Welcome to The Fish Factory Online
If it swims we sell it

Specializing in custom aquariums since 1986, The Fish Factory service division is the largest and oldest aquarium maintenance firm in the state with over 50 years of combined water technical knowledge on staff. The Fish Factory's proprietor Stephen Banach and his staff personally service aquariums such as reef fish, marine, brackish, and tropical, in the surrounding Milwaukee Wisconsin city area.

All staff is aquarium certified by going to a minimum of 100 school hours of tech training.

Why do I need a maintenance company?

What happens if the tank is not cleaned on a regular basis is that high levels of ammonia and toxic Nitrite develop, killing off the fish. Remember, it is imperative that as much food, décor dirt, fish excrement, and other floating particles are removed. While there are several ways this type of water change could be done, we will share with you our recommendation.

The water change, as mentioned, will remove about 50% of the water. However, to ensure we do not put your fish into shock or remove too much of the good bacterium, we will not go above the 50% level. Additionally, the best way to stay on track with this schedule is to keep a log of when we do the water changes. This way, we will change the water often enough without changing it too often.

In this case, we will siphon out the water, allowing it to flow into a clean bucket. During the siphoning process, we can remove some of the debris from the bottom by tapping the tip of the siphon hose on the bottom of the tank. Take care not to siphon any fish out as well as plants or gravel. This is also the perfect opportunity to scrap off any excess algae from the glass or decorations.

When done, we discard the dirty water, rinse the bucket, and refill it with clean tap water. If the water has chlorine in it, we will need to treat it prior to adding it back into the tank. Additionally, we want to try to get the water temperature of the new water as close as possible to the water left in the tank so the fish do not become overly stressed.

Then we very slowly pour the water from the bucket back into the tank, taking care not to dump it on the fish. If you notice some of the debris being stirred up, do not be alarmed in that you cannot remove all the waste, nor would you want to. Once the aquarium is filled, you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful, clean tank.

Other Services

Finally, in addition to the above maintenance schedule, we will also need to perform some tasks for your fish tank on a as needed basis.

• Filters will need to be cleaned but not too clean. Since filters consist of bacteria needed to eliminate ammonia and keep Nitrite at a healthy level for the fish, we do not want to clean the filters thoroughly. Instead, tap the filter plates or grids off and then run them through running tap water. Another option is to dip the plates or grids in a clean bucket of water, dipping them in and out a few times to remove the larger pieces of debris. The important thing is that you never scrub the filter plates or grids to keep the integrity of the "good" bacteria.
• If the filter media, whether carbon, a sponge, or floss is beyond a point of rinsing, we will replace it. However, we do not want to replace all of the media at once. Instead, replace one, wait then replace another.
• To keep as much bacteria as possible on the filter without it dying, we conduct any filter maintenance quickly. The less time we keep the media out of the water the better.
• Lights - If your fish tank has fluorescent lighting, we will be sure the bulbs are replaced every six months, or as needed even if they have not gone out.
• Heater? Each visit we will check the heater and thermostat again, making sure they are in excellent working order.

With a clean tank, you will actually enjoy it far more. First, you will be able to see the fish, plants, decorations, and so on. Two, the fish will be more active because they will be healthy and happy. With a little bit of care on a consistent basis, you should not have any major problems with your fish tank!

Call for your free quote today!
414-349-5659