest

I had a friend come over and feed my fish because I had to house sit for my mom and it was very hot out. Another great idea is stay in contact with your friend every day that you are gone, so if anything does go wrong you can help him/her fix the problem.


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## Ghost Knife

Went back to the office today and all of the fish were doing fine. I continue to be impressed with this simple auto feeder for sure.


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## bullseyejoey

i tend to get scared when i dont feed my fish for a day


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## Betta man

There's no reason to. Get 12 ziploc bags out and put the amount you want fed to each fish in each bag, so it's hard to overdose. Also hide the extra food.


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## Murloc

I am leaving myself for 5 days starting tomorrow. I am having my sister stay here and feed my fish. To keep my tank from getting over fed, I just put each days food in this old pill holder. If I remember right, it only cost a few dollars...


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## lohachata

while that may look like a good idea murloc ; i am thinking that if the small containers don't come out of the main unit it would a bit clumsy trying to tip the food out of it..
i don't think that would work for feeding my fish...
if i go somewhere , my fish do not get fed.....not a lot of people that i would trust or be willing to impose upon to come feed 80 tanks.


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## Murloc

Each day pops out of the main holder, and the food comes out easy. I don't think I would trust anyone who really did not know what they were doing either if I had more then my one 80g tank. I under-rationed the food as well too to be safe, all my fish are still very small, and I want them to continue to grow while I am gone.


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## frdfandc

I got to the point of feeding my fish every 2-3 days. But when I did feed them it would be once in the morning and once at night. When I would go away, I would throw one of those feeding stones in the botton. This was with Tetra. Seemed to work well. Still have 8 of my original 20 Tetra that I bought over 2 years ago.


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## Obsidian

When I left for extended periods of time I put the food into little envelopes for my pet sitter. I had her feed every other day. I marked the date that each was to be put into the tank. This way they still got a varied diet and were not over fed. Worked great


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