Reef Sitter?

so i am leaving my place for christmas this year and cant take my biocubes with me. I was thinking that i just need to get an automatic fish feeder or have someone come by and check out my tanks for me like two or three times a week. Has anyone had to do this in the past with their reef tanks? My lights are on timers and the heaters all work. I think it would just be a matter of feeding the fish? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

When I went on vaction I had a sitter for my dog,cat and the reef tank. I showed her where to check the water level so she could top of the water, then I had her lightly feed the tank everyother day.

 

nice yeah that seems like the best option?

 

How long are you going to be gone?

 

Yes, make sure you leave detailed instructions.

 

I'm away from home for the semester and I left my roommate a 5 page "if this happens" book lol I would definitely start "training" someone right now..having a person there every now and then is a lot more reliable..well..depending on the person..than just an automatic fish feeder

 

Make sure you have plenty of 1 gallon bottles of top off water for easy dosing.

 

about two weeks. I was thinking

 

I run an aquarium maintenance company. I usually have access to my customers house, even if they aren't home. They have built up a trust for me and let me maintain their tanks while they are away, and I obviously go more frequently than I would if they were there.

Maybe you can find an aquarium service company to do this for you. I'm sure you would want to fully trust them, and since you don't have any previous experience with them it may be hard to build up trust by the time Christmas rolls around.

Another option is to make everything as automated as possible, and have daily portions of food already divided up and individually wrapped in the freezer- so someone you know that doesn't have aquatic experience could handle the task.

You could of course leave the inexperienced reef sitter a number to the service company just invade there are any problems

 

I travel for up to a week at a time. I have someone from my work (trusted person) stop by daily to feed, check the skimmer, dose small amounts of 2-part, and ensure the auto topoff reservoir is full. Works out pretty good for me.