Feeler: Interest In tank sitting?

[Jason]

Just kind of a feeler post.. saw a thread in the classified that got me thinking. Is there anyone in the North Atlanta Area that would be interest in a "tank sitter"? I'm 16 so have some free time on my hands, but also have multiple tanks that I maintain on my own.. thinking about charging maybe about the same as like a dog sitter.. thoughts?

 

[Jason]

Hm, not sure if this should be in the for sale forums.. admins please move if it belongs there.

 

[bhodges82]

Seems like a legit discussion to me. Didn’t hear a sales pitch and he’s asking questions.

I’ll be going to Brazil for two weeks towards the end of the year and was wondering what to do about my tank. I’d have to be pretty confident in someone to trust them with my reef.

 

[bcavalli]

Its a great idea.  I actually reserved several domains for this purpose.  But,  there is no way I have the time or energy these days to do it.  Ive tank sitted for atleast a dozen members over the years and here are a few thoughts on it.



You want to make sure your very experienced and versed in different types of equipmemt and possibly an Apex controller.   I would also secure a bond to cover yourself in the event something goes south while your taking care of the setup.  We have quite a few members with 10s of thousands of dollars in coral and fish.  Security for you is very important.

To get started.  Help a few members out and get some referrals and experience since every setup is different.  Create a checklist while gaining experience as you will discover there is alot of things you need to watch for that we take for granted in our own tanks that we see every day.  Get some Hanna Checkers so you can do water testing while they are gone.  Buy a cheap wifi camera with rotation and/or zoom (if they will allow you to use it while they are gone) and set it up so they can access it as well.  They can be found on amazon for about $50.  It will give them piece of mind.  You may want to pickup a used Apex Jr that you can monitor remotely and the owner as well.  It will help you head off any posssible issues that may arise.



Hopefully this will help you get a game plan together and it could become a great business opportunity if done right.  A Business license is only $30 if I remember correctly.

 

[Jason]

Hm.. I kind of figured those with apex's wouldn't need a service like that - when you can dose, ato control temp ph all remotely I feel like a week away from home isn't necessarily a week away from your tank LOL. And thank you Brett for all the suggestions! I've been thinking about some of the overhead costs of capital and stuff as well, would getting a business license be a hassle? I've read you want to contact an attorney etc beforehand, sounds like a bit of a logistical nightmare. I've been thinking about making a simple website and trying to get some references to start, as well as pics of my own tank and maintenance schedule for peace of mind.

 

[bcavalli]

Your welcome, I happy I can actually offer advice.  . A business license is simple and cheap and you will need one if you are building a website and running a legit business (which I reccommend you do it right).  The Apex would be for those that dont have one.  Even those that have an Apex will want someone on call in case of an emergency or more than typical care and maintence.  Such as, they dont have a large enough ATO setup, feeding dry foods is not enough over an extended period of time since some fish will only eat blackworms or mysis ect.  Just a few suggestions to think about.