Question:I went to the store last night. My original plan was to buy a simple, small aquarium, so it would be easy to manage.
Looking around, bigger IS better when it comes to aquariums! We ordered a 72 gallon AGA bowfront in black with a black pine stand for our basement rec room.
Should be in Tuesday. They will deliver & install Wednesday or Thursday, for $125. We will pick fish next Saturday. We can add them ourselves, or they can do it for us (for a fee). They can do bi-weekly cleanings for $40.
If they do the work, the fish will be guaranteed for one year instead of 1 week.
Does this sound like a good deal? Thanks.
Answers:
This is how I earn my living. I get generally $2 per gallon for the 1st 50 gallons (30 gallon minimum) and $1 per additional gallon for your basic freshwater aquarium on a stand install. If it is built into a wall or has complicated furniture, it may be more or out of my league.
For me your tank is a $132 job. I will often hand back 25% of that to the dealer for getting the job.
For freshwater maintenance, I get 50¢ per gallon (50 gallon minimum) plus materials. For example, if you need new filter media, that's extra. Any chemicals I use are extra. Your tank would be $36. I only give this rate to semi-annual contracts paid in advance. One shots are 75¢ per gallon (50 gallon minimum).
The fish guarantee is interesting. I don't do that, but now I'm thinking about it.
Gold fish ponds and tropical marine tanks are priced differently.
It's a good deal, I've seen much more expensive services. My concern would be, the fish being added so quickly. Your tank will need time to cycle. It's great that they are going to give you a 1 year guarantee, you may and most likely will, experience a huge die off adding a bunch of fish prior to the cycle of bacteria. Bigger is better as you have more water volume to dilute ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. I'd just be very careful adding fish so quickly. Saltwater will be even worse..
Good luck!
It is not a bad deal, but doing the maintenance yourself is a very good learning experience, and is not that difficult when you do a bit of research on the nitrogen cycle. Once you understand the nitrogen cycle, you will understand what is going on in your tank, as well as why things are happening the way that they are. The #1 complaint I get is that people don't like to mess with buckets because they are heavy and slosh around, and can even crack the glass' edge on your tank if you hit it too hard with the bucket while filling. I have 2 75 gallon tanks, and buckets would drive me insaine. I purchased a faucet adapter and attached it to the end of a 50 ft hose. The other end is attached to my siphon. When I do a water change, old water and fish dirt goes right out my front door and onto my plants in my yard. When I have removed enought water, I hook the faucet adapter up to the sink, add a bunch of dechlorinater, and fill the tank back up. The only thing to be cautious about with this method is that you have to be alert and turn the water off before you overfill your tank! I have had a few mini floods, but the occasional spill is still much better than dealing with 5 gallon buckets and way cheaper than paying somebody to clean your tank.
Yes its a good deal and i would go for it.
Everyone is different though I enjoy having and taking care of the fish and their environment. Yes there are times I would rather not do a water change though in the big picture I'm happy taking care of the fish and doing the maintenance myself. In terms of is this a good deal. In the Chicago area maintenance usually charges $45 per hour and this can go up to $65 per hour so $40 every other week seems reasonable. Services differ in how they charge for fish are equiptment. Some services only require a contract and they provide all of the equiptment and fish. Other services make you pay for everything plus a maintenance fee. All options between also exist. I bet they offer a wide variety of plans as well. Enjoy the fish.
Sounds like a fantastic deal, if they know what they are doing. Remember, though, you usually get what you pay for especially when paying for a service and the knowlege of an "expert".
I run an exclusive aquarium maintenance business. I won't even come out to your house for less than $75.00. On a 72 gallon tank for twice a month service, I would charge you $120.00 a month for freshwater, or $150.00 a month for saltwater, plus the cost of fish or decorations, food, etc.
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