The Puffer Forum

He's a Ceylon and he's about 3 to 3 1/2 inches from nose to tail

Thanks for that Fella...that makes me feel a whole lot better

I just came back from being away 2 weeks. My puffers were fed 3 times in the two weeks. They were all perfectly fine.

personally I would leave the lights as they are as it will keep the stress levels to a minimum. I jsut thought it would be one extra thing for you freind to worry about.

As a rule fish are pretty resilient and can go a long time without feeding, getting someone in twice a week should see that they are ok IMO

Thanks guys....I am feeling a whole lot better now after reading all your replies....I can almost taste my 1st Pina Colada!!!! lol

I put all of my lights on automatic timers (buying them was a reasonably cheap deal too, 1.50 each from wilkinson, the fishkeeping saviour) and came back to happy fish in light!

Be warned though, algae runs rampant when you're not there to scrape it.

Fella,

I went away for a week over the holidays. Before I left I put food portions in a "pill dispenser" for holding medication (Monday through Sunday marked). I asked the sitter to give my GSP his daily ration. My fish was just fine when I returned.

MinPin Mom

MinPins...that's a great idea that I actually thought of myself too today at work and Fella, I don't seem to suffer from Algae in my tanks.....not sure if thats a good sign or a bad one???

Great minds think alike!!

MinPin Mom

Goonerman1 wrote:and Fella, I don't seem to suffer from Algae in my tanks.....not sure if thats a good sign or a bad one???

Thats a good thing I methinks. Glad you are finding the site a help

I think someone needs to invent an auto feeder that will keep frozen stuff frozen until right before its time to drop into the tank.

uh huh must get working on that one, but I am thinking my fridge freezer might crack the tank if I lay it on top of the tank!!!

If any of you are familiar with jello shots, locate some of the 1 oz cups and lids used to make them....your local liquor store or party center should have them. They work out well for putting measured amounts of food for fish....easy to pop the lid off and disposable. They would also fit nicely in a freezer bag making it possible to measure frozen foods for a friend to feed.
Since we have multiple tanks I simply number the front of the tank with a wet erase marker...then number the lids of the food portions to correspond. This way I can set up my foods as I normally would feed with the different foods I use and know that the fish will get their variety without having to go into long explanations for my neighbor. Any special instructions can also be written on the glass and it is easy to wash off when you get home. We have left several times and this method has worked for us quite well.
For all of you puff owners....a thread where people can give their location, how far they could travel from others that are willing to help out a puff lover with feedings while gone might also be a possibility. For instance....I live just outside Streetsboro, Ohio, work in Streetsboro and could help someone out who lives in the Mantua, Streetsboro, Aurora areas with the feeding of their puffs. This may or may not work since most of us are actually "strangers" and you may not want some "stranger" coming into your home, but I would hope noone would be hanging out in fish forums looking for the opportunity to rob someone .

I'll mention that my puffers were fine for the 1 week I was gone over the holidays. Since I have a planted tank and have to dose excel almost daily along with a few fert doses a week to prevent algea from going nuts I decided to simply leave the lights off the whole time. When I got back and flipped on the lights, they puffers seemed quite happy and in great color. Some of my algea had even vanquished over the blackout ! I was worried that if really hungry the puffers might attack my bb gobies but they are all accounted for.

Well....thanks for all your responses....it has made going away a whole lot easier for me now knowing my Puff will be okay

So, now.... what is the general consensus....do I leave the lights on timer to come on whilst I am away, or do I turn them off completely????