What do you folks think of the food cakes you can buy to feed your fish while you are on vacation? Does it work? Does it ruin water quality? Thanks.
Vacation Feeding
- Thread starter nduoc
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I haven't used food cakes so no opinion there. Whether they would ruin water quality should depend on your pond and the amount of food added. No way to predict.
When on vacation I do not even allow house sitters to go near the pond, I hide the food and lock everything up. Unless you're on vacation for months the fish will be fine.
When on vacation I do not even allow house sitters to go near the pond, I hide the food and lock everything up. Unless you're on vacation for months the fish will be fine.
This is one thing I have always really liked about pond pets as opposed to other typical pets, and that is you don't really have to feed them or make any special arrangements for them when you go away, unless, as Waterbug mentioned, you go away for months at a time, in which case you would want someone (knowledgeable) to keep an I on the pond anyway.
As a side note, and this may sound odd, but I also like the fact that in the winter time everything gets put into suspended animation for a while and I am temporarily relieved of routine feeding and pond chores for a few months which gives me a chance to miss doing those things and miss all the pond pets. Then I get to look forward to a rebirth in the spring and getting acquainted once again with all my old friends. To me the seasonal cycles and winter freeze is one of the coolest things about having a pond as opposed to say an aquarium where everything stays the same all year round and it would be impossible to duplicate the seasonal changes.
As a side note, and this may sound odd, but I also like the fact that in the winter time everything gets put into suspended animation for a while and I am temporarily relieved of routine feeding and pond chores for a few months which gives me a chance to miss doing those things and miss all the pond pets. Then I get to look forward to a rebirth in the spring and getting acquainted once again with all my old friends. To me the seasonal cycles and winter freeze is one of the coolest things about having a pond as opposed to say an aquarium where everything stays the same all year round and it would be impossible to duplicate the seasonal changes.
shanezam203
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haha, Nice.
its hard to find someone who doesnt want to over feed them, i have that problem when Im standing with them next to the pond! lol but really nduoc, most people on here, encluding myself, do not feed their fish everyday.
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Mine won't be fed for the few weeks we are gone. They have plenty of food in the pond. If I want them fed, I give measured amounts to my neighbor one bag per feeding.
A recent CNN poll of Goldfish and Koi found that 91% said they could not be overfed, 2% responded with "baba booey" and 7% didn't have cellphones.
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
i feed 3 or 4 times daily. but i wouldnt worry about feeding if i was only gone a week or so. they can feed off the pond.
LOL Waterbug!!!!
HARO
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7 % ???? I didn't think there were THAT many of us!!!
John
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http://www.thatpetplace.com/253182.jpg
I've fed my koi with the above auto-feeder which has taken care of feeding when I'm away.
By the way, do you guys eat food when you guys away on a trip? If yes, why not try to auto-feed your fish too? They need food just like us. Amen?
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
your fish spend probably close to 90% of their time feeding...when your not feeding them ..theyre feeding on the pond. algeas, plants, larvae, insects,worms, etc... some folks never feed them. i totally disagree with that, but never the less.
I took my Koi on vacation with me once...never again...every McDonalds, Wendy's, KFC, "can we stop?, can we stop?". Wish I'd brought the auto feeder.
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The squirrels and raccoons would empty the feeder quicker than I could fill it. My neighbor makes a good auto feeder ..........lol
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Where there's a will, there's a way.
No free meals for squirrels nor coons. I've hung the auto-feeder high up above the pond.
Or you ponders can do what the bird-lovers do...hang the feeders on hooks above ponds.
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lol my squirrels crawl up those hangers skinny down the chains or wire or ropes and eat away.
Our feeder is now 20 feet in the air, (so we can see it out of the house window, good old slope) I cover the metal pole, 1 inch, with vasoline, I have put up upside down cones, of all types around the pole, the feeders hang down from the pole on that wire rope, smaller than 1/4 of an inch, the squirrels still can get to the food.
They are determined to eat! I now just let them eat what they want. They are fun to watch, even have had them fall off the pole, long drop to the ground.
They love snacking on the sun flowers that come up from the dropped seed.
Our feeder is now 20 feet in the air, (so we can see it out of the house window, good old slope) I cover the metal pole, 1 inch, with vasoline, I have put up upside down cones, of all types around the pole, the feeders hang down from the pole on that wire rope, smaller than 1/4 of an inch, the squirrels still can get to the food.
They are determined to eat! I now just let them eat what they want. They are fun to watch, even have had them fall off the pole, long drop to the ground.
They love snacking on the sun flowers that come up from the dropped seed.
Mmathis
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I think I'm going to try an experiment. Back in my aquarium days I would freeze fish food into ice cubes -- I measured out the correct amount for a feeding in each little "cube" and froze it. Then when we'd have someone else feed while we were gone, there was never a question of overfeeding. Not that I'll ever need to use it with the pond, but just curious how it will work.
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lol my squirrels crawl up those hangers skinny down the chains or wire or ropes and eat away.
Our feeder is now 20 feet in the air, (so we can see it out of the house window, good old slope) I cover the metal pole, 1 inch, with vasoline, I have put up upside down cones, of all types around the pole, the feeders hang down from the pole on that wire rope, smaller than 1/4 of an inch, the squirrels still can get to the food.
They are determined to eat! I now just let them eat what they want. They are fun to watch, even have had them fall off the pole, long drop to the ground.
They love snacking on the sun flowers that come up from the dropped seed.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
I find a way to stop the squirrels from stealing pellets, so can you...(the secret's shown on the pic
).
Mmathis
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How many potty breaks did you take?
Luckily my car as a bottom drain...with TPRs.