How do I get a fish sitter?

[Trever]

Any advice on finding a local fish sitter?

Upcoming vacation, first time since setting up tanks (covid etc.).

My LFS will come over for $80/hour. That's a bit crazy considering my tank sizes (33G cube and 20G long). I tried autofeeding TDO last time (shorter vacation), and it doused the tank with too much food.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Cruise the local reef club forums and find someone who can do check ups. My local Petco aquatics manager is also a reefer and does house calls and sitting.

What I did was train my girlfriends brother on the ins and outs. Typed up detailed instructions on how I feed, test and troubleshoot equipment. This required me to label everything, type up a massive 4-5 page document and organize my equipment storage stuff prior to leaving.

 

[nereefpat]

How long are you going to be gone? Do you have auto-topoff? You might be able to let it ride.

 

[Trever]

@nereefpat 2 weeks.

ATO would need one refilling and in any case want someone to check at some point. More importantly is the feeding. I'm wondering if these New Spectrum pellets I just bought may work with an autofeeder. The TDO Chroma Boost simply does not (too inconsistent).

@NeonRabbit221B the gal at the local Petco has offered, so that may work. I prefer to find a local reefer I can return the favor to.

 

[Phycodurus]

i run my auto-feeders a week in advance, so i can monitor it for any tweaking/trouble-shooting (i.e. fresh batteries). HTH.

five tanks here + a small pond outdoors … and i'm going to the grand canyon weekend of the 14th lol

 

[Uncle99]

A. Neighbor?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Id suggest maybe a family member or friend before lfs ppl or strangers. Thats just me.
D

 

[GHOSTLY]

Amazon

 

[Dcal]

@nereefpat 2 weeks.

ATO would need one refilling and in any case want someone to check at some point. More importantly is the feeding. I'm wondering if these New Spectrum pellets I just bought may work with an autofeeder. The TDO Chroma Boost simply does not (too inconsistent).

@NeonRabbit221B the gal at the local Petco has offered, so that may work. I prefer to find a local reefer I can return the favor to.

ATO can be solved by just getting a temporary huge reservoir and putting it outside the stand. Doesnt have to look pretty you wontbe there to see it lol

 

[PR_nano]

For my first vacation shortly after setting up I have use a coworker/friend and did a run thru a week prior for questions. Basically auto top off refill, feeding (portions set aside prior to).

I now have lots of automation but will still have someone I can call and access the house if needed.

 

[DevilDuck]

Gauge the cost of replacing everything in the tanks vs your lfs feeding and monitoring your water. That's the risk you will run of you get someone whom is unfamiliar with reef tanks to take care of your tank, possible total tank wipes.

I go out of town for 3 weeks at a time with no issue using an autofeeder and a web cam. For piece of mind, I have a friend come in and check things once or twice a week. If they need to feed, I use small pill boxes that I prefill with a portioned amount of food.

Amazon.com: BUG HULL Extra Large Pill Organizer for Travel 2 Pack, Weekly XL Pill Box, 7 Day Jumbo Pill Case, Oversize Daily Medicine Organizer for Vitamins, Fish Oils, Supplements: Health & Personal Care

 

[James_O]

You may be able to save money, but getting an auto-top off, auto-feeder, and timer. (for your lights)

$80/hour is pretty steep.

 

[Trever]

Hmmm... with better pellet control, bigger ATO reservoirs, and a web cam, I could probably be more comfortable than having a relative stranger over who may not be reliable, may take certain matters into their own hands (eg "this needs cleaning now"), etc..

I'll need to get on it soon to have everything well tested.