Going on a trip for a week

[Josh333]

So I'm going on a trip for a week in a few months and just thought about my fish. I know I can get a automatic feeder but I do have some picky fish like my puffers that only eat frozen blood worms and snails. Any ideas? Don't have anyone to come feed them 

[Kirsten]

I have a 9-day trip planned for the fall and folks here said everything should be fine to go that long without food, which surprised me.

For puffers, I'd recommend stocking their tank with ramshorn or trumpet snails before you go to hopefully keep them fed while you're gone. Or maybe start a small snail colony in another tank, then move some of the plants or hardscape in with the puffer before you go? Otherwise, maybe a friend or pet sitter can plop in a cube of frozen blood worms once or twice?

[Josh333]

10 minutes ago, Kirsten said:

I have a 9-day trip planned for the fall and folks here said everything should be fine to go that long without food, which surprised me.

For puffers, I'd recommend stocking their tank with ramshorn or trumpet snails before you go to hopefully keep them fed while you're gone. Or maybe start a small snail colony in another tank, then move some of the plants or hardscape in with the puffer before you go? Otherwise, maybe a friend or pet sitter can plop in a cube of frozen blood worms once or twice?

Thing is I got 5 pea puffers in a community tank they aren't aggressive at all just with each other sometimes, and don't have anyone to watch over them. Haven't tried freeze dried blood worms or tubifex and will probably try to see if they take to them. But I'll take any recommendations. I am breeding regular pest snails and I can put 20 in and they wipe them out in a hour or 2

Edited May 23, 2021 by Josh333

[DSH OUTDOORS]

I would put as many snails as you can in a 20 oz plastic bottle with a little food and sink it to the bottom. As the food disappears they will venture out of the bottle and get eaten. This is the best "automatic feeder" I can think of for pea puffers. 

[Markp2483]

I’m doing a trip in July for 10 days. I bought a mix of freshwater crustaceans. Rotifers, daphnia, copepods, amphipods. Doing a test this week to see if i can increase biodiversity in the tank will update if it works.   Idea was after my bumblebee  gobies became self sufficient eating cherry shrimplets. They don’t eat enough to hurt the rcs population. I still add frozen blood worms but they don’t go for it like they used too. They are all about live food now. 

[Josh333]

1 hour ago, DSH OUTDOORS said:

I would put as many snails as you can in a 20 oz plastic bottle with a little food and sink it to the bottom. As the food disappears they will venture out of the bottle and get eaten. This is the best "automatic feeder" I can think of for pea puffers. 

I could try that. Really good idea

 

[Josh333]

49 minutes ago, Markp2483 said:

I’m doing a trip in July for 10 days. I bought a mix of freshwater crustaceans. Rotifers, daphnia, copepods, amphipods. Doing a test this week to see if i can increase biodiversity in the tank will update if it works.   Idea was after my bumblebee  gobies became self sufficient eating cherry shrimplets. They don’t eat enough to hurt the rcs population. I still add frozen blood worms but they don’t go for it like they used too. They are all about live food now. 

Sounds good thanks!