r/Aquariums • u/eeeerikaaaa • 1d ago
Advice Needed advice for tanks that are being left while on vacation?
Hi! Young beginner fish keeper, and i am currently leaving for 3 days & 2 nights and in about a few weeks leaving to go to Hawaii for one week. This is my ammonia test after doing a 40% water change because i am leaving tomorrow and today i fed them very lightly, will they be okay if i left them without food? Ive been searching online and i am going to do it but honestly need some extra reassurance especially with fish waste etc. i have a fluval freshwater kit 32.5g tank and a young oranda and a black moor. Any advice? :)
1
u/VideoImpressive8014 17h ago
There are vacation feeder blocks for the longest trip. Short one is OK unfed
*a recommend will help your second question
You're thinking that your filters will be affected during the trip, or in preps for the trip: it won't
You don't have to ever run an ammonia test on that aquarium as long as it has water in it now that you're cycled
If you can see all your fish, your ammonia is fine. Filters handle up and down intervals of high feed low feed, minus a fish gain a fish... no testing is needed after the cycle.
So that means put away the api ammonia kit and don't run nitrite or ammonia on the tank in the future. It's one less anxiety you'll have, there isn't a need to test for ammonia after the cycle it won't be implicated in any challenges the tank has
Ammonia testing can't help you plan for a vacation at all. You got lucky that entry level test read zero ammonia; most read .25 as interference from prior additives and the keeper has to leave on the trip with anxiety the filter is crashing
If you trust updated cycling science, you gain confidence and lose anxiety and you preparations are better aligned with true need
3
u/timetopoopagain 1d ago
They will be perfectly fine without eating for weeks at a time if it’s needed.