That eggy smell...

[chefjamesscott]

I've taught them how to replace cartridges and do water changes. Heck, I ever printed out a calendar with the dates on which to do these things. I also order all of the supplies online and have them delivered directly to the house. They've been pretty good about it until this happened.

I agree with you that just giving a group a task and not specifying who should do what and when isn't the best idea, so I went ahead and added people's named to the maintenance calendar.

We just had a family meeting about it and it was settled that the two who were in charge would pay back the last few of month's maintenance and not get paid again until I see that they've been doing what's needed. I've also replenished the water testing kit so that they can check water parameters twice a week and text me the results.

If this doesn't work out, I'm going to just sell off the tanks and put the money away for the 300g I plan on getting in just over a year. They keep telling me that they want to keep the tanks, but I need to see that they are willing and able to keep them healthy.

give me a second I have to get a pillow to stuff in the vent to cut of the smell I am getting off of it.



CRAM CRAM CRAM there good nothing came come out of that vent anymore

time to spray some air freshener.

DUDE you are away at school and the tanks are their responsiblity. I know you made arrangements with them to do care but in reality, shut the tanks down and don't expect your family to live for your passion.

Sorry got no sympathy. If you can't be the one to take care of your tanks then shut them down and get yourself a 25g betta tank for your dorm room and then when you are done school and can get back into the hobby by all means,

 

[losertastictoaster]

I understand how this feels. Not to long ago my family went away on vacation and had a close family friend stay at our house to take care of our dogs, cats and fish. He's always been reliable up until then. I came home and my betta fish was stuck in a nasty gooey mess of rotting food. It is incredibly irritating when someone you trust and have given very specific instructions to fails to do these things.

 

[Bderick67]

give me a second I have to get a pillow to stuff in the vent to cut of the smell I am getting off of it.



CRAM CRAM CRAM there good nothing came come out of that vent anymore

time to spray some air freshener.

DUDE you are away at school and the tanks are their responsiblity. I know you made arrangements with them to do care but in reality, shut the tanks down and don't expect your family to live for your passion.

Sorry got no sympathy. If you can't be the one to take care of your tanks then shut them down and get yourself a 25g betta tank for your dorm room and then when you are done school and can get back into the hobby by all means,

My thoughts exactly. It's one thing to get someone to take care of YOUR responsibilities for a weekend or even a couple weeks. But WTH, to expect this week in and week out, I think is just selfish BS.

Give the fish away to responsible owners and shut the tanks down until you can properly care for them.

 

[missmary]

My thoughts exactly. It's one thing to get someone to take care of YOUR responsibilities for a weekend or even a couple weeks. But WTH, to expect this week in and week out, I think is just selfish BS.

Give the fish away to responsible owners and shut the tanks down until you can properly care for them.

They're the ones who wanted to keep the tanks. When I first moved away for school, I sold off the majority of my tanks and fish. They insisted that they keep the 180g and 75g for display in the house. They promised me that they would take care of them.

I provided explicit care instructions, taught them the ins and outs of basic tank maintenance, and even still pay for all of the necessary supplies (filter media, food, etc.). Although I know they couldn't perform water changes 1-2 times a week like I had been doing while I lived at home, they agreed to do one at least once every two weeks.

If they are intent on keeping the tanks up but the neglect becomes a consistent problem, I have someone on standby to do weekly, thorough tank maintenance. The family members who want to keep the fish, but are unwilling to do the work, will be the ones to front the $150/month cost for that service.

 

[phillydog1958]

well, if the agreements made during your family meeting are not met, you might have to consider shutting down your tank for awhile. it's not a bad thing. it's good for your family, the fish and it gives you a peace of mind so that you can focus on getting done with school.