PMAS Tank Sitting

[re76]

Hey everyone,

Ignore the goofy title. I couldn't think of a better name to describe what I am thinking of.

I had an idea when I was driving to work today and I wanted to post it here to generate some discussion and maybe see if there is interest, or if it is even feasible.

Basically I think it would be a neat and useful service that PMAS could offer to keep a list of people who would be willing (and trusted) to "tank sit", along with a general idea of where they are located in and around Pittsburgh.

I am a Pittsburgh transplant and my girlfriend and I usually go on a few vacations a year, and one of the most stressful parts about that is worrying who I can have check in on my tank while I am gone. I also just started the Aquaforest system which requires daily dosing, so this is even more stressful for me now.

I have asked co-workers in the past, but they don't really have any idea what to do if something dies in my tank, if my Apex says that the PH has suddenly dropped, or how to target-feed corals/anemones.

I think it would be neat to have a list of people who are "reef-proven" meaning they know their stuff and have said they are willing to do this sort of thing. I think it could be pretty flexible in terms of what the reef-sitters could get out of this. They could request to be paid in gift-cards, livestock/frags, or even just trade tank-sitting duties throughout the year.

As an alternative idea to the club just keeping a list of sitters, I could even see this as a service the club could offer and use the profits to fund other PMAS things.

Thoughts?

 

[JaimeAdams]

LOVE IT!

 

[fetta]

Great idea!

 

[acer]

Super idea.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I live in Carnegie and work in Cranberry. I would be willing to tank sit for the cost of gas and maybe a frag or two

 

[acer]

I am in the north ( Gibsonia) - same fee= gas money and a frag or two or reciprocal tank sitting if I ever go anywhere.

 

[ReefQueen]

This is a great idea! I am east of the city, less then 10 minutes from elmers actually. Unfortunately with my schedule I am not much help as a tank sitter, best to leave it to the more reliable people, unless you are only leaving for a weekend lol.

 

[re76]

I'm in the Regent Square area on the east side of the city. I work in Monroeville, about 5 minutes away from Elmers.

I am all about frags and gas money, but would also be game to trade tank sitting responsibilities.

 

[eleet]

I'm in Braddock hills. Right on the Edgewood border. This is a great idea

 

[fetta]

Im out in the boonies, out towards apollo....15618

 

[eleet]

Im out in the boonies, out towards apollo....15618

I keep looking at houses out that way. Love that area

 

[BIGGUN]

I hate to be "THAT GUY" but I don't think it's a good idea to make this a club function. I just think it could possibly put the club in an awkward position.

I DO think that the club meetings and the friends that you make there are a GREAT place to find someone to help if needed. Or ask around for references.

So with that said, I live 5 miles north of Harmarville and am willing to do it for nothing!!! OH, and by the way, that showsize, centerpiece, Flaming Buggati Chalice you had before you left......... it died while you were away. So of course I through it out so it didn't start a chemical warfare in your tank. But don't worry, I have some freshly cut frags that I could sell you REAL cheap!

Kevin

 

[MondoBongo]

i think i know a guy that can tank sit.

i'll be interested to hear more about this Aquaforest system and how it does for you.

 

[re76]

i think i know a guy that can tank sit.

i'll be interested to hear more about this Aquaforest system and how it does for you.

Yeah I will have to start a new thread about Aquaforest and how it is going. It is pretty similar to the KZ ZeoVit system but actually running zeolites is optional. You end up with a really low nutrient system and do daily dosing of trace elements and additives for growth and coloration.

 

[re76]

I hate to be "THAT GUY" but I don't think it's a good idea to make this a club function. I just think it could possibly put the club in an awkward position.

I DO think that the club meetings and the friends that you make there are a GREAT place to find someone to help if needed. Or ask around for references.

So with that said, I live 5 miles north of Harmarville and am willing to do it for nothing!!! OH, and by the way, that showsize, centerpiece, Flaming Buggati Chalice you had before you left......... it died while you were away. So of course I through it out so it didn't start a chemical warfare in your tank. But don't worry, I have some freshly cut frags that I could sell you REAL cheap!

Kevin

I agree that if the club decides this is something they want to do as a service then a lot of thought needs to be put into the best way to go about it to avoid risk and liability issues.

I do think though that if the club just acts as the "maintainer" of the list I can't really think of a lot of risk in that scenario. At that point it is just a resource for members to use.

 

[re76]

@JaimeAdams are we able to make sticky threads in this forum? I think a Tank Sitting Directory thread would be a good candidate for a sticky.

Whoever creates it can maintain a list in the first post, and anyone who is interested can make a post and get added to the list. It would require someone to moderate the thread and edit/update the first post occasionally. Another alternative might be some sort of shared google drive document, but IMO we should stick to the tools that everyone knows already, and I would imagine everybody is pretty comfortable with R2R at this point.

 

[Pola0502ds]

I think it would probably be best to use the club to establish friendships and use that person as a tank sitter. I love the idea and would be willing to do it but i see some liability issues..

 

[re76]

So if we want to avoid any liability issues for the club then I think a club member could maintain an independent list of people who are willing to do something like this.

I would happily create and manage a shared google doc to keep everyone's contact information and preferences.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I don't know if we can make a sticky or not @hybridazn would know better than I.

I only see possible liability issues if we offer this as a professional service through the club.

It would just be like hey "Jaime we are going away for the weekend can you come feed my fish after work on Saturday" Not a calling the club up asking for them to send someone over. It just needs to be on a personal level not on a commercial level.

We have one member who has a maintenance company that you could hire, or any of the stores also do maintenance. I am sure that they are insured and have contracts that state what happens if your Gem Tang dies while you are away or if your bounce mushroom melts. Granted in my opinion if you are concerned about that sort of thing I would hire a professional and not ask a friend for a favor. If you just need someone to stop by and feed the fish and check on things then I see nothing wrong with asking a friend that just so happens to be in the same club as you.

 

[hybridazn]

I don't know if we can make a sticky or not @hybridazn would know better than I.

I only see possible liability issues if we offer this as a professional service through the club.

It would just be like hey "Jaime we are going away for the weekend can you come feed my fish after work on Saturday" Not a calling the club up asking for them to send someone over. It just needs to be on a personal level not on a commercial level.

We have one member who has a maintenance company that you could hire, or any of the stores also do maintenance. I am sure that they are insured and have contracts that state what happens if your Gem Tang dies while you are away or if your bounce mushroom melts. Granted in my opinion if you are concerned about that sort of thing I would hire a professional and not ask a friend for a favor. If you just need someone to stop by and feed the fish and check on things then I see nothing wrong with asking a friend that just so happens to be in the same club as you.

Yes I can make a sticky for this no issue.

while I know we are all club members and get along fairly well my concern with this is this opens us up to unhonest ppl simply joining the club to take part in this to have access to vacated homes for their leisure. I feel that instances such as this should be trusted in the hands of a friend who can simply follow directions and feed/dose what is needed while away.