I was just reading some various tank related threads on the interweb and after one on reefaddicts.com I had somewhat of an idea.
Whenever you go out of town for a length of time there is often the need for someone to watch the tank for you. It seems that typically people turn to a neighbor or trusted friend who actually has no idea of how a reef tank works in its entirety. You have to teach them that not only is "this" the particular food to feed but "this" is how much for how long. You might go through some possible disaster scenarios, some places to check parameters, but mostly its kept to the basics. And rightly so. The person I have watch my tank clearly glazes over when I get into the fine-tuning of a skimmer and how to tell whether it's pulling in enough air or not.
So if you could, would you rather turn to members of the club? If there was a sign-up sheet with member's credentials (tank size, location, years spent in the hobby, etc.) you could see who was in your area willing to come over and check on the tank for you. The plus side is that you have an "experienced" reefer with more than just basic understanding of aquaria looking over your system once a day to make sure that everything is running smoothly while you're away.
The other end of the stick is that rather than the guy who's been your neighbor for 10 years you are letting a stranger in to your home. Trust would have to be at the forefront and good communication between members would be a must.
I'm not sure how those that participated and watched a member's tank for someone else would be rewarded, but I'm sure there's a way.
So like I said, just an idea. What does everyone else think?
Whenever you go out of town for a length of time there is often the need for someone to watch the tank for you. It seems that typically people turn to a neighbor or trusted friend who actually has no idea of how a reef tank works in its entirety. You have to teach them that not only is "this" the particular food to feed but "this" is how much for how long. You might go through some possible disaster scenarios, some places to check parameters, but mostly its kept to the basics. And rightly so. The person I have watch my tank clearly glazes over when I get into the fine-tuning of a skimmer and how to tell whether it's pulling in enough air or not.
So if you could, would you rather turn to members of the club? If there was a sign-up sheet with member's credentials (tank size, location, years spent in the hobby, etc.) you could see who was in your area willing to come over and check on the tank for you. The plus side is that you have an "experienced" reefer with more than just basic understanding of aquaria looking over your system once a day to make sure that everything is running smoothly while you're away.
The other end of the stick is that rather than the guy who's been your neighbor for 10 years you are letting a stranger in to your home. Trust would have to be at the forefront and good communication between members would be a must.
I'm not sure how those that participated and watched a member's tank for someone else would be rewarded, but I'm sure there's a way.
So like I said, just an idea. What does everyone else think?
