Tool · Vacation setups
Time-away planner
Pick how long you will be away to see the feeding plan, feeder test, lights, aeration backup and sitter checks for that trip, and what automation cannot cover.
Short answer
Choose how long you will be away in the planner below to open its plan: feeding, testing the feeder, lights, aeration backup, water quality, what a sitter should check and what to do if the power goes out. No plan gives a safe number of days without food, because we found no veterinary or maker source that states one, and no plan says a device "covers" a trip.
What each plan shows
- Feeding plan: feeder, sitter or both, and what to fill the feeder with.
- Feeder test: how long to run it at home first.
- Lights: timer or smart plug, and where to put it.
- Aeration backup: what keeps air moving if the power fails.
- Water quality: what to do before you leave.
- Sitter check: a short list for whoever looks in on the tank.
- If the power goes out: what stops, and what to ask a neighbor to do.
The plans run from a weekend away and up to a week to one to two weeks and longer than two weeks, plus a plan for places where outages are likely. A field we could not confirm shows as "Not confirmed".
Where the data comes from
The plans rest on a few sources that set their limits:
- Feeding needs. The Merck Veterinary Manual says nutritional requirements are known for only a handful of fish species,[1] and that feeding rates vary with species, age, system and water temperature.[2] That is why no plan gives a number of days or a feeding amount.
- Testing a feeder. Fish Mate recommends supervising a new F14 feeder for a fourteen-day period while you are present before relying on it.[3] It is the maker's advice, not evidence of reliability, and we pass it on as stated.
- Aeration in an outage. Aquarium Co-Op says its battery-backup air pump switches to its built-in battery when power is lost.[4] Its runtime is the maker's own figure.
- What a person checks. Merck's maintenance table lists daily checks of the fish, temperature and equipment and removal of uneaten food.[5]
Limits
We found no independent repeatability or failure-rate data for any consumer aquarium feeder, so no plan treats a feeder as reliable on its own. We make no livestock-safety claim for any setup. If no one can check your tank for a long stretch, the safest change is often the person, not the device.
Before you go, work through the aquarium vacation checklist. The vacation setups overview explains each decision, and the tank setup finder covers your tank's size and type.
Choose your time-away plan to see the key facts. Each one links to its source on the full page.
Questions
Will the planner tell me how many days my fish can go without food?
No. We found no veterinary, university or maker source that gives a safe number, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says feeding needs vary with species, age, system and water temperature. Each plan says what to set up and who should check, not how long fish can go unfed.[2]
Does a plan mean my setup covers the whole trip?
No. No published data shows how reliably any consumer feeder works, and no device replaces someone checking the tank. Fish Mate itself recommends supervising a new F14 for fourteen days while you are home before relying on it.[3]
What if the power goes out while I'm away?
Open the outage plan. A mains air pump stops with the power; Aquarium Co-Op says its battery-backup pump switches to its built-in battery automatically, for as long as its maker-stated runtime.[4]
What should a fish sitter check?
Merck's maintenance table lists daily checks of the fish, the water temperature and the equipment, and removing uneaten food. Each plan turns that into a short list for your sitter.[5]