Prepping your fish before a long holiday

**Hello fellow hobbyists.**

This weekend we head into the second-biggest holiday of the year, so everyone has travel plans. Some of you might be worried about your beloved fish, whether you keep 1 or 10. Lộc would like to share a few things so you can prep properly for a safe, happy holiday without worrying too much about your pets.

**Things to do before leaving the fish for the holiday:**
1. Do a water change before you leave the house. A routine water change, just like the weekly one you already do.
1. Feed the fish before you go. No need to overfeed — too much leftover food will dirty the water fast (more waste from the fish plus the leftovers). Cichlids can go hungry for a long time without any health issue. Treat the holiday as a chance for their liver and gut to detox.
1. For batches of fry: they may get hungry over a few days and start cannibalizing each other. You can set up an automatic feeder. Or split them into several temporary tubs, making sure to provide enough oxygen and as much water as possible. If conditions don't allow that, just trust that Rô Mỹ lay plenty — let the weak ones be culled and there'll be another batch.
1. Check air valves and electrical equipment. Heaters you plugged in back in the cold season may still be live — unplug them to avoid risk while you're away. For aeration, use a device with a backup battery in case of blackouts or home electrical issues.
1. Advanced: install a camera. Use any security camera you can monitor remotely. Mid-trip, if you feel uneasy you can "peek" at them for peace of mind.
1. More advanced: hand the house key to a buddy who isn't going home for the holiday, and make him come feed the fish twice a day.

# **Wishing everyone a happy, joyful, complete holiday.**