Going on vacation; looking at alternatives

I am going on a 6-week vacation beginning in March and am considering my alternatives. I have a 150 gallon FOWLR tank with six rather large aggressive fish. I am sure there are more alternatives than I have considered and would REALLY appreciate any input.

1. House sitter - I guess I would need to find someone who was familiar with taking care of an aquarium that size. At the moment I don't know anyone. This alt. might also be helpful for taking care of my outdoor plants (though my gardner said he would help).

2. Get someone (or LFS) to take the fish for 6 weeks - I don't know if this is even possible or how much this would cost. I also don't know what I would need to do for/with the tank during the six week period.

3. Continue what I do on short 3-7 day trips. My neighbors feed the fish though they know nothing about taking care of the chemistry, water level, etc. So I could have LFS come in once a week to take care of the tank. My other concern if I chose this alt. would be the house temperature. During March and early April in Southern California the weather could be anything. So at what temperature do I set my A/C - heater for the house? This is also a lot to ask of a neighbor.

4. Is it possible to automate the feeding for fish that need algae (tangs)? Would my carnivores survive with only dry food? If so, could I then just have the LFS come in once a week?

Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'm currently using friends for the routine feedings as well as my LFS w/ their fish service to stop by a few times to check water chemistry and refill my auto-top off system. The only down side w/ a professional service is that it can get fairly expensive really quick, especially for a 6 week trip....however, you do get solid piece of mind that everything is in good hands

 

your in ca call the la fish guy and get him to help ya