# If you leave on Vacation...



## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

Not sure if this is the correct forum but since this is where I spend all of my time...

I have heard people say that they go on vacation and come back a week, or sometimes even 3 days, later and their fish are dead because noone took care of them. How is that even possible to think?

I don't mean necessarily this site, I mean I see this at quite a few sites.

The thing that gets me is, if I were gone for less than 2 weeks, I would feed my fish the day I left and turn the temp down a couple degrees and leave it at that. I would fully expect them to be alive and well, although hungry, when I got back.

Am I missing something here? Because I am a little confused that in these threads, I also don't see anyone asking what the water params were etc.

I can see if there was a mechanical failure, that would make sense, but fish can go a month and a half without eating. What is there to care for in a week long vacation and am I missing something here that everyone else knows?

Sorry if this sounds sarcastic. I am not trying to be at all. :smile:


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

If you are talking about piranhas, they will begin to eat eachother if left unfed for long periods of time.


----------



## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

grosse gurke said:


> If you are talking about piranhas, they will begin to eat eachother if left unfed for long periods of time.


 No, I meant cichlids. But you're right in clarifying that. Thanks. :smile:


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I would agree with you then, I dont see how the water could get that messed up in such a small period of time and that is the only thing I would be worried about.


----------



## Alexraptor (Jan 30, 2003)

could be many things, lack of food, sudden diesease, equipment malfunction, i always get somone to take care of my fishes when i go on vacation


----------



## Birdman (Mar 19, 2003)

a heater could break


----------



## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

I don't think you guys understand what I am saying. It could be my fault for not explaining it very well.

Marksaur, a fish can't die of starvation in a few days or even a few weeks. :smile:

Birdman, I said other than mechanical.

I might have not explained it good enough and I apologize, but what I'm saying is why when it's a thread, why does the owner assume when he's gone a week and comes back and they're dead it's because "they weren't taken care of"? He doesn't care or know how they died? And also, within that thread you never see anyone asking why or what happened?

This is my whole point I guess. I am just wondering why those questions aren't asked is all, not _how_ a fish can die witin a couple weeks, but why everyone seems to accept it.


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

the only time I lost fish when I went away I forgot to turn on the pump and without bubbles, and with an overstocked tank 2 parrot cichlids died, but I think that sometimes people get someone to feed their fish and they get over fed and the small goldfish bowl gets too polluted and the fish then dies


----------



## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

I was gone for 12 days, just got back yesterday, and i paid some chick who lives across the street to feed my fish once a day. The fish got 1/3 of their normal diet over that 12-day timespan, and the only damage I can see is that the dithers and a corydoras are missing some fins/scales. Very pleased and happy :smile:


----------



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

i have no idea. i left my P's alone for about a month when they didn't eat. i didn't do water changes or nothing, and the temp was low. it sounds cruel but the was the craziest month of my life. i made it up to them. tho they barly eat now...


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)




----------



## Alexraptor (Jan 30, 2003)

Well days hhmmmm no but weeks yes, depends how well fed they are when u leave.

and speaking of mechanicle probs ive only once had fish die due to that. that was when my air pump failed during the night







came up and found my old old old and big big scalare dead *sniff*

fourtunatley at that time the other fishes at the same size as him were Gurami's








wich can survive on oxygen from the air


----------



## Ms_Nattereri (Jan 11, 2003)

Innes said:


>


 You know I was going to move this to your forum, til I realized you moved it here. Id think this would go in your forum as its talking about cichlids and their survival.


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Ms_Nattereri said:


> Innes said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...


 well send it back if you want, I have no idea if this is a lounge topic, a piranha topic or a non-piranha topic.

Ce la vie


----------



## Ms_Nattereri (Jan 11, 2003)




----------



## FeederFish33 (Jan 22, 2003)

a lot of people just throw a bunch of feeders and food in the tank before they leave. This raises the ammonia and thats why thier fish die.


----------



## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Most disaster stories that I have heard comes from owners trusting a friend with absolutely no idea of fishkeeping to care for their fish. They come home to a foul tank and floating fish because the fish-sitter overfed them.


----------



## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

Agreed. Overfeeding (vacation or not) has got to be a huge public enemy of all fish.



> Marksaur, a fish can't die of starvation in a few days or even a few weeks.


Most of my fish fall into what you are saying (and that's part of why I like to keep them) but some fish are notorious for needing relatively constant feeding. In short, how long it takes a given species of fish to starve varies.

But, again, overfeeding is usually worse than a brief fast for most fish.


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

overfeeding can definently cause major problems


----------

