The Puffer Forum

Hi guys,

This is another dumb buttocks question from me but here goes do you guys remove the uneaten food the same day.

I have been on holiday for 3 days and the mussel remains in the tank have turned furry, lol.

I have spent 40 minutes taking them out so I suppose its best to remove the remainder food almost straight away.

Neil The Brit

Oh my, check your water parameters immediately and if you measure nitrates at 20 ppm or above a water change is in order.

Yes, we recommend removing whatever food is uneaten- I remove uneaten parts about 5 minutes after the fish is no longer eating. If there are scavengers in the tank then some food should be left for them lest they starve, but I'm guessing you have none (scavengers) in your tank. If your tank is a larger one (50 gallons or so) your water quality may not have suffered too much, but I would be concerned if the tank is only 20 gallons or less.

The "fur" is fungus, and in and of itself not harmful. It's no more dangerous than the blue mold found in blue cheese.

But as OraLacerta says, decomposition leads to elevated nitrates, so within the next day or two you should perform a series of water changes such that you replace 75-90% of the water in the tank. Maybe two 50% water changes. Whatever works for you. Some puffers are said to be intolerant of elevated nitrate levels. I think it depends on the species to some degree, but a pre-emptive, cautious approach certainly has its merits.

Next time you're gone for 3 days, simply don't feed your fish. For such a short period of time, a "fast" won't do any harm. It's much safer to do this than to risk overfeeding or polluting the aquarium in your absence.

Cheers, Neale