About the service
I keep home aquariums and terrariums in steady condition on a regular schedule, visiting once a week or once every two weeks depending on the volume, the stocking and how fast the tank fouls. A visit follows the same order every time: I measure first, then clean, then write everything down. Part of the water is replaced with water prepared in advance — settled, brought to the tank temperature and treated for chlorine. Fresh tap water straight into a populated tank is not something I do.
The substrate is siphoned in sections, so that the whole bottom is covered over a month and the biology is not washed out all at once. I scrape the glass inside and out, trim and thin the plants, and take algae off by hand before reaching for anything stronger. The filter is rinsed in water taken out of the same tank, never under the tap: the colony that keeps ammonia and nitrite at zero lives on that sponge and hot chlorinated water kills it in a minute. I check temperature, nitrite, nitrate, acidity and hardness with strips on routine visits and re-check with drop tests when a reading looks odd, top up what has evaporated, wipe the lid and the lamp, and listen to the pumps.
The terrarium gets the same order: bedding change, water and food dishes washed, lamps inspected and their running hours noted, the thermostat verified against my own thermometer, and the warm and cool ends checked so they are still where they should be. Two limits I state before the first visit. I am a maintenance technician, not a vet: if a fish or a reptile looks ill, I photograph it, describe what I see and say the animal should be shown to a veterinarian — I do not diagnose and I do not prescribe or dose medication. And every heater, pump and lamp near water runs through an RCD; if the socket line has none, I say so, and the electrical part waits for an electrician.
— visits once a week or once every two weeks, on a fixed day and hour
— partial water change with water prepared beforehand and matched in temperature
— substrate siphoning in sections, glass cleaning, plant trimming, algae control by hand
— filter rinsed in tank water, impeller and tubing inspected
— temperature, nitrite, nitrate, acidity and hardness measured and written down
— evaporation topped up, lid, lamps and thermostat checked
— terrarium: bedding change, dish washing, lamp hours, warm and cool zones
— holiday cover with feeding and a short report after every visit
— a visit log for every tank, so trends are visible instead of guessed
— a monthly plan of two or four visits, single call-outs by arrangement
The substrate is siphoned in sections, so that the whole bottom is covered over a month and the biology is not washed out all at once. I scrape the glass inside and out, trim and thin the plants, and take algae off by hand before reaching for anything stronger. The filter is rinsed in water taken out of the same tank, never under the tap: the colony that keeps ammonia and nitrite at zero lives on that sponge and hot chlorinated water kills it in a minute. I check temperature, nitrite, nitrate, acidity and hardness with strips on routine visits and re-check with drop tests when a reading looks odd, top up what has evaporated, wipe the lid and the lamp, and listen to the pumps.
The terrarium gets the same order: bedding change, water and food dishes washed, lamps inspected and their running hours noted, the thermostat verified against my own thermometer, and the warm and cool ends checked so they are still where they should be. Two limits I state before the first visit. I am a maintenance technician, not a vet: if a fish or a reptile looks ill, I photograph it, describe what I see and say the animal should be shown to a veterinarian — I do not diagnose and I do not prescribe or dose medication. And every heater, pump and lamp near water runs through an RCD; if the socket line has none, I say so, and the electrical part waits for an electrician.
— visits once a week or once every two weeks, on a fixed day and hour
— partial water change with water prepared beforehand and matched in temperature
— substrate siphoning in sections, glass cleaning, plant trimming, algae control by hand
— filter rinsed in tank water, impeller and tubing inspected
— temperature, nitrite, nitrate, acidity and hardness measured and written down
— evaporation topped up, lid, lamps and thermostat checked
— terrarium: bedding change, dish washing, lamp hours, warm and cool zones
— holiday cover with feeding and a short report after every visit
— a visit log for every tank, so trends are visible instead of guessed
— a monthly plan of two or four visits, single call-outs by arrangement
