Bettas can usually survive without food for about 10-14 days. So you shouldn’t be too worried when going away for an extended weekend.
However, it’s not recommended to leave your fish without being fed for more than 4 days. Any vacation longer than that will need some planning and tank preparation!
As a Betta owner and someone that loves to travel, I have got ample experience with how to take care of your Betta fish successfully, even when you’re going away.
Betta fish and their long flowing fins are beautiful to look at. They are a popular choice as pet fish for many underwater world fans. As with every pet, it is important to know how long Betta fish can survive without food.
In this article, You’ll learn:
- How to keep your Betta fish healthy and happy, even when you’re away.
- How to prepare your fish tank before and after your trip, too.
And you will find that it’s not just about keeping your Betta fish fed!
What to Consider Before You Go On Vacation
The time your Betta fish can survive without food depends on a couple of factors.
I will discuss what to consider before you go on a trip in this section.
How long are you on vacation?
If you are away for only 2 – 4 days then you can leave without worrying. Your Betta fish won’t starve.
Perhaps lower the water temperature a bit so that your fish’s metabolism will lower. Around 74 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit will be safe.
Are you away for more than 4 days and don’t have a pet sitter or friend to look after your tank? Then here is a detailed guideline to follow on what to do before you leave:
Tank size
When it comes to fish tanks, size matters. In a small tank, the quality of the water will go down quicker than in a large tank. To survive without food and stay healthy, your Betta fish need a clean and spacious fish tank.
The health and age of the fish
Before you leave on your trip, make sure you check on your Betta fish and their health. The age, health, and metabolism of your Betta fish play an important role in how long you can leave them alone.
A younger Betta fish is usually more able to deal with the stress levels of not eating for a while. A dirty tank is also not going to make them ill straight away.
Betta babies (i.e. Betta fish fry) have different dietary needs than grown-up Betta fish. An older Betta will have more fat reserves than a younger fish, so it will survive a little longer without food than Betta fish fry. The metabolism of Betta fish babies is still much faster, so they require more regular feeding.
Betta fry is quite high-maintenance and tends to be more picky eaters than grown-up Bettas, so you should keep an eye on your Betta babies and make sure they are being fed at a higher frequency.
I recommend that you don’t leave your Betta fry without food for longer than 3 days to ensure that they grow into healthy Betta adults. Auto-feeders can be an option for your fry if you’re away for more than a few days – more on those later in this post.
Do not overfeed your Betta fish
Just as important as not leaving your Bettas without food for longer than 4 days, is not to overfeed them.
If Bettas get overfed it will have a negative impact on their immune system and any leftover food will make the tank conditions get worse much quicker.
Make sure that you give your fish sitter, friends or family precise feeding instructions should they take care of your fish while you are gone.
What to do on the Day You’re Leaving
If you do go on a vacation and are not hiring a fish sitter to take care of your Betta fish, here are a few things to do. Think of them as precautionary measures you can take beforehand.
The below can ensure that you will return to healthy Betta fish and good water and tank conditions:
Temperature
Make sure the water temperature remains stable. Remove your tank from too much direct sunlight, and turn off the AC. Remember that your Bettas are tropical fish. They enjoy freshwater temperatures between 75 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check that the water thermostat is working and that the heater is set to the correct temperature.
However, if you reduce the water temperature, it will slow the growth of algae. It will also slow your fish’s metabolism down so they need less food, which is ideal when you’re not home for a few days.
Lighting
Install a lid with automatic tank lights. The lid will also prevent your Bettas from jumping out of the tank. Make sure you leave enough room for the fish to come to the surface for oxygen, though.
Timed lights should be set to 8-10 hours of light a day. This will give your Betta fish enough time to rest at night and keep them on a healthy schedule.
The aquatic plants in the aquarium will grow quicker with lots of light. This depends on how long you have the light on your aquarium set to shine (if you do not rely on natural direct sunlight).
Too much sunlight or artificial light can cause algae growth. This impacts the water quality and can cause more stress to your Betta fish.
Trimming the aquatic plants before leaving is also advisable to avoid excessive growth.
Cleaning
A clean tank is always super important, especially before you are heading off for a few days. Make sure your aquarium is clean by following our guide on changing Betta fish tanks water and there is no debris in the gravel. Add a freshwater refill and check the pH levels as well as the hardness of the water.
A larger tank will definitely keep the water cleaner and prevent water pollution. Having a decent filter pump is essential, too.
Without a decent filter, your aquarium will have lots of debris, food scraps, and other unhygienic particles. This will have negative effects on your Betta fish’s health.
Set up automatic fish feeder
You should feed your Betta fish by hand when you are around. But making use of an automatic feeder to keep your Betta fish fed while you’re away might be a good idea.
If you are going on vacation for a week and have nobody to look after and feed your fish, add live food to your tank. Daphnia, glass shrimp, or brine shrimp are a great way to keep your Betta fish fed and entertained. This should only be a Plan B though – having a friend come by to feed your fish as normal is the best option.
Automatic feeders are fine for Betta fish owners that go on vacation often. They also work if you like to keep their fish unattended for several days.
An automatic fish feeder is also great to take care of your fry. Remember that they need food more regularly than adults (about 3 to 4 times a day).
Fill your automatic fish feeders with dried live food. This will provide your Betta fish with decent and healthy food options while you’re away.
Of course, there is one major drawback of these feeders. They can fail, meaning they either dispense too much or not enough food. I don’t need to tell you how this can be disastrous for your Betta fish. Too little, and your fish could starve. Too much, and you’ll end up with polluted water or overfed fish.
Important Tips: Remember to test the automatic feeder for a week, your betta will get used to it. You can be sure it’s working properly and won’t fail while your vacation.
What to Do the First Day When You Come Back From Vacation
When you come back from your vacation or trip away, you should check on your Betta fish as soon as you have some time.
Clean the tank
I highly recommend exchanging the tank water and making sure that the tank is cleaned in the same way you did before you left.
Check if the underwater plants need trimming and clean the pebbles from any debris. Also, check whether your water filter needs some cleaning.
Feed your Bettas
If you have only been away for a few days and left your Betta fish without pet-sitters or an automatic feeder, make sure you feed them as soon as you get back.
If you had an automatic feeder or a feeding block installed, remove whatever food is left and return to feeding your Bettas by hand.
Adjust the water temperature
If you had your water temperature turned down to slow your Betta’s metabolism down, make sure you turn it back up to the usual temperature.
FAQs
Should I get an automatic fish feeder for my Betta Fish?
As already mentioned, an automatic feeder is a good idea when you are going on longer trips away.
If you are a stay-at-home fish parent I don’t recommend installing automatic feeders for daily use because they can overfeed your Bettas. This will have a negative impact on their health.
Make sure you set the timer of your automatic feeder correctly. If it dispenses food too often and your fish are not going to eat all, it will cause the tank to get dirty quickly. This will have a negative impact on the water quality and your fish’s health.
Are block feeders recommendable?
Feeder blocks or vacation feeders are solid blocks of food that dissolve slowly for about two weeks.
Betta fish do prefer to eat live food such as worms and insects, so they might not enjoy the feeding blocks.
Block feeders might do more harm than good as they can cause the water quality to turn bad really quickly and cause ammonia to build up in the water. This is because leftover food isn’t removed and instead can pollute the tank.
Is it healthy for my fish to go without food for a few days?
Letting your Betta fish go without food for one or two days is actually not the worst, every once in a while.
Do not worry about their health if you forget to feed your Betta fish for a day or two. These fish are made to survive long periods without food (up to two weeks as mentioned at the beginning of this article).
In fact, a day without food is probably much better than overfeeding your fish. Overfeeding can increase your fish’s stress levels, mess with their metabolism and eventually make them sick.
But you also should not leave your fish without food too often. This might disrupt their metabolism and prevent them from getting all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Follow Our Expert Advice to Keep Your Betta Fish Tank in Tip-Top Condition!
Going away for a weekend or up to 4 days is absolutely fine, as long as it does not become a habit and you keep it to perhaps once a month at max. Also, make sure your tank is prepared and cleaned before you leave.
Remember that Betta fry has different needs and so will not do as well when being left alone for that time without food. In this case, getting a fish sitter or an automatic feeder installed is recommended.
If you are a fellow aquatic enthusiast like us and would like to learn more about Betta fish care, you can learn more with our Betta care tips.
