Going away for the holiday, how do you take care of the fish at home?

The Dragon Boat Festival holiday is here, a three-day break, and going out to have fun leaves friends who keep fish at home worried, fretting about their fish and unable to go out and enjoy themselves freely, yet it would be such a shame not to travel when they finally have three days off.

Today I have a few suggestions so you can go out and enjoy yourselves freely. You can take them as a reference.

Checking the electrical appliances:Before you leave, check all the electrical appliances - lights, pumps, heaters - and confirm there are no safety hazards.

How to ensure water quality:Since no one will be home to change the water, you should do the following before leaving: clean the filter media one day in advance, then on the second day, the day you leave, change 1/4 of the water.

Feeding the fish:Some friends mention feeding a bit more so the fish won't go hungry, but this is actually not advisable. Overfeeding easily leaves uneaten food at the bottom, which fouls the water quality, and if you are a bit unlucky and the power goes out at home during the days you are away, that just makes things worse. In fact, fish in an aquarium do not burn much energy, and even under normal circumstances, as long as water quality is assured, going a few days without feeding is no problem at all. So the correct approach is: keep feeding as normal, or even start reducing the amount slightly a few days in advance, to let the fish adjust.

Aquarium lighting:If you have a timer, that is of course best - just keep the original settings. If you do not have a timer, do not leave the light on all the time. The consequence of leaving the light on for days is that even if the fish can stand it, by the time you get back you will probably see many troublesome friends have appeared in the tank - "algae." So what should you do? If the room gets good light, then try to draw the curtains open and rely on normal light to keep the aquarium lit.

If you do the above, going away for about a week should not cause any major problems. Once the trip is over and you are back home, and the aquarium is more or less normal, what should we do then?

Let's start with water quality again: first change about 1/4 of the water. Aerate the water to be used thoroughly with an air pump for at least 1 hour first. If you do not have an air pump, use half hot boiled water and half tap water, and change the water once the temperature is suitable. Clean the filter media on the second or third day, and basically there will be no problem.

Feeding:Do not let the fish eat a big meal as soon as you get home. It should be gradual: feed half the normal amount you fed before you left, then a little more each day, returning to normal in about 3-4 days.

Lighting:Gradually increase the daily light-on time starting from 4 hours, and gradually return to normal after a week. (Except for those controlled by a timer.)

That is all for today. I hope the above can help everyone~ Wishing you all good health for the Dragon Boat Festival~