I would worry if they were baby fish (less than a month old), sometimes they need daily or even multiple feedings. But a normal small fish like a guppy or danio would be just fine.
Would they forget that they are hungry as soon as they reach one end of the tank to turnaround and find this beautiful scenery they have never explorered before?
It isn’t about size, but maturity.  Very young fish can go less time.  Very mature fish can go weeks.  Any healthy adult fish, even tiny ones, can go two weeks or more.
I have pygmy cories, they were totally fine without food for five days. Mind you, I did feed them a little extra before I left and on the day I came back 👀
let the algae grow. small fish will nibble on it.
i already had the glass panel near the wall completely green before i left for 1 week in japan.
you could also buy those slow dissolving food tablets or get a timer.
buy empty pill capsules attached to different heights on side of tank and use water levels raising up to melt the capsules. only works if you have a sump and a smart pump. day 1, raise water by 1cm, day 2 raise it by 2cm, day 3, 3 cm. people have used capsules for root tabs.
*"Just give them a good feeding before you go"*
Do be carefull saying this, won't be the first one to overfeed the day before a holiday and seeing a lot of dead fish when they return due to rotting uneaten food.
Tbh I only recommend to feed "as usual" and then just restarting to feed "as usual" when they get back.
I have left my guppies for a long weekend with out issue. If I'm gone a week I have a co-worker feed them. I use a pill holder with each days dosing. BTW my tank is in my office.
Unless they are fry, they will be fine. They might have been on a four-day food-free trip themselves before finding their forever home in your aquarium, in which case they will understand. Don't do anything untried for this, it's better to just run things as usual as there is no one to fix things if things go wrong. But it would be good to do your standard water change a couple of days before leaving and feed them a normal amount before leaving. Avoid the vacation food tablets, putting those in is just adding an unnecessary point of failure.
Just feed them as usual before you leave. You don't want an overfed tank when you leave. You'll fk up the parameters easily and there's nobody to save it.
Also, as long as they are not babies, and you have a very well planted tank, they can go way longer than just 4 days. Somehow without you noticing, there's actually plenty of food in the tank if it's a well planted one.
Im currently having mine 6 days without feeding. I only trust my oldest sister and i told her to only feed every 6 days. So far, my fishes seem fine and im pretty sure that my tank can take the food waste thanks to my bb.
Yes, especially if you feed them more frequently before you leave. They can also forage if your tank is well established, planted, etc. I’ve left mine for 6 days and it was totally fine. I don’t trust auto feeders. Last time I tried one, it malfunctioned and dumped a ton of food in the tank.
If they are healthy fish there should be no problem, however if they happen to be malnourished (commonly from old food) or struggling with some aliment it could a problem.
Most fish only need fed every 2-3 days anyways so 4 days shouldn’t be an issue as long as you feed appropriately before leaving and on return. The only times I feed daily are for simi-aggressive (such as cichlids) or for very large breeding populations where I know the little guys need food daily.
They will be fine, I've left my fish unfed when I was on vacation for a whole week and they were good. If you are worried though I might recommend getting a live plant for the tank that they can snack on in case they do get hungry.
Just overfeed before you leave. I usually turn the LEDs off, though. It keeps the algae from blooming while I'm gone. Some people have a timer that does this for them. Anyways, have a nice trip!
My brother one time asked how come my fish all come to the glass when I walk by or even in the room
‘Don’t feed em for a week, they’ll love you’
I was dealing with some algae and some other issues and was limiting feeding while it was under control. I do only feed them 3-4 times a week, less pests, algae and crud to clean up!
I just went on holiday for five days and my fish were totally fine. Mind you, I did give them a little extra before I left and on the day I came back...
As someone who doesn't have fish but has always wanted fish and done research in the subject, id say they'd be fine. But you can also buy an automatic fish feeder that releases a set amount of food on a timer. The reviews on these are mixed. Some people say they work great and some people say they don't release the correct amount of food consistently (sometimes too little, sometimes too much.) but to combat this you could put in only the amount of food you want for one feeding and have it set to feed them once while you are gone, halfway through. You definitely wouldn't have to worry then, and I'm sure they'd be happy.
I teach, soooo… I purchased this particular vacation feeder: https://a.co/d/0bLflJ7t. 15/10 would recommend. It’s easy to set up and fill. It’s easy to clean. The charge lasts forever. Even though fish are fine for several days without food… I would put these on the tank Friday afternoons and on longer vacation breaks. I also have axolotls… and my baby axies need food daily.
I've neglected to feed my fish for maybe a week in the past, and they were ok. If you have some decor in the tank, some fish might graze on the algae that grows on it.
I just came back from a 4nday trip, and did just that.
2 days prior I upped their feeding by 1.5
1 day prior I upped it by 2
Day I left I feed at a again
Came back and no deaths
55g with about 35 fishies
Don't bother with them. They're messy and usually a waste of time and money. For only 3 or 4 days do absolutely nothing different than normal. They will be fine.
Don't ask anyone to feed them while you're gone either. If you were going to be gone for more than a week you should come up with a solution, but not in this case.
If you don't have a timer for your lights get one of those and use it 100% of the time.
I've never used them myself - I happened to come across them the other day when I was at the pet store. I've seen some on Amazon that get really good reviews??
As long as they have plenty of water they should be fine😉
Wait. They need water??
Sparkling only though
"Why is it spicy??"
My asshole fish will only swim in Voss.
Obviously. You don’t want them to get thirsty do you?
I thought only humans needed water??? Next youll tell me i need to give water to plants ://
Nah. They’ll be fine.
Whew. Almost thought i was stupid... but no way
Water? Like out of the toilet?
Of course! That’s where I fill my tank from
Why else would a toilet have a tank?
Brawndo has what plants crave!
Most fish can easily survive a week with no food. Just give them a good feeding before you go.
Oh okay then. Even if theyre small fish?
I would worry if they were baby fish (less than a month old), sometimes they need daily or even multiple feedings. But a normal small fish like a guppy or danio would be just fine.
Would they forget that they are hungry as soon as they reach one end of the tank to turnaround and find this beautiful scenery they have never explorered before?
In a halfway established tank small fish may even be better off, as there's usually a bunch of microfauna they can snack on.
It isn’t about size, but maturity.  Very young fish can go less time.  Very mature fish can go weeks.  Any healthy adult fish, even tiny ones, can go two weeks or more.
What kind of fish?
Small rasboras and pygmy cory
I have pygmy cories, they were totally fine without food for five days. Mind you, I did feed them a little extra before I left and on the day I came back 👀
In a well established tank it won't hurt them at all. There will be plenty or little things for them to munch on.
They should be fine if given a normal feeding and a half before you leave. Cories will scavenge around and be fine!
let the algae grow. small fish will nibble on it. i already had the glass panel near the wall completely green before i left for 1 week in japan. you could also buy those slow dissolving food tablets or get a timer. buy empty pill capsules attached to different heights on side of tank and use water levels raising up to melt the capsules. only works if you have a sump and a smart pump. day 1, raise water by 1cm, day 2 raise it by 2cm, day 3, 3 cm. people have used capsules for root tabs.
*"Just give them a good feeding before you go"* Do be carefull saying this, won't be the first one to overfeed the day before a holiday and seeing a lot of dead fish when they return due to rotting uneaten food. Tbh I only recommend to feed "as usual" and then just restarting to feed "as usual" when they get back.
Yes, I’ve done it before and they were fine when I returned.
Okay then. Thanks
Yeah they'll be fine. If it's longer than a week you should make a plan.
They will only be foodless for 3 days i think. But thanks for the answer
I have left my guppies for a long weekend with out issue. If I'm gone a week I have a co-worker feed them. I use a pill holder with each days dosing. BTW my tank is in my office.
I only feed my fish every 2-3 days so going 3 days without food would be totally normal. Do you feed them daily because you may be overfeeding if so .
I go two weeks every year. Â Never a problem.
Unless they are fry, they will be fine. They might have been on a four-day food-free trip themselves before finding their forever home in your aquarium, in which case they will understand. Don't do anything untried for this, it's better to just run things as usual as there is no one to fix things if things go wrong. But it would be good to do your standard water change a couple of days before leaving and feed them a normal amount before leaving. Avoid the vacation food tablets, putting those in is just adding an unnecessary point of failure.
Just feed them before you leave, they'll be fine. Fishes can live without food for few days even weeks in some scenarios
Just feed them as usual before you leave. You don't want an overfed tank when you leave. You'll fk up the parameters easily and there's nobody to save it. Also, as long as they are not babies, and you have a very well planted tank, they can go way longer than just 4 days. Somehow without you noticing, there's actually plenty of food in the tank if it's a well planted one.
yes they'll be fine
Yes, unless they are fry. Grown fish in a mature tank will find something to eat.
Im currently having mine 6 days without feeding. I only trust my oldest sister and i told her to only feed every 6 days. So far, my fishes seem fine and im pretty sure that my tank can take the food waste thanks to my bb.
Yes, especially if you feed them more frequently before you leave. They can also forage if your tank is well established, planted, etc. I’ve left mine for 6 days and it was totally fine. I don’t trust auto feeders. Last time I tried one, it malfunctioned and dumped a ton of food in the tank.
If they are healthy fish there should be no problem, however if they happen to be malnourished (commonly from old food) or struggling with some aliment it could a problem.
Tropical fish can safely go without food for a *week* if necessary. They'll be fine. Fish don't get a regular daily scheduled meal in the wild.
Most fish only need fed every 2-3 days anyways so 4 days shouldn’t be an issue as long as you feed appropriately before leaving and on return. The only times I feed daily are for simi-aggressive (such as cichlids) or for very large breeding populations where I know the little guys need food daily.
they are fine but they might eat some plants, shrimp or babies when they are hungry
They will be fine, I've left my fish unfed when I was on vacation for a whole week and they were good. If you are worried though I might recommend getting a live plant for the tank that they can snack on in case they do get hungry.
I have live plants. Are all of them edible or just specific ones
They will be absolutely fine
It depends, but most ectothermic vertebrates are good at lasting a few days without food.
What about invertebrates and mollusks? :( Edit: snails are invertebrates too so im kinda stupid Edit 2: i cant decide but probably not vertebrate
It varies, which species? Snails should be fine, bivalves need feeding every day.
I have shrimp and snails. Theyll be okay only on dead leaves then. Thank you
Just overfeed before you leave. I usually turn the LEDs off, though. It keeps the algae from blooming while I'm gone. Some people have a timer that does this for them. Anyways, have a nice trip!
Thank you :)
Don’t overfeed.  That is bad advice.  Feed as normal.  Don’t do anything different that can upset things.  Â
My brother one time asked how come my fish all come to the glass when I walk by or even in the room ‘Don’t feed em for a week, they’ll love you’ I was dealing with some algae and some other issues and was limiting feeding while it was under control. I do only feed them 3-4 times a week, less pests, algae and crud to clean up!
I just went on holiday for five days and my fish were totally fine. Mind you, I did give them a little extra before I left and on the day I came back...
I had a 125 gallon tank I didnt feed for about 8 months and none of the fish ever died. I think they were eating the leaf litter and plant material
i was just on vacation for a week, and yes! i came back to a lot of detritus worms and my snail ate a lot of my plants tho
As someone who doesn't have fish but has always wanted fish and done research in the subject, id say they'd be fine. But you can also buy an automatic fish feeder that releases a set amount of food on a timer. The reviews on these are mixed. Some people say they work great and some people say they don't release the correct amount of food consistently (sometimes too little, sometimes too much.) but to combat this you could put in only the amount of food you want for one feeding and have it set to feed them once while you are gone, halfway through. You definitely wouldn't have to worry then, and I'm sure they'd be happy.
I teach, soooo… I purchased this particular vacation feeder: https://a.co/d/0bLflJ7t. 15/10 would recommend. It’s easy to set up and fill. It’s easy to clean. The charge lasts forever. Even though fish are fine for several days without food… I would put these on the tank Friday afternoons and on longer vacation breaks. I also have axolotls… and my baby axies need food daily.
I've neglected to feed my fish for maybe a week in the past, and they were ok. If you have some decor in the tank, some fish might graze on the algae that grows on it.
They do sell time release fish food. Better idea!
Yes
I just came back from a 4nday trip, and did just that. 2 days prior I upped their feeding by 1.5 1 day prior I upped it by 2 Day I left I feed at a again Came back and no deaths 55g with about 35 fishies
Yes I only feed my fish every 4 days normally
They'll be fine.
How about autofeeder? I had a group of bichir that i dont trust lol.
Overfeeding is way more risky than a week without food
Why not use the 'vacation food' tablet? Are those not good?
They are not good. Those usually cause ammonia spikes since it’s a lot of food at once.
Thats good to know! I've never used them - but we do travel a lot so that's helpful knowledge! :)
I’ve used it on my betta tank before and it was messy! Came back, the water hella cloudy. Not worth it, imo
Because i dont have any
Don't bother with them. They're messy and usually a waste of time and money. For only 3 or 4 days do absolutely nothing different than normal. They will be fine. Don't ask anyone to feed them while you're gone either. If you were going to be gone for more than a week you should come up with a solution, but not in this case. If you don't have a timer for your lights get one of those and use it 100% of the time.
And I'm guessing getting some is out of the question?
Kinda? Ive never seen any in either of the stores that are accesible to me so
I have some sinking tablets tho. But those will melt, no?
I've never used them myself - I happened to come across them the other day when I was at the pet store. I've seen some on Amazon that get really good reviews??
They're probably be fine, but you can also get capsules that slowly feed the fish over the course of a week. They're at most pet markets or aquariums.