i have a buddy who has a 55 but never takes care of it. he has Goldfish in it of course. Anyway he keeps asking me what I would want to just go over and do it for him. So what is fair. I have of course suggested weekly water changes but i doubt he will go for anything other then monthly. So watcha think?
fair price to charge for cleaning friends 55G?
- Thread starter BloodThirsty28
- Start date
if it's for a friend just do it for free or in return for the adult beverage of your choice next you go out (assuming you're of legal drinking age).
I agree. I've helped many friends with maintenance and tearing down/setting up tanks during moves. I wouldn't think of charging them anything monetarily.
Just tell them to provide a 12pack and have some fun while you do it.
I agree. I've helped many friends with maintenance and tearing down/setting up tanks during moves. I wouldn't think of charging them anything monetarily.
Just tell them to provide a 12pack and have some fun while you do it.
I agree. Show him how to do it.
Yeah I agree.. if hes a good friend that would do it for you... then some beer to drink during the process should be enough... if he wouldn;t do it in return for you... figure out how much ya make per hour working, then charge him that amount, plus any material expenses.
You'll need special supplies to clean it: scrapers, sponges, etc., maybe new equipment if his old is breaking down (filters, lights), maybe new plants, substrate. Look at it as though you were going to redo, say, a kitchen. Give him a list, "This is probably what I'll need," and if he okays it, get the prices of products you'll use (maybe from a good LFS and also from WalMart). Get $$ from him for things he approves of. If you want to charge for your labor, it's up to you if you want $$ or food or if it's just going to be a fun experience. If you mutually agree that you should not only redo the tank into a thing of beauty but keep checking it on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis, you'll want to make sure your expenses are covered and again agree on a price for your labor.
Sounds like a good experience, something to put on your resume (with "before" and "after" pictures) if you want to do it for other people.
Sounds like a good experience, something to put on your resume (with "before" and "after" pictures) if you want to do it for other people.
How nasty is the tank in question?
If it's in a state where it needs to be torn down and completely cleaned out (i.e. a several hour job) then I'd say he owes you a pretty big favor, but not necessarily cash.
If it's more of a 1 hour or less job...some booze/movie/etc should do the trick. It really doesn't take long at all to perform weekly tank maint anyway (if it's properly kept up), so I'd just work out a deal where he has to buy you some fast food, rent a movie, etc when you come over to do it.
If it's in a state where it needs to be torn down and completely cleaned out (i.e. a several hour job) then I'd say he owes you a pretty big favor, but not necessarily cash.
If it's more of a 1 hour or less job...some booze/movie/etc should do the trick. It really doesn't take long at all to perform weekly tank maint anyway (if it's properly kept up), so I'd just work out a deal where he has to buy you some fast food, rent a movie, etc when you come over to do it.