How to Make Sure Your Fish Are Fed When You’re on Vacation

You’re finally going on that vacation you’ve needed so much. You have the mail held, the luggage packed, and the water heater turned off. Then the thought hits you—your fish will need to be fed while you’re away. Here’s a few tips to consider regarding feeding your fish while you’re away on vacation, brought to you by the knowledgeable staff at Aquatic Warehouse.

Plan for the Length of Your Vacation

Consider how long you’ll be away. If it’s just a couple of days, many fish will be fine without being fed. However, if you go much longer (like three days or more) or have certain species or baby fish, you’ll need to make sure they’re getting the care they need. Be aware of possible travel delays.

Know the Feeding Needs of Your Fish

Review the needs of the kind of fish you have. Carnivores need a high-protein food or carnivore pellets. Many omnivores can be fed with a food block while you’re away, but please be aware that most (if not all) are made of a plaster-like substance or dehydrated small pieces of mysterious fish food the fish have to gnaw at to get to. Larger and older fish also can usually go longer without feeding than smaller and younger fish. But let’s discuss the next option, as it’s the most humane. You wouldn’t make your dog or cat go without food or gnaw through concrete, right?

Try an Automated Feeding Option

To ensure the wellbeing of your aquatic family members while you’re away, a vacation automatic feeder will easily serve your fish’s needs. You simply fill a vacation auto-feeder with food, then program a schedule to dispense the food at specific times. A vacation feeder isn’t an option for live foods, but it works very well for dispensing pellets and flakes for 98 percent of saltwater and freshwater fish. 

Make sure to set your auto-feeder a day before you plan your vacation so you can test it out to ensure it’s set correctly and won’t over or underfeed your fish. Many high-quality automatic feeders are available for a modest price. Check out our website for these tried and true auto-feeders:

https://www.aquaticwarehouse.com/feeding-implements-auto-feeders

Get a Fish Sitter

An option that may work for you is getting someone reliable to come to your home and feed your fish. Review the needs of the fish and create a checklist for the fish sitter to follow. Just remember—the number one way to crash an aquarium is to let an aquarium novice feed the fish without guidance. Warn the fish sitter about the dangers of overfeeding as well. Make the feeding idiot-proof. Put the food needed per feeding each day in a marked zip-lock bag with the date on it. Overfeeding kills fish more than underfeeding, so go light. A well-prepared fish sitter can also assess the state of the fish and the aquarium and alert you to any issues.

At Aquatic Warehouse, we can help you determine how to keep your fish fed and healthy while you’re away. We also offer a wide array of essential supplies for caring for aquatic environments. Whether you need an auto feeder or a new freshwater aquarium, get in touch with us at 858-467-9297, check out our website, or stop by our store in Kearny Mesa.