How long can fish go w/o feeding?

[cap87]

How long can my Scott's wrasse, perc clown, and royal gramma safely make it if no one is available to feed them? And is there any way to extend the time? I think most of the flakes from an automatic feeder would go straight to the overflow.

[mcbaes72]

IMO, certain fish can go w/out food from a few days to a week or more. But that's based on what I've read from other people's posts about relatives forgetting to feed the owner's tank while on vacation or the newly added fish not eating for a week, then, eating like a pig afterwards, etc.

If you have an automatic feeder, is there a place where the food can drop into a high flow area? Maybe set a PH a little higher right underneath the auto-feeder. Hopefully, it'll make the flakes, pellets, etc. sink/distribute faster before your overflow sucks it up.

-Michael.

[cap87]

I don't have a feeder yet, but I'll do some experimenting with flakes and the powerhead to see if that might work. Thanks. Problems with "helpful" friends/relatives are what I'm trying to avoid!;)

Ron

[hcs3]

is the tank filled with LR and LS? is the tank well aged?

[cap87]

Plenty of LR with LS and 9 months old. I am thinking of adding some det. critters. I don't think my pod population is what it could be. Theres lots of tiny unidentifiable critters on the glass, but not ones I can ID as copepods or isopods. They seem too small.

Ron

[hcs3]

adding any detrivore kits would be like feeding $$$ to your wrasse. the scotts won't give them much of a chance. this is also why your not seeing a tremendous amount of life. all fairy wrasseds are efficient hunters.

i think you tank could do OK for a week without food with no damage done, but of course this is just a guess. The wrasse should continue to feed from your LR. the gramma and clown are always feeding from the water column and will continue to do so when your gone. this cannot supply all of their needs, but it is better than nothing.

how long are your trying to leave the tank?

i have found automatic feeders to be horrible options. the ehiem one was the only one i thought worthy of using. if your fish are not used to getting flake, however, it would be worthless.

the best option is obviosuly having someone feed the tank. if someone could drop in twice during the course of seven days, i'd say that would be sufficient. one option to try is what i do, pre-portion the food into seperate zip-locks and label the bags for the day you want it fed.

of course, don't forget to "gut-load" the fish for the week prior to you leaving.

HTH

[cap87]

I'd probably never leave it for more than a week. They do eat flakes, but have not heard much good about feeders, so I think you are right about them being a poor option. I can probably get someone to feed them at least once during the week. (maybe more if I let 'em use the pool):D
I thought pods should have come in with the LR and are probably still there in small numbers. Guess it's time to pour some more $$ into the tank and add some type of refugium!

Ron

[mobert]

My Eheim feeder drops food in the sump 4 times a day. I have no mechanical filter so it shoots thoughout the tank via the returns. I supplement with frozen foods. Works great for me.

[cap87]

I'll drop some flakes in the sump and see if that may work for me too. Thanks for the info.

[garbled]

Why not use a sinking pellet?

[mobert]

garbled---a lot of fish will only eat out of the water column so sinking pellets won't work for them. They seem to like to catch their food while it's swirling around them---not off the floor and not floating on top of the water. They can probably be trained....