Fish Sitters?

SBlisters

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I'm going to be moving across country and want to keep my tank. I was hoping that maybe I could hire someone to watch it until i get the new tank set up and then ship the fish to me.

This probably sounds crazy, since everyone seems to sell off everything before a move and then start over.

Has anyone used a LFS to watch their fish/coral? A fish sitter?

I'm not close friends with anyone who keeps a salt tank, and don't want to risk the care (even with clear instructions) to someone who doesn't already know what to do. I'm not keen on trying to move everybody across the country on a ~3 day drive. I'd prefer not to sell, especially my clown and brittle star. They have great personalities, and I'm attached to them.

Has anyone tried something like this? Hiring someone to watch, while you get a new tank establishes, then ship? Any advice or suggestions on how to pull this off?
 

sbash

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I looked into this the first time I went on vacation after setting up my first tank. For what they offered, they were way too expensive; so I just had my neighbour feed the fish and top up the water.

Years later, I now have a much more complex system which takes care of itself; even my ATO has an ATO. This was necessary for me to implement as I am travelling/away from home more than 50% of the time for the rest of the year. I would recommend this method, with someone (a 'handy' friend) to check in an go through a system-wide health check once a week. However, in your situation, it may be worth getting a proper sitter and it could potentially be a tax write-off as part of the moving expenses (if applicable where you live of course)...

That said, I am going to face this exact dilemma within the next year (hopefully not in the Winter, but it is a distinct possibility). Also, my move will only be a day's drive, so not quite to the other side of the country. It would be harder to sell my custom 220 than it would be to move it (based on my local market). My basic plan involves tearing everything down and moving it all at once. Then Setting up a couple of small supplementary tanks while I get the main tank online. Worst case, I buy a 55 gallon to use as a temporary tank, as they are cheap and a good size.
 

FugeReefer

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I'm going to be moving across country and want to keep my tank. I was hoping that maybe I could hire someone to watch it until i get the new tank set up and then ship the fish to me.

This probably sounds crazy, since everyone seems to sell off everything before a move and then start over.

Has anyone used a LFS to watch their fish/coral? A fish sitter?

I'm not close friends with anyone who keeps a salt tank, and don't want to risk the care (even with clear instructions) to someone who doesn't already know what to do. I'm not keen on trying to move everybody across the country on a ~3 day drive. I'd prefer not to sell, especially my clown and brittle star. They have great personalities, and I'm attached to them.

Has anyone tried something like this? Hiring someone to watch, while you get a new tank establishes, then ship? Any advice or suggestions on how to pull this off?
My LFS has housed my fish and corals for me when I moved. I would not expect this service from most though.
 
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