Fish light

[TheTamingOfTheShrew]

on or off if away for a few days? simple as that really!

I always leave ours off if we go away

Depends whether or not you have live plants. If you do then I would leave it on, mine are on a timer switch. If you don't have live plants then you can leave the lights switched off because they're just for decoration.

BTW if you are going away then it's best to get an auto feeder for your fish rather than those blocks of food that gradually break down- they just make a big old mess of your water.

Thanks for your replies. Sorry, I had to leave before most of them arrived. I turned it off and do have live plants, and have put a block in! eeek, hope to god fish is ok, and I could kick myself for not thinking of using a timer switch.

Don't panic, it'll probably be OK. I take it the tank isn't in a pitch black room so the plants would have got some light. If you see any dying leaves, snip them off at the stem with a pair of sharp scissors to stop them from polluting the tank. You could also do a nice big water change to clear things up a bit.

If you're worried then a quick water test will tell you what's going on. Ammonia and nitrIte should be zero, nitrAte should be below 40ppm (the lower the better, but not zero) and the pH should be steady (tap water in the UK is normally between 6-8).

Thanks not back for a bit yet, so will check it then!