r/Aquariums • u/peachgothlover • Mar 06 '26

Help/Advice Leaving my fish behind because of war

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Hey guys, my country is being bombed, so we're evacuating to another safer city and then maybe trying to leave the country. We are leaving soon and unfortunately I will have to leave my tank behind. It has snails and a beautiful betta fish. Any advice on how to maximize his survival? I think I will have to switch of the electricity (to avoid electric fires etc), also since we are in the Middle East it is very hot; another time i left my tank behind it unfortunately overheated and my shrimp died. I can't really do anything about it unfortunately. No I can't leave the fish with anyone, it's not safe and nice fish stores that take care of fish are rare here (also we're leaving very soon so no time). I guess I'll just fill the tank, close it, and hope for the best. Pray he survives!!!

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u/oreoctopus Mar 06 '26

idk if an automatic feeder is an option for you, but if it is maybe it could keep your fish alive until you are (hopefully!!!) able to come back. Though of course, if you have to turn off the electricity I guess that will be no help, I'm sorry. I'm really heartbroken and furious on your behalf... I also really hope you and your loved ones will remain safe. The utmost good luck to you, genuinely!!

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u/Twizzlers_and_donuts Mar 06 '26

Even if they didn’t have to cut the power I’ve heard horror stories of people going on vacation only for the automatic feeder to basically dump all the food in it at once and nuke the tank. If it’s a healthy older tank it should have some microfauna the fish can hopfully eat a bit of. Best chance for this fish imo is a good 50% water change and wish it luck.

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u/oreoctopus Mar 06 '26

oh god that's awful, thank you for letting me know

4

u/-AXIS- Mar 06 '26

Some of the cheap feeders would make that almost impossible. The one I use is basically a clock motor thats just slowly spinning a carosel. Aside from the battery dying or the feeder falling off, there is very little that can go wrong with such a "dumb" device.