The never-do list, item by item
The sitter must never feed a second helping because the fish look hungry; fish always look hungry, and uneaten food rotting in the gravel is the fastest route to an ammonia spike while you are away. They must never unplug, switch off or tidy away any cable: the heater, filter and lights on that strip are a life-support system, not clutter. Nothing that has touched soap, lotion or cleaning spray goes in or near the water, and no spray cleaner is used on or beside the glass, because aerosol droplets settle on the surface. The tank is never topped up straight from the tap, never rearranged, and no water change happens unless you asked for one in writing. Lids stay closed, and nothing new — no plant, ornament or gifted fish — goes in.
Why each rule protects the tank
Overfeeding harms through chemistry, not generosity: decomposing food releases ammonia into water whose filter bacteria can only process so much, and a sitter will not recognize the cloudy water and gasping that follow. Unplugging a heater for a socket or switching off the filter for quiet stops oxygenating flow and lets the filter bacteria starve. Soaps and sprays are toxic to fish at tiny concentrations, and a well-meaning wipe of the front glass with a kitchen cloth can carry detergent residue straight into the tank. Even kind interventions like moving a cave or lifting the lid for a better look stress shy fish and risk a jumper. The rules are strict because a stable tank mostly needs to be left alone.
Making the list clear before you leave
Write the never-do list on one card and tape it to the glass at eye level, not in a drawer or a long message thread. Pre-portion every day's food into small labeled containers with the day written on each, so feeding needs no judgment and doubling up is visibly obvious. Coil and label the equipment plugs or photograph the strip so the sitter can confirm at a glance that everything is running, and leave a photo of the thermometer at its normal reading for comparison. Walk the sitter through the tank once in person, pointing at the actual heater light and filter outflow, and agree the single route for questions: message you a photo first, act second.
What the sitter should do instead
The sitter's real job is observation: glance at the thermometer against your photo, confirm the filter is flowing and the heater light cycles, feed exactly one labeled portion, and check that every fish appears at feeding. Anything that looks different — a fish hiding that usually feeds, cloudy water, a silent filter — gets photographed and sent to you the same day rather than fixed experimentally. That handover works best when the routine itself travels with the sitter, and a KinsLe Care Pass is built for exactly this: temporary, clear access to each tank's feeding plan and key details while you are away, so the never-do list and the daily routine sit in the same place.