Hi Cinders
Sue has said many times that fish are OK for up to 2 weeks without food, so I think your 5 days will be fine. I dont know whether that differs between setups but Im sure Sue will come along to confirm/contradict - go with what she says!
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Dont forget that fish eat micro-thingamies in the water - they dont solely live on what you give them.
Folk on here generally do not agree with holiday blocks, as you cannot control the amount of food and you may end up with a bigger problem when you get home. There are electronic "dispensers" available, but again I dont think they're thought much of - I remember reading somewhere (not on TF I dont think) that one had "malfunctioned" and dumped the whole weeks worth of food in, in one go. Thankfully the owner had just bought it and was trying it out and so was there to immediately rectify the situation. Of course, that may have just been bad luck.
If you're worried, it is generally recommended to prepare the daily ration as Etienne suggests, maybe using one of those weekly pill containers or something - and hide your food so the friend cant give more than you've rationed! You'd be surprised how non-fishkeepers think you dont give enough food
EDIT: An afterthought - as usual
As you dont like to bother people, you could always go for a "happy medium" - Ask the friend to pop in every other day and feed them. That way, you know your fish aren't going too long without food, but your friend only needs to pop in a couple of times during the five days
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