i am going away 4 two weeks....how often does some one HAVE TO come over to feed my fish???

STAY AWAY from those feeder blocks, the only thing you will accomplish is destroying your established tank

since you have already someone who can come and feed them, use it to the fullest extent

what i recommend doing here is follows

the bigger cichlids are not a problem, but the fry are (which are hopefully in a separte tank) since they should be fed 2-3 times daily, however you CAN get away with once daily

get yourself a big supply of tiny little plastic bags

in each bag you fill in as much food as YOU would feed them on a daily basis

write down on each little baggy if it's for the big cichlids or the baby's

also write down the date on which each one should be used

before you leave, do a 50% waterchange, and feed them just before you leave, but at least 2 hours after the waterchange

make sure your parameters are perfect before you leave

also fill up at least 2 5 gallon buckets (which should be new) or 5 gallon water bottles with conditioned water and sit them next to the tanks

make sure you cover them with a towel or something

make sure you tell the person that feeds your fish, does at least a weekly top off with that water, that way you won't come back to a half empty tank

once back home, do a 50% waterchange immediately, and make sure that your fish are all fine and check if your parameters didn't raise to lethal level

whenever you are having someone who's inexperinced keeping your fish.. you want them doing as little as possible..

since you have larger fish they can get by on a LOT less food than fish like tetras would.. feeding 1-2x a week would be enough to keep them alive untill you get back.. feeding 2-3 times a day, adding a butt-load of food at once, useing a vacation feeder, or having some know-nothing much up your beloved tanks isn't something i think you want to do...

feed their normal food/ammount 1-2x a week.. the babies can maybe get more.. but no more than 3x a week

write instructions down and tape them to the tank so they don't forget what to do

i would also just leave the lights off 24/7 untill you get back... why risk having them had thier lights on 24/7 for 4 weeks.. i think they'd be JUUUST a little stressed from that (this sentence is SOAKED in saracasm)

i also like how every nobody and their mum is answering this one although they've clearly never had to do this... or did it right anyway

well there are usually tabs you can buy @ like a feeder's supply that work for 2-3 weeks, leave maybe 2 if it says 2-3 weeks (always leave double) && then have a frend check up around the end of the 1st week

i am in the same situation with my salt water tank, luckily I'm only going away for 1 week,

the advice i was given was feed the heavy for the last week, and they will do fine for the week i am gone,

it was better that they go hungry and have someone who doesn't know better kill them with kindness,

your situation is different that you have fry and double the away time, but i have heard from more than one source that time release tablets are a joke

I would say 1 a day giving them like 2 pinches a time.

you can get these tablets and it has food for the fish that lasts a week.

so if your going for two weeks and you have those tablets

every week

someone should put another one in the tannnk

Every other day should be fine if you're using the tabs.

2 times a day would be good.

once a day..but i gave my mothers fish a lot in one day so they were good for the next 2...none of them died so i think it worked

"just put four weeks of food in the tank, thats an easy one, geeze..."

lol if you over feed the fish, your dumb i hope you know.... twice a day is best.