best way to feed fish while away

[new2ovas]

I am going home for the holidays for a few days and am wondering the best way to feed my 90 gal tank of 20 or so africans.  Currently I feed them twice a day with flakes and can't ask someone to come over two times per day to feed them.

I used to buy tablets for my tetras and that was fine, but not sure how africans will react to a bunch of tablets in the water considering they are teritorial and those are the only food sources.  I don't want fights on my hands over the food when I get back.

any suggestions?

TKS, Cheers

[fischkopp]

Best is to let them starve for a couple of days. Don't worry, they will be alright. Any other method (especially asking somebody else) mostly led to too much food in the tank - and that is a really bad thing.

[charlie]

I agree with fischkopp, if you are not going to be gone for more than 5- 7 days, don`t worry about them ( stay away from those vacation feeder blocks), a good cleaning & water change before you leave is a good idea though, also cleaning filters & making sure they are restarting on their own ( in the event of a power failure, your filters need to restart on their own)

[beowulf]

I often go to montreal for 2 to 4 days and my fish are not fed during that time without any problem. 

[bojon]

in fact, i often go aways for over a week during christmas and don't have a problem...this year..i have to be away for even longer...

[synodontis]

Does this advice (not feeding for up to a week) also apply to fry?  I have some synodontis multipunctatus that are 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and some bushynose plecos that are only a little bigger than a grain of rice.  I will be away for 4 to 5 days over the holidays.  Should the fry be fed during that time?  They are not in a separate tank, but in my 125 gal.

[fischkopp]

Does this advice (not feeding for up to a week) also apply to fry?

No. Fry *should* be fed continuously as soon as their belly is empty. That said, if you are not there and they are well fed beforehand they should still be fine after a couple of days. I find that some (baby) plecos like to munch on wood more than anything else, so giving them a piece could could keep them happy without risking anything. I would not put more regular food as chances are that it will go bad anyways ...

[Thumpya]

Remember fish only need to eat the size of their eyeball a week. They don't eat everyday in the wild so a few days won't hurt them. Just my opinion

[beowulf]

Remember fish only need to eat the size of their eyeball a week. They don't eat everyday in the wild so a few days won't hurt them. Just my opinion

Were did you get that they should eat the size of their eyeball in a week?