You’re going away for a few days — who will be taking care of your goldfish? There are three things you need to take into consideration: feeding, air, and filter.
Feeding is probably the most common obstacle you’ll face in goldfish care when you’re away from home. Do you ask a friend or family member to come in and feed your goldfish? Do you let your fish friend go hungry for a few days? What’s the right choice?
If your trip will be four days or less, your fish will be just fine without food. However, if you’ll be away for five or more days, you’ll need someone to come give your fish a little nibble. The problem with asking someone to feed your fish is overfeeding, but making some preparations in advance can make your vacation go smoothly! Get some plastic baggies and fill them with the appropriate amount of food. Label each bag with the date you want your fish fed: Monday November 27. Friday December 1.
You can have your friends or family feed your fish once every four days. Why so infrequently? Your fish won’t starve OR eat himself to death. A small amount of food will help keep the water clean so your caretakers won’t have to worry about changing water. If you think your caretaker will be susceptible to soulful fish eyes blinking up at them, hide the rest of the fish food. Too many fish owners have gone off on vacation and come home to find their fish gorged to death!
A goldfish can go days without food. However, they will only live a short while without air! Ask your caretaker to check your air pumps every day. And if no one will be cleaning your aquarium while you are on vacation, you’re going to need a good filter on your tank. Your caretaker should also check your filter every day.
Remember: you are asking a big favor from a friend or family member if they are watching your fish while you are away. They are spending time (and probably gas money) to come to your house and check on your tank. Make things as easy as possible — portion out the food, make sure air pumps and filters are easy to find, and leave a list of emergency instructions.
More about fish and aquarium pets at Families.com!