# Question: local maintenance network?



## forest109 (Sep 7, 2010)

I have not seen anything regarding this posted on Cichlid-forum, or anywhere else for that matter, but is anyone aware of any forum or website where you could check to see if there are any aquarium enthusiasts in your local area who would like to network in order to offer to care for someone else's aquarium(s) while they are away from home, in return for the same consideration when you are away? I don't really know of anyone else in my town who keeps freshwater fish, never mind cichlids, and therefore I have to trust to well meaning neighbors or friends to look after my aquarium when we travel for more than a week, often with not-so-satisfactory results due to their general lack of knowledge about the basics of feeding the fish and maintaining a tank. It's not that they aren't willing, they just aren't knowledgeable about the subject.

I suppose I can check at my local tropical fish store (the only one!), but this might actually be a good forum topic. Cichlid-forum has thousands of members, and I'm sure there are some living nearby - I just have no way of identifying them. I could see it working something like building up "points" by looking after someone else's aquarium(s), and then cash them in to have someone look after yours. The trust issue is definitely something to consider before you hand someone the key to your house, but it could work. Any thoughts?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Why not your local fish club?


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## Fish Jerk (Mar 9, 2016)

If it's under 2 weeks I just turn off the lights and do nothing til I come back. So far nothing nasty has happened.


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## forest109 (Sep 7, 2010)

Two weeks is no problem (and the lights are on a timer), but we are usually gone for at least a month in the summer. I know of no fish club in my area, but I'll check at the LFS.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You might also want to check with your veterinarian (if you have one) or your homeowner insurance company to see if they have reliable people that may also care for aquariums.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'll have to Google your location...I know of one-two in Virginia.

No, the one I know is 3 hours away from you.


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## Fish Jerk (Mar 9, 2016)

forest109 said:


> Two weeks is no problem (and the lights are on a timer), but we are usually gone for at least a month in the summer. I know of no fish club in my area, but I'll check at the LFS.


I turn them off completely when I am gone. When it's dark they are less active, so there is probably not going to be any fighting.

You could get an autofeeder, too. Some of them go to 21 days. Just make sure to make each daily dose of food something like 1/4 of normal.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

I think I would be concerned about the security of my home letting someone I barely know come into my house while I am gone. A professional service would be better if you can't find a close friend.

Good reason to join a local club. Make some friends who share your hobby and then you can find someone you can trust to let in your house while you are gone.

I agree with the others is it's fine to just turn the lights off and let it go for 2 weeks if there are no other options.

Andy


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## forest109 (Sep 7, 2010)

I would have to check out anyone that I would consider allowing into the house. I have a neighbor and another friend who come in now, but they aren't aquarists and therefore aren't as conscientious about what needs to be done, no matter how many notes I leave - but that's not their fault. That's why I thought that networking through Cichlid-forum might be a good way to connect with aquarists in my area who understand what needs to be done. I know of no local club, but I'll keep looking.

As far as leaving the lights off, I'll have problems with that unless I adjust the timers to just reduce the length of "daylight" in the tank to fewer hours per day. I have a 3-D background and an all-rock habitat, all of which has a decent coating of algae on it, and just turning off the LED lights for a month will result in most of the algae dying off and fouling he tank. That's what's happened in the past while on vacation before I switched to LEDs with timers.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

James River Aquarium Society is the closest one to you. But their meetings are still more than 2 hours away.


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