Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Am going away for a couple of days. My son will be caring for the dogs but not the fish-tanks. He may be staying here or taking the dogs home with him so can't rely on him stepping into the breach with the shrimp. I know my other 2 tanks will be ok for the time I'll be away - however the shrimp tank has had a few ups and downs so I wanted to run by you all how I'm planning to leave this tank. Will add some snowflake food on the day I leave, will turn the light off as that's what creates the heat mainly, turn the fan off that helps cool it down, but also cause evaporation and I won't be here to top it up. Got a heater in there in case the temp plummets tho not really anticipating that it will. Does that all sound ok or is there something else I could or should be doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Not much else you can do lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 "...is there something else I could or should be doing?" Yepper, having fun on your vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 "...is there something else I could or should be doing?" Yepper, having fun on your vacation. I will definitely be doing that - only a couple of days away, but they will be fab. Meeting up with 3 friends - we all did our nurse training together about a million years ago - we have all turned a certain age this year and wanted to celebrate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 You're turning 20? Awesome! Mamashack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OblongShrimp Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 since you are leaving the light off make sure you have plenty of surface agitation since your plants won't be making O2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 You're turning 20? Awesome! And again and again! lol since you are leaving the light off make sure you have plenty of surface agitation since your plants won't be making O2. It's still being aerated from the pH situation (which is now back to about 7.4 thankfully) so I'll leave that bubbling away whilst I'm not here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Good plan, I will do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Good plan, I will do the same. Will post an update when I get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Have a good trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Yeah, enjoy your vacation! I left my shrimp in the care of my sweet but non-aqua-savvy brother for a week, and they did fine. Set out two feedings taped to a piece of paper and labeled for the days to drop in the tank, and kept everything on the timer, including the cooling fan... He apparently forgot about top-offs for the first five days... at which point he texted me that the water was down 2 or 3 inches, should he get some more from the sink to fill it up? I redirected him to the obviously placed jugs of RO water at his feet by the tank stand, and told him to add more RO water back at 1/3 of what was missing today, 1/3 the next day, and 1/3 the day I came home. Warned him a few shrimp might die along the way, but I'd take care of it. In actuality, they all did fine. Not sure more finicky shrimp would have been as fine, but mine were very tolerant of the deviation from their schedules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Thanks both! Just being overly cautious as this tank hasn't exactly been straight forward but I think it has settled down now and hopefully will be much the same after 2 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I went to NYC in May for 8 days, I totally forgot to arrange anything for my shrimp tanks (JK). What I did was make sure there's an IAL in each tank, drop some snowflakes right before I left, and it was all good, even tanks with hundreds of shrimps. If you want to arrange someone to feed the shrimps, put the right amount in a zipper bag for each meal and tap the bags to the tank. Most non-shrimpers would overfeed like 10 times more for the little shrimpies ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishyd Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Another method that I've seen and used with my community tank is getting a weekly pill case. The things that have all the days for separating out pills, whatever they're called... Did the snack size sandwich bags for my cichlids cause they're pigs, but for small amounts of food, that works extremely well. especially when friends and family feed them and aren't all that aqua-savvy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Glad your shrimp were ok, randy! Maybe if it was for longer I'd have to measure stuff out for him to give them but since it's only a coupla days I'll stick with the original plan - I feel happier sorting it myself rather than come home to a "whoops sorry I forgot". Light's are already turned off for the duration and the fan will be turned off as I leave in the morning - just hope we don't have another heat-wave whilst I'm away - at least the oxygen level should be ok as long as there isn't a power cut! (Don't even think things like that - it makes them happen! lol) Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas and I'll update when I get back. fishyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamashack Posted September 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Well I'm back and it seems almost like I've never been away! The show was absolutely fantastic - Jersey Boys - and we all drank far too much champagne - we'd all taken some plus the hotel gave us some too! All shrimp are present and correct on my return so the snowflake food seems to have kept them going along with the mosses etc. The temp on the day I left was quite warm 23.9 C so instead of turning the fan off as planned I moved it further back and the temp was about 21.4 C this afternoon. Will leave the fan off for now and will see how fast the temp rises since the weather is significantly cooler than it was - autumn is definitely on the way. h4n and mayphly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctaylor3737 Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Best advice don't let NO ONE touch your tanks. They will kill your shrimp. I've left for 2 weeks at a time even with discus they are,fine. Feed 24 hrs before, then do water change no more food until you return. Always works for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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