Start an Aquarium Maintenance Business
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start an aquarium maintenance business
Getting Started … the needs
Note: Use this information at your own risk! Lantz Enterprises Inc (www.walltanks.com; www.kooltanks.com) assumes no responsibility.
Business licenses
The cost for a business license is tiny. Unless you want to sell from a shop, the common price in most areas is about a year. Additionally, you must obtain a special tax identification number for VAT. To obtain a tax ID, you must contact local and state governments to set up an account.
2 Business Essentials
• Business cards
One of the most important steps when starting a new service, the purchase of business cards. Generally, for it is possible to print 5000 cards in several colors. Remember that is in relation to a potential customer to gain the attention of a professional-looking card reflect your business.
• Letter
It is very important to maintain professionalism at all times maintained. One of the ways is to do so by your letterhead. Letterhead are commonly used for sales letters, business correspondence, marketing, etc. The first impression to move decisively in potential customers. When targeting high-end customers, they expect a certain level of professionalism.
Other marketing tools such as brochures and ads are always in your product to your potential customers significant it is not always necessary. Normally, depending on the quality of the brochure or advertising you choose, they can usually in the price range – 0 There are many printers and graphic designers in your area, the maintenance will take place this. Book
• • Invoice look
The personal appearance of you and your employees is a very important detail. Formal business attire is not required, either a golf shirt or a regular T-shirt with your company name and logo should be worn. T-shirts with embroidery and simple bag is between the cost per T-shirt. Embroidered golf shirts will cost around per T-shirt.
• Insurance
Join not in the door, without any kind of liability or damage to property insurance. No matter how careful one can be while maintaining an aquarium so happen to be accidents. Nothing will do your business faster than a lawsuit to stop for damaged property. Usually run about a month with a few variations types of activities that are available, it really is better than cure.
• Liability
It is good business practice to have some kind of basic liability insurance. It gives the customers and give you a feeling of security and adds credibility of your company. A disclaimer to fish and livestock deaths and aquarium leaks and other collateral damage caused by leaks in the “Sales Section.
3 Marketing
The biggest challenge in establishing an aquarium maintenance service is finding your base clientele. The ability to pass a local pet store and friends, your business cards, you basically make them free agents. Positive contact between a potential customer and recommend others that your service is set really precious.
• Newspaper advertising in a newspaper is to be inefficient and costly can be. A better approach would be to a catalog or brochure that you develop personally to potential drop-offs.
• Show your name on the tank
Always display your name and number somewhere on the tank. Always ask your customers for permission first and then a free month or free service fish offer. Invest in a few business cards or stickers that you leave on or around your tank.
• Radio / TV advertising
• Do you associate the immaculate
Most people have a spotless tank with a healthy environment. Do not try to argue this point. Do yourself a favor and promote your company as a clean current service.
4 Customer Service
When the search for new customers is the most difficult aspect of this business, they keep a close second. Depending on your environment, companies can be very competitive if you are not the only supplier. Keep your customers happy, it’s about much more than just cleaning their aquariums. It is important to go “that extra mile” and maintain a first class service. With flexible service hours and “on call” availability is crucial for success. For example, restaurants and other shops often close at extremely late hours. During their business hours, customers will not want their patrons just a cleaning service. Offering late or “closing” times for your customers to keep them happy and bring you before your competitors.
On call availability is important. The customer can, and will require at the strangest times, it may important to give them access to a pager number. Not only can you schedule appointments, but to ask questions or report a kind of state of emergency. From leaking tanks to large fish kills, you will first call your customers, if there is a problem with your aquarium. If you are not available, they are looking for someone else.
5 Aquarium Location
In examining the best ways for a tank site to keep a few factors into account is crucial. You want the tank in an area with high traffic peak exposure, where it is easy to maintain, has an abundance of natural light and no direct sunlight. More precisely, “Wall aquariums” can not only inside retaining walls will be installed.
Ask the client on three areas they want to check and do to choose a checklist. Make sure the final location has access to power and educate the client on why some areas may need further prepping.
6th Working with Contractors
You need to work closely with a contractor unless you are licensed. Contractors in the Yellow Pages and can range from be found – per hour on average. Average installation in an existing wall takes 12 hours to fish out of nothing.
7th Financing Services
if your customer wants to finance the installation, payment plans are available from finance companies. It will be eliminated 100% of the cost in advance of service and your customer owes them the balance. These companies may in the Yellow Pages under “Finance Companies”.
8 Fish Selection
Most of the “non” fish hobbyists struggle with fish selection and compatibility. You need the client on the understanding of why some fish can live together and to educate others do not. Listen to your customers and get a general idea of the size and colors you want. Proposing ways to help guide them through fish selection and your professional opinion is valued.
Once you have a good idea of what they want to do some homework. Imagine a list of compatible and available fish for the tank. Listing an estimated price per fish is the customer aid.
9 Service Equipment
Gathering all the necessary equipment needed to run your service is simple and easy. Most of the tools required may be found in your personal equipment you have acquired over the years.
You need:
• bucket • Aquarium Cleaning Siphon (battery operated ones work nice)
• Algae Scraper (Acrylic-friendly)
• Fresh & Salt Water Test Kits
• Filter Media • Fish medications (Melafix, Pemafix, Kich-I, Salt)
• Instant Ocean Bio-Spira (instant tank start)
• Fish Food • 100% cotton towel
In addition to these products, a canister filter that can be taken from place to place would be a good investment. You can also consider buying a portable diatom filter to “polish” your customer’s aquarium water. When you start not already have these tools you can look for a unit cost of 0-0.
10th Aquarium Set-up
• Water
1 Fill the tank with clean water. Culligan works great or you might want to invest in an R / O unit (reverse osmosis).
2 Add to neutralize the appropriate amount of water conditioner to chlorine.
3 Add a starter or two fish.
4 Test the ammonia and nitrate.
5 Anywhere 2-5 days later, pending the results of your test you can think of more fish.
• Test the ammonia and nitrate content maintained every time the tank, so that you are well aware of invisible problems.
• In case of sudden death of fish, make sure to watch the water, if anything has changed. • Lighting
Depending on your customers the ideal tank ‘Photo period’ (the length of time the aquarium light) ranges from two to four hours for salt water and fresh water for six to eight hours.
When the algae is a problem in the tank, one factor is usually too much light. The reduction of artificial lighting to eight hours, or a bit less necessary.
plugging the light into a timer in creating a controlled environment is essential.
• Temperature
Most aquarium inhabitants prefer water temperatures around 77 ° F. Normally, when water temperature rises above 80 ° C and below 72 ° F, disaster is imminent. Back up the oven and run a place, a thermometer so far away from the heater as possible in an easily readable area.
• Filtration
Follow the instructions to set up your filter clean system. The filter cleans the water tank and delivers vital oxygen for the fish so that it will leave on 24 hours per day must.
There are three types of filters that you educate yourself on: mechanical, chemical and biological.
• Mechanical filtration (the removal of debris from the water works) by water through a sieve, a thin piece of sponge, floss, or through a material.
• Chemical filtration works by the water through small pieces of carbon. The carbon molecules such as ammonia removed from the water.
• Biological filtration works by certain types of bacteria that live on gravel and in your filter. These bacteria remove ammonia and nitrite from the water (see next section).
Most of the filter is cleaned mechanically and biologically, if not all three.
11.Understanding the nitrogen cycle (Fish make Waste – Bacteria get rid of waste).
• The Biological Filter Process:
1 Starter Aquarium fish are introduced.
2 Ammonia from the waste begins to build up (toxic).
3 Bacteria begin to grow, that the use of ammonia.
4 Ammonia level starts to drop as Nitrite level builds (toxic).
5 Bacteria begin to grow, that the use of nitrite.
6th Nitrite level begins to rise in nitrate levels drop slowly (much less toxic).
7th Water is changed and reduced nitrate.
8 More fish are introduced.
• These bacteria are aerobic bacteria than because they need oxygen. The best way to fuel them is well-aerated water and have plenty of room to grow.
• A new tank is not ready for a full cargo of fish, because the biological filter has not yet built. Slowly adding fish to be during the scheduled visits to the water quality of aid.
12th Water changes
• The frequency of cleaning
want a 20% water change every two weeks. This would be a partial purification. If your customers prefer less frequent visits, 30% water change can be done every three weeks, but will cost more. A large water change is only needed if the tank is a long time to be cleaned.
Clean your aquarium in the following order:
1 Inside the aquarium walls
2 Decorations (rocks, plants, etc)
3 Gravel
4 Filter
5 Outside and Devices
cleaning of the interior walls will cause particles of dirt falling on the plants, decorations and gravel, so it is best to clean them first. The removal of the plants and decorations will cause debris to sink to the bottom, then hold off cleaning the gravel has been taken to the plants and decorations out. In addition, the gravel is much easier to clean once the plants and stones were removed. Cleaning the inside of the tank will lead to the outside too dirty, it is sufficient cleaning the exterior.
algae pads
you start your cleaning by the acrylic a good cleaning effect on the inside. All you need is an acrylic scraper or sponge algae. There are a variety of algae scrapers on the market of long-handled scrubbers to magnetic scrubbers. Purchase your algae scrapper at a pet store instead of the household goods department store in a regular. Although the pads may look the same, they can have a soap or chemical residue in them from the manufacturing process. A residue will not affect your kitchen sink, but it can leave a deadly movie in your aquarium. scratch
For stubborn residue on the sides, with a special plastic razor blade, as standard razors will be acrylic.
Bleach
Once the interior walls are removed cleanly, all the tiles, artificial plants and decorations that have a significant algae growth, or are significantly polluted. Do not clean it with soap or detergent. It is very hard to remove completely, soap, and even the slightest trace can be lethal to fish. Usually a good scrub with an algae scraper removes algae and dirt from rocks and plants. For particularly stubborn cleaning problems prepare a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) and enjoy the points for 15 minutes. Scrub any remaining residue off, rinse well under running water and air dry to remove any residual bleach. Leave the rocks, decorations and plants out of the tank while you vacuum the gravel. In this way, no one kicked up the dirt from the gravel on them settle.
Get a new bucket and designate it for use only aquarium. With a bucket that can already with other household chemicals that result in the loss of your fish has been charged.
Siphon Clean the gravel next to an aquarium siphon vacuum away the dirt in a bucket. There are several types of siphons available, all essentially the same work. Be sure that all of the gravel vacuum thoroughly so that all debris removed.
glass and detergents Lime
Once the interior of the aquarium is cleaned, the hood, light, tank top, and can be cleaned off glass. Use only cleaning agents designated as aquarium safe. Regular glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Standard lime cleaners are even more toxic. Use detergent and rinse aquarium safe. Do not scrub the acrylic with paper or a wood product. Use a 100% cotton T-shirt or towel.
filter cleaning
After a partial purification and it has been four weeks since you last cleaned the filter, it is time to clean it again. If you are a large water change until the next visit can wait to clean the filter. The reason for this is not the naked eye. The main cleaning has you running, the bacterial colonies on the disturbed plants, rocks and into the gravel. Fortunately, a significant number of beneficial bacteria in the filter media means that you are not completely upset the eco-system. However, if you change the filter at the same time, you could end up with a significant increase in ammonia levels due to the lack of beneficial bacteria. For this reason, it makes sense to give the tank a break before you clean the filter.
In most cases, your filter media, carbon, ammonia absorbers, or ion exchange resins, and should be replaced if there be more than four-week-old child. exhausted after a few weeks, the absorbing properties in the media were, and there are enough bacteria colonies elsewhere to compensate for its removal. If you use two filters, clean per visit.
your package price should include installation, underwater landscape, filling the tank with water, fish and clean the aquarium for the first Month. You should go for a 50-10% discount with a 6-month maintenance contract listed the example of “contract”.
• Service charges
your service fees will be based on competition and demographic target. The fees are proposed below and should be adjusted to your area.
service programs include:
• Planned visits every two months (can be customized to meet customer)
will change • Water (see Water Changes)
• supply of equipment, materials and environment from the customer requested
• Free counseling for
• Fish Tank makeovers
• Fish stocking
• Equipment replacement / upgrade
• Improvement water quality
• Medical treatment of fish disease
16.Sales Procedure
aside certain hours or days a week for the sale and stick to the schedule. During this time, companies can approach and introduce yourself and product line. to finance
If the customer a package or service, contact your “Finance Company” (see Finance Company) and you have the work completed before you receive your payment.
• Customer concerns and frequently asked questions
Concern: I do not cover enough money immediately to the package prices.
Answer: No problem, the entire amount can be financed and it is also a tax exemption for commercial customers.
Concern: I do not want you to clean the aquarium in front of my customers.
Answer: No problem, we are coming from outside the business hours for commercial customers.
Q: How do I get access to clean the tank when it is in the wall?
A: The access will be hidden under a picture-frame style border or an access panel, where the top piece soars.
Q: How is electricity at an in-wall aquarium will be delivered?
A: A socket is mounted in the wall in front of the aquarium.
Q: How are the fish fed when I’m on vacation?
Answer: An Automatic Fish Feeder is food for the fish for up to two weeks for freshwater fish. We also offer a holiday feeding service.
Q: What happens if the tank leaks?
Answer: It is extremely rare, however, it is under warranty for one year.
18th Reviews
Those are a few useful tips and suggestions that can make things a little easier.
1 If you have a computer, you use it. Most of your customers are on a computer, and it makes for a great way to communicate. E-mail is a wonderful way to contact your customers, send invoices and allow them questions if you ask not to be in their area.
2 Bring your clients and their staff about feeding and the filter system. Show them what to do in an emergency, and teaching them to identify problems before they spiral out of control. More and train at least two people on feeding methods.
3 Keep your customers up to date on the system and any changes you make. Never allow things to be a surprise. Customers tend to make sudden changes without their consent frown.
4 Invest in maintenance tools that are easy to use and which do not create a mess. Water changes with a 5-gallon buckets are an accident waiting to happen. Find the methods that users are friendly and clean.
5 Control algae. It is your client’s concern number one. A dirty tank delivers the wrong message to your customers’ customers. Use of fish, light control, nutrition programs and a good tool for removal. Remember, these tanks are scratching acrylic and when rubbed with an abrasive material. Place with 100% cotton towel paper towels. paper towels are a byproduct of wood and acrylic can scratch.
6th Great customer service is patience. Not everyone will do the understanding of water, which will. things that can just be with you difficult to understand for others. are you trying to well versed in basic principles that will tell them over and over. Treat everyone with respect, you can talk to one of your customers valued customers.
7 . fish kills are part of this business. Learn to be sympathetic but firm. Some fish deaths are unpredictable, while others are avoidable. Work out a fish replacement system and stick to it. Replacing a few fish for free is no big deal is to replace an entire tank.
8 Try to keep up to date on new products and fish. Do not be afraid to try new things, it’s the only way to bring your skills are progressing. Invest in some good books and magazines, they will be useful as a reference.
Mechanical Business Magazine