How To Prepare Your Neon Tetra Tank For Vacation? (All You Need To Know)

As an aquarist, you will have to take care of many things before leaving your fish aquarium for a longer period to ensure their well-being.

So, how to prepare your neon tetra tank for vacation? Let us find out.

Ensure these things to prepare your neon tetra tank for vacation.

1. Perform a 50% water change in your neon tetra’s tank.
2. Remove the dead plants and fish from your aquarium.
3. Add an automatic feeder to your neon tetra’s tank.
4. Add a timer to your aquarium lights.
5. Clean your aquarium filter.

The article below will discuss how to prepare your neon tetra’s tank for a vacation.

Things to consider before leaving for a vacation

Here are the things you should consider while leaving for a vacation

1. Ask your friend or neighbour to look after your neon tetras.
2. Perform a 50% water change in your tetra’s tank.
3. Add an automatic feeder to your fish tank.
4. Adding a vacation feeder
5. Add a timer to your aquarium lights.
6. Remove the dead and decaying fish and plants from the tank.
7. Clean your aquarium filter.
8. Isolate the sick fish, if any, to a separate tank.

Ask your friend or neighbour to look after your neon tetras.

Requesting your friend or a neighbour to look after your neon tetras is one of the best options for caring for your fish.

As neon tetras are hardy fish species that can thrive in a wide range of water parameters, it is easy to take care of them.

Leaving your neon tetra with a friend who is a fish lover will be much more beneficial as you will not have to explain every small detail regarding feeding and water change, making it easier for you. 

However, if you do not have someone you can trust with your tetras, follow the measures below to ensure your fish’s well-being before leaving for a vacation.

Perform a 50% water change in your neon tetras tank.

Before leaving for a vacation, you should perform a 50% water change in your neon tetra’s tank.

A massive water change will help eliminate the leftovers and maintain the tank’s water quality.

Generally, we recommend performing a 30% weekly water change, but since you are going out for a vacation, doing a 50% water change will be more beneficial.

Low water quality can be the root of several health problems like loss of appetite, constipation and stress in your neon tetras.

A drop in the tank’s water quality can also elevate the tank’s ammonia and nitrite levels, exposing your fish to severe health problems like ammonia poisoning.

Consider treating your tap water with a water conditioner while performing a water change in your fish tank, as it helps to eliminate harmful chemicals like chlorine and chloramine from the water, which can cause severe damage to your fish.

Also, read: Do Neon Tetras Need Water Conditioners?

Add an automatic feeder to your tetra tank.

Adding an automatic feeder to your neon tetras tank will prevent your fish from starving while you are on vacation.

An automatic feeder is equipment that automatically helps distribute an equal amount of food in your fish tank in a certain period. 

It is affordable and easy to use, making it an ideal option for your tetra’s tank.

Avoid adding a cheap feeder, as it can lead to overfeeding your fish by not distributing the equal amount.

Overfeeding further can also contaminate the tank’s water quality leading to a spike in the ammonia and nitrite levels, causing harm to your fish.

Adding a vacation feeder

Adding a vacation feeder to your tank is also an option while you are leaving for a vacation.

However, we do not advise adding a vacation feeder if your vacation lasts more than 10 days, as it gets dissolved in the water if kept longer.

Once the vacation feeder gets dissolved, it can contaminate the water, eventually leading to a drop in the tank’s oxygen level and elevating harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrite, eventually causing severe damage to your fish.

We advise using an automatic feeder than a vacation feeder to prevent such issues and to ensure your neon tetra’s well-being. 

Add a timer to your aquarium lights.

Adding a timer to your aquarium lights is essential as it will help provide the adequate amount of light your fish needs.

In the natural habitat, your fish receives a balance of light and dark in the daytime and the nighttime.

So, when kept in captivity, you should provide light for at least 12-13 hours to mimic your fish’s natural habitat.

Not providing enough light can lead to stress in your neon tetras, making them weak and prone to several diseases and parasites.

So, by adding a timer, you can turn on and off the lights according to your wish, making it an ideal option while you are on vacation.

However, if you do not have a timer, switching off the lights entirely while going on vacation will be best.

As long as the lights are on, your tetras will not prefer to rest and will remain active the whole time, which can affect the health of your fish. 

In addition, excessive light can also bloom the algae in the tank leading to water contamination, eventually causing health issues in your neon tetras.

So, switching off the lights will be a better option if you do not have a timer for your aquarium lights.

Remove the dead and decaying fish and plants from the tank.

You should remove the dead plants and fish from the tank as they can develop bacteria, leading to several bacterial infections in your fish.

In addition, dead fish or plants in the tank can also contaminate the tank’s water, making it look unattractive and causing several health issues in your neon tetras.

Clean your aquarium filter.

You should clean your aquarium filter while leaving for a vacation to protect your tank from harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrite.

You can start by cleaning the mechanical filter and removing all the debris and fish waste from the tank.

Avoid cleaning the biological filter as it holds beneficial bacteria that help to eliminate toxic chemicals like ammonia from the water.

Siphon the solid debris and waste from the tank’s bottom using a gravel siphon.

Also, read: Do Neon Tetras Need a Filter?

Isolate the sick fish, if any, to an individual tank.

Consider isolating the sick fish to an individual tank to ensure the well-being of the other fish.

Suppose you detect any sick fish in the tank that is about to pass away. In that case, placing them in a separate tank will be best, as dead fish can lead to ammonia spikes, exposing the other fish in the tank to ammonia poisoning.

Considering the above factors before leaving for a vacation is best to ensure your fish’s well-being.

How long can neon tetra’s survive without food?

Your neon tetras can survive for about 1-2 weeks without consuming food.

In the wild, neon tetras do not get to eat every day, so they have the capacity to survive without food.

However, we advise you to refrain from keeping your tetra’s hungry as they require nutritious food for their adequate growth and development.

So, adding an automatic feeder to the tank while you are out for a vacation will ensure that your tetras are fed daily.

Ideal food options for your neon tetra’s while you are on a vacation

Consider providing foods that are easy to feed and will not contaminate the tank’s water.

We advise you to feed live foods like daphnia and brine shrimp as they will not contaminate the tank’s water and live in the tank until the tetras consume them.

However, if you do not have live foods, you can feed commercial food like flakes and veggie pellets to your tetras.

It will be best to avoid feeding egg yolks, green veggies and frozen bloodworms as they can contaminate the tank’s water, eventually leading to several health problems in your fish.

Also, read: How Often To Feed Neon Tetras?

Things to check when back from vacation

Below are the things you should check when you come back from vacation

1. Run a check on the tank’s water parameters

You should check the tank’s water parameters after returning from vacation to ensure your fish’s well-being.

Below are the ideal water parameters for your neon tetras.

Particulars	Neon Tetras
Water Temperature	72-76°F
Ph Level	6.0-7.0
Ammonia Level	0ppm
Nitrite Level	0ppm
Nitrate Level	Below 20ppm

Also, read: Ideal Ph For Neon Tetras?

Despite being hardy fish species, a sudden fluctuation in the water parameter can lead to stress and other health issues in your neon tetras.

So, you should monitor the water parameters to ensure your fish’s well-being and a longer lifespan.

2. Inspect your tetra’s aquarium appropriately. If you detect any dead fish or plants, remove them immediately to prevent any bacterial infection to the other fish in the tank.

3. Check all your aquarium’s equipment, like heater, filter, and air pump, to ensure that they are performing appropriately.

4. Lastly, perform a 30% water change to eliminate all the toxins from the water and to provide a healthy environment for your neon tetras.

The above are the things you should check when you are back from the vacation.

Conclusion:

1. You should consider many things before leaving for a vacation to ensure your fish’s well-being.
2. Some of them are performing a water change, adding an automatic feeder, cleaning the filter and removing the dead and decaying fish from the tank.
3. Your neon tetras can survive for about two weeks without consuming food.
4. Providing live foods like daphnia and brine shrimp will be ideal while you are on vacation.
5. Ensure to perform a water change and run a check on the water parameters and the tank’s equipment when you return from vacation.

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Reference: ResearchGate