Going away for two weeks: how to manage the aquarium without stress?
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Good news: a well-prepared aquarium copes perfectly with two weeks of absence. Healthy adult fish fast for a week without harm; for fourteen days, an automatic feeder (20 to 40 €) or a briefed friend takes over. The real holiday risk isn’t hunger, but an equipment failure nobody notices.
Contents · 5 sections
Can fish really fast for several days?
Yes: in the wild, abundance is the exception. Adult fish last 7 to 10 days without food, drawing on their reserves and nibbling the tank’s algae and micro-organisms. Exceptions: fry (2 days maximum), very small species with fast metabolisms, and sterile tanks with no algae or biofilm. A mature planted tank is a natural larder — one more argument for the right everyday feeding strategy.
Which feeding solution for which duration?
- Up to 7 days: nothing — fasting is safer than an over-generous neighbour.
- 8 to 15 days: a programmable automatic feeder (20 to 40 €), tested a week before departure.
- The human solution: prepare individual doses (pill organiser or daily sachets) — never leave the pot self-service.
- To avoid: bargain holiday food blocks, which crumble and pollute the water.
How do you prepare the tank in departure week?
D-7: a 25 % water change and a filter-sponge clean (never both on the day you leave). D-3: a full water test, plant trimming, the feeder running under real conditions. D-1: check the heater and filter, top up the water level to offset evaporation, lighting on a timer (8 hours a day, 10 to 15 €). Departure day: one last normal meal — not an advance feast, which would only pollute, the classic blunder from our list of 10 first-aquarium mistakes.
Should you entrust the aquarium to someone?
For two weeks, a mid-stay visit is ideal — not to feed, but to check: temperature on the display, filter output flowing, fish visible, water level. Leave a one-page written brief with your number and that of an aquarium shop. If a storm or power cut hits while you’re away, your stand-in will apply the steps from our power cut guide.
Frequently asked questions
What about a 4-day long weekend?
Do nothing at all: feeding in advance is the only real danger. Go — your fish won’t notice a thing.
Can shrimp cope with two weeks alone?
Better than fish: they live off biofilm and algae. Just ensure stable water and a few dried catappa or nettle leaves.
Should I switch off the lighting while away?
Not if the tank is planted: a timer keeps it at 7 to 8 hours a day. In an unplanted tank, a week of dim light poses no problem.
In our shop, for this use: Programmable automatic aquarium fish feeder (€32.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Fishkeeping universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.