Fish Sitting
Expert in-home fish care in Chicago
A fish tank is not decoration. It is a small, living ecosystem held in a careful balance, and the right care while you are away is what keeps that balance from tipping.
Best known across Chicago's North Side for our professional dog walking and cat sitting, we built our fish service for pet parents who want real aquarium know-how, not a well-meaning neighbor who might tip in too much food. A tank that took you months to dial in can go cloudy and dangerous in a day or two if it is fed too heavily, or if a quiet heater or filter failure goes unnoticed. We know how aquariums actually work, so yours stays stable and clear until you are home.
And you are never handed off to a stranger each visit. We pair every aquarium with the same trusted sitters, a primary caregiver plus a fully briefed backup, so the person caring for your tank always knows its feeding amounts, its equipment, and its routine, and you always know who is walking through your door.
The aquariums we look after
Freshwater or saltwater, a single betta bowl or a wall of tanks, every setup has its own chemistry and rhythm. We tailor each visit to your aquarium.
Tropical freshwater
Tetras, guppies, mollies, cichlids, and community tanks that need steady warmth, clean water, and the right feeding.
Coldwater and goldfish
Goldfish and other coldwater fish, which are big waste producers and need careful feeding and water care to stay healthy.
Betta fish
Those striking solo fish with the flowing fins. We keep their water warm and clean and feed them just the right amount.
Saltwater and reef
Marine and reef tanks with fish, corals, and invertebrates. We top off evaporation with fresh water to hold salinity steady and follow your dosing notes.
Planted and aquascaped
Living, planted tanks with their own light and balance, kept on schedule so the whole scape stays healthy.
Multi-tank households
Several tanks, several routines, no problem. We keep each one's feeding, equipment, and water care straight.
What every fish visit includes
- Careful, measured feeding: we feed the exact amount you specify and never more, because overfeeding is one of the fastest ways a tank goes wrong. Pre-portioned or reduced schedules are welcome.
- Water-quality checks: temperature and clarity every visit, plus pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate testing where you leave a kit, so small problems get caught early.
- Equipment checks: confirming the heater, filter, pump, lights, and air are all running the way they should, since a quiet failure is the real danger for fish.
- Top-offs and partial changes: replacing evaporated water and doing partial water changes when your plan calls for them, with fresh water used to hold salinity steady in saltwater tanks.
- Behavior and health watch: watching for clamped fins, gasping at the surface, white spots, or any change in color or activity, and letting you know right away.
- Home check on request: bringing in mail, alternating lights, and watering plants while we are there.
Trained for the things that matter to fish
A tank does not show stress the way a dog does. By the time the water looks wrong, the chemistry has often been off for a while. Our sitters are trained to protect the balance, not just sprinkle in food.
- Understanding the nitrogen cycle and testing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH
- Feeding with discipline and never overfeeding, the most common cause of a crash
- Keeping water temperature stable and spotting a failing heater early
- Checking filters, pumps, lights, and air so equipment problems do not go unnoticed
- Topping off evaporation correctly and holding salinity steady in saltwater tanks
- Recognizing signs of illness like ich, fin rot, fungus, clamped fins, or surface gasping
- Following a clear plan if a heater, filter, or pump fails while you are away
- Adjusting care to the species, from hardy goldfish to a sensitive reef tank
This is the operational reliability that builds real trust with aquarium parents, and it is exactly the kind of demonstrated experience and expertise that sets a serious pet care provider apart.
A living world behind the glass
I started Sparky Steps because I believe every animal deserves attentive, informed care, no matter how small or how quiet.
Fish are the easiest pet to underestimate. From across the room a tank looks like decoration, but it is really a small, living ecosystem held in balance, and that balance can tip faster than people expect. A little too much food, a heater that quietly fails, a filter left unchecked, and a healthy tank can turn cloudy and dangerous in a day or two.
That is why we treat aquarium care as the specialized work it is, and why our team keeps learning. I would rather earn your trust through steady, careful habits than guess at a system that took you months to get right.
Michael Jaurigue, founder, Sparky Steps 🐾
Chicago is a fish city
We care for fish because we love them, and few cities are as fond of life under the water as Chicago. A bit of what makes our local fish story special.
The aquarium that started it all
Chicago has been wild about fish since 1930, when retail magnate John G. Shedd gave the city what was then the largest indoor aquarium in the world. The Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront is now home to around 32,000 animals across roughly 1,500 species, and it has helped generations of Chicagoans fall for the underwater world.
Fish in our own backyard
Chicago sits right on Lake Michigan, and the Shedd even keeps a gallery devoted to the fish of the Great Lakes. Our city's bond with fish runs a lot deeper than the living-room aquarium, which is part of why so many of our neighbors keep tanks of their own.
Longer-lived than you think
Fish are tougher and longer-lived than most people expect. The Shedd's most famous resident, an Australian lungfish named Granddad, lived there from the 1933 World's Fair until 2017. Your fish may not match that, but with steady, expert care they can be with you for many years.
