Ways To Care for Your Aquarium While on Vacation

There’s a lot that goes into caring for an aquarium. With water changes, quality testing, feeding, and even lighting schedules, it can feel like your aquarium will fall apart if you leave. However, with the right steps and tools, you can have peace of mind when you need to leave for an extended period. Here’s how to care for your aquarium while on vacation.

Prepare Your Aquarium

Before you leave, it’s important to set your aquarium up for success at least 48 hours in advance. While your tank may not need a water change at that moment, conduct one anyway to ensure there won’t be any problems while you’re gone. Additionally, make sure your filter, heater, and other aquarium accessories are clean and in working order. The last thing you want is for something to stop working while you’re gone. You’ll also want to check the overall health of your fish to make sure there aren’t any illnesses lurking.

Use an Auto Feeder

Auto feeders are a great tool to utilize while you’re gone for extended periods. Auto-feeders will release food when you program them to, but just like any other mechanism, you want to make sure it’s in working order before leaving. You can also get a vacation feeder that slowly releases food over time. However, this may not be a great option for longer vacations, as excess food can disturb your tank’s pH and nitrite levels.

If neither option works for you, you can seed the tank with live food. To do so, place the live or frozen food in a container big enough to float in the tank at the level your fish typically eat. You can drill a hole big enough for the food to crawl or float out over time but small enough that your fish can’t get into it.

Put Lighting on a Timed Schedule

If your aquarium needs lighting at specific times of the day, you can put your lighting on a timer. This way, you can be sure that your lights will turn on and shut off at the appropriate time. However, you may want to change the bulbs before you leave and monitor the lights to avoid any potential issues. Whenever you add a new accessory to your tank, it’s always best to install it and observe how well it works at least a week before you leave.

Now that you know how to care for your aquarium while you’re on vacation, you can take a holiday whenever you want without worrying about the health of your fish. Luckily, at Fish Tanks Direct, we sell equipment for all your aquarium’s needs, meaning you can be sure you’re leaving your fish with only the best. Whatever you need, whether it’s a new hexagon aquarium stand or CO2 supplies, Fish Tanks Direct is here to help.