[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Vacation Care of Killies
is this dried lettuce or fresh lettuce?
----------
> From: LeeH920226 at aol_com
> To: KillieTalk at aka_org
> Subject: Vacation Care of Killies
> Date: Friday, September 11, 1998 1:07 PM
>
> A while back there was some discussion about how to best provide care
for
> your killifish while away for extended periods. The two extremes are
either
> leave them in the care of a friend who will provide the same care that
you do,
> or at the other extreme, do nothing. Since it is nearly impossible to
have
> someone available who has either the time or knowledge to provide the
same
> care that you do one frequently is tempted to have someone just feed the
fish
> while you are gone. This is likely to be fatal since they will either
feed
> them too much which is always fatal or feed them the correct amount
without
> water changes, which is usually fatal. The other extreme, to do nothing,
is
> closer to what I have done quite successfully. I do nothing for the
larger (2
> gallon and larger) tanks. Incidentally all my tanks have active growing
> plants. For the smaller containers ( !.5 gallon shoe box type) which
contain
> fry of various sizes including young adults, I do the following:
> 1) feed them live foods that will live in the water - daphnia,
microworms,
> etc before you leave If you must feed brine shrimp make sure you don't
feed an
> excess.
> 2) provide a piece of lettuce leaf and some pond snails in each
container
> plus the usual Java moss. this provides for an infusoria culture while
you are
> gone. I did this last year for 3 weeks and 2 weeks at a time without
losss. I
> did it again this year for 2 one week absences and just returned after
two
> weeks. I have lost only one container of newly hatched Notho. vosseleri
> (actuallu one-third of the total hatch). They just disappeared. The other
two
> containers of the same hatch were fine. Another lesson to be learned -
don't
> put all your eggs in one basket. This was the only loss in over 60 such
> containers.
> The lettuce leaf procedure works so well that I keep reminding myself
that I
> should do it when I'm not away as an alternative to daily feedings and
> semi–daily water changes. I have not tried it yet.
>
> Lee Harper