Going out of town, Whats the best way to feed by betta?

[MADxMAC771]

Hey guys,

Im going out of town on tuesday for the Thanxgiving weekend and will not be back until the following monday. What is the best way to feed my betta while I am away other than having someone else come do it? Are those disolving auto feeder things any good? I know that you need to do a complete water change after using one and I would like to avoid that. Anyone have any tips, pointers, experience etc?

[dramaqueen]

Several people have used the TetraMin 14 day gel feeder and had good luck with it. It isn't supposed to mess up your water chemistry. You could break it in half for 1 week.

[MADxMAC771]

does it release the food and it floats up or ... what happens?

[dramaqueen]

I have no idea; I have never used one. I guess it releases a little at a time.

[paws]

I use week feeders they are little pellets in the shape of fish they work for me.

[Flashygrrl]

Those have plaster and mess up the pH. I suggest the gel as well though the tropical flakes aren't that good for him. Any chance you can get someone to pop in and feed him a couple times to sustain him? Prepackage the food if you can, though and hide the rest!!!

[Lupin]

I'd simply not feed. The fish will be fine without food for a week. Just make sure the tank is enclosed or it will jump out.

[MADxMAC771]

I made it to the petstore last night and the only thing they had were the betta ones by topfin shaped like fish. The box claims that it will not "cloud" the water and that it slowly releases 7 days worth of brine shrimp and other things. The only gel thing I saw was by tetra and it said it was tropical flakes, I wasn't sure if that was ok for a betta. I plan on ordering a compartment timed feeder for next time I go out of town. I just didnt have time to order one.

[Flashygrrl]

Skip feeding then. Those plaster ones will mess up your water royally.

[MADxMAC771]

Update

I didnt get to check my email again before I left so I ended up using the fish taped ones. They seemed to work fine, i watched it release one flank and paul quickly inhaled it. My tank is a 2.5 gallon with a carbon filter and heating. I came back 7 days later and all was well. Paul seemed a little irritated, it looked as if the pelet had been disolved for a while so he may not have gotten any food the last few days. It left a little residue at the bottom but the water seemed fine. For good measure I vacuumed out all the residue and did a gradual 50% water change. Everything is going great. I am out of water test kits so I will have to do that later.

Conlcusion:

The tetra seven day betta feeders arent bad as a last resort in a filtered tank. Im sure there are better options (mechanical feeders), but these worked OK.... especially for 2 bux for 6