Feeding Aquarium Fish While on Vacation

Keeping aquariums comes with enjoyment and responsibilities. 

Feeding your aquatic pets is probably one of the most enjoyable parts of this hobby. 

Buy live food locally on Craigslist:

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Buy vacation fish food on Amazon (paid link): 

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And feeding is also one of the most important responsibilities. 

How do you feed your aquatic pets while on vacations?

 It would be nice if you could take your aquarium with you anywhere you go. 

I actually can take this aquarium with fish anywhere I want - for a walk or on a vacation trip :) 

Yes! Small aquariums can be moved and carried around easily like that. 

And so I can feed my fish on the go at a normal schedule everywhere I go. 

Speaking of a normal feeding schedule... 

This is a couple years old sustainable aquarium with plants, snails and scuds that my fish feeds on.

 I can leave my sustainable aquariums unattended for weeks - the fish will be fine. 

I still prefer to add live food as necessary for maintaining the food population.

 Of course, moving around aquariums larger than a couple gallons is impractical and dangerous. 

I have tried 3 different ways of feeding my aquatic pets while being away for more than a week. 

The first and the best way to feed pets is to house them in a sustainable self-feeding setup.

 Here is a sustainable 29 gallon tank populated with plants and critters that fish and newts feed on. 

There is enough food for pets to get by for a couple weeks.

 Achieving sustainability in an aquarium takes time, effort and depends on the type of pets you keep.

 For most people it's more practical to buy something for feeding pets while being on a vacation.

 Pet stores have specialized vacation food suitable for certain types of popular fish. 

Vacation food pellets dissolves slowly in water allowing fish to consume the food over extended time. 

Give your fish a pellet to see if your fish eats it before going on vacation! 

This type of fish food comes in pellets sized for feeding fish for different periods of time. 

And in the same section you may find automatic fish feeders that dispense food as you scheduled it.

 Here is one - battery powered.

 There are many more to choose from if you look online. 

Automatic feeders also need to be set up and tested in advance, before you go on vacation. 

Getting a pet-sitter is another practical way of feeding your aquatic pets while you are away.

 It could be anyone - your family, a friend, a neighbor or a pet-sitter for hire.

 Explain how and when to feed and let them try to feed your pets under your supervision first. 

I get a different amount of food flakes in every pinch I give. 

It should take a couple minutes for fish to eat given food clean.

 It's better to give less than overfeed your pets. 

Use weekly or monthly pill dispensers for setting up the exact amount and type of food you want your pet-sitter to serve for your pets.

 It is probably the simplest, the safest and the most effective way of feeding pets in general, not just when you are away :)

 Pill dispensers like this one can be used for dry food as it is. 

And you can store frozen food in such a dispenser placed in a freezer as well. 

On the feeding day the pet-sitter has to simply empty the marked box into the feeding spot. 

Here we go. 

Feeding pets with live food could be more complicated than that. 

And it depends greatly on the type of live food you feed to your pets.

 Some live food can be bred right in the tank with your pets. 

I keep Ramshorn snails, Trumpet snails, bladder and pond snails in the tank with fish and newts.

 Even toothless fish such as Guppies and Endlers feed on snail eggs. 

And Eastern newts eat snail eggs and young snails. 

I've been adding snails and scuds (Gammarus) into my main aquarium as often as I could for months.

 And now I have stable populations of different snails and scuds in the tank with newts. 

I just have to add more scuds into this aquarium before I go away for more than a week. 

I also feed my fish homemade flakes made of plants growing in the aquarium. 

So all my pets are accustomed to feeding on what naturally grows in this sustainable tank. 

Here you can see my newt-a-girl on a hunting path. 

I've also been culturing Isopods, Springtails, Grindal worms and such on the land part of this tank. 

All these critters are part of my pets diet. 

Making proper preparation for feeding pets while you are away takes time. 

Every pet has personal food preferences just like every person :)

 And it is important for you to learn what your pets like and how much they consume.

 You are the one who knows the best about your pets needs. 

Trust your knowledge and your experience the most. 

And do your best to make your pets feel comfortable while you enjoy your vacation. 

Have fun and happy aquariums :)