FAQ's

A.) Depending on the size of tank, population of fish, type of filtration and feeding practices all tanks are different. A once a month cleaning and 25 to 50% water change is recommended for both Salt and freshwater tanks. Once a month is good, every other month is okay and 3 months without a cleaning is the limit for the safely of your fish. Some people change filter pads between cleanings which helps, but gravel vacuuming and water replacement is a must for long term success and the health of your aquarium. I strongly recommend once a month service for quality of the environment and a clean professional look in an office or business. A simple test is: Take a clean white piece of paper and place it on a table, now fill a 6 inch tall or larger clear drinking glass with your aquarium water, then set the glass on top of the paper and looking down thru the top of the glass, compare the color difference to the paper, the more yellow your water is the more you need a water change and service, the color of chardonnay wine is a sure sign you need service!

A.) When tent fumigation is needed or re-flooring takes place nobody likes to move an aquarium! Moving an aquarium can be a daunting task for the average person, fish need to be moved in a timely fashion and returned to the tank before oxygen and temperature changes affect or kill the fish. This being said, knowing how to move an aquarium safely and quickly is my specialty. Aquarium moving starts at $150.00 and goes up from there depending on size of tank, salt or freshwater and distance tank is being moved. Stairs will also affect the price as well. Older systems with old connectors, tubes and fittings have a tendency to leak once set-up again. Seams on older glass tanks can go out during the move as well, I completely go over all aquarium systems prior to moving them and in certain situations do require a "leak waiver" before an aquarium can be moved to protect myself from old and aging parts that have a high probability chance of leaking or failure in the process of moving. I take every precaution necessary to safely move all aquariums but I cannot control the reliability of old worn out filters, tubes or pumps. If this is necessary everything will be put in writing before any work is done. I can also store your fish in my shop rather than move them with your tank during fumigation, sometimes this is an easier and more cost effective alternative to moving the whole system. The high end of a quote tops off, on an average size system, at around $300.00. Every moving situation is different, free estimates are always given in advance on all moves so I can see exactly what I am dealing with before the day of the move comes.

A.) An aquarium turning green is from algae growing in your tank. A simple solution is to increase air flow, this helps remove carbon dioxide which feeds the algae. ALSO natural sunlight will have a big effect on your algae problem, direct sunlight will keep an aquarium green. Close drapes, blinds in rooms where an aquarium is located. Try not to set up an aquarium in direct sunlight. And last, give your tank no more than 10 hours of aquarium light a day, 8 hours are better, leaving the light on all day and night is not healthy for your fish and will grow excess algae.

A.) No more than it takes to be completely eaten within 5 minutes, if there is food still floating after 5 minutes remove it with a net and feed less next time. Non-carnivorous fish have a stomach the "size of their eye ball" literally, so consider this when feeding smaller fish. My advice, do not feed as much as the container says, they want to sell their product. Small amounts can be fed 3 times a day if you are careful. I also recommend to not feed the tank 1 day in the week. I find this encourages fish to keep tank clean of excess food.

A.) I strongly suggest you do not over populate your aquarium simply to have the “look” you desire. Fish, like all living animals become aggressive when there are too many within a contained environment, this will cause the fish to fight for available space. From my experience, the fish will continually kill each other off until a balanced is reached, no mater how many fish you want to add to the tank, it will always find its own balance. 

As a basic rule I suggest the following:

For fresh water aquariums 

2 small or 1 medium fish for every 10 gallons of water.

For salt water aquariums

2 small or 1 medium fish for every 15 gallons of water and of course large and/or predator fish will require even more room.    

A.) The fish you see in the pet shop that are stuffed into that tiny 20 gallon tank are hooked up to a very large filter system in the back to keep them alive and stable, this makes many people think a home aquarium can do the same and this ends up frustrating aquarium owners when they continue to lose fish.