Former Veneta resident Connor Wolph has always been passionate about fish. At one point, he had four different tanks in his home, the largest being 200 gallons and the smallest 35 gallons. It was a lot of work to maintain them and Wolph found he was spending a good bit of time focusing on their care as well as those fish who called the tanks home. After deciding that this was not what he wanted to be doing with his off hours, he then downgraded to a 10-gallon tank of beta fish. The work was considerably less, but he found this to be unsatisfying. After giving this some thought, he decided it was time to make his passion a business and Connor’s Aquarium Cleaning LLC was hatched.
While the business was an almost instant success, Wolph’s wife Carlene was not initially on board with cleaning koi ponds. It was only after 4-5 months of cleaning aquariums that she, too, became convinced of the worthwhileness of such an endeavor. Now, the two work together cleaning not only all kinds of aquariums, but also koi ponds, some of which have not seen a good cleaning in a considerable length of time. Connor’s Aquarium Cleaning LLC focuses on many aspects of fish ownership. One service provided is the hauling and set-up of an aquarium in a person’s home as not everyone has a truck to do so. This is done as a two for one deal and Wolph will also educate new fish owners about what they need to know for the optimal experience for both fish and owner. Connor’s also offers free water testing to check for quality, ph balance, alkalinity, hardness, nitrates, and nitrites. While the couple resides in Springfield, their territory covers most of Lane County, Sutherlin, Oakridge, Florence, and Corvallis and in between. Wolph is licensed through the state and is insured. While he can clean ponds, he cannot install them as he is not a landscaper. When it comes to the installation of a pond, Wolph attempts to get people to understand that while doing so when they are younger is fine, they may need help when they are older as the work to care for it is physical in nature. When they clean an aquarium, the Wolph’s not only clean the tank, but they also clean the heater, the filter, the filter pads, and ornaments. They do their best to try and mimic the ecosystem but respect the client’s preference. Chemicals are used as sparingly as possible as the Wolph’s are not chemical friendly by their own admission. On average, an aquarium takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours to clean, though tanks that have not been properly maintained can take up to six. Cleaning a koi pond is a little more involved as the fish have to be placed in totes filled with the pond water in order to maintain beneficial bacteria. This is done when the pond is halfway drained. Once it is emptied, it is thoroughly cleaned with all excrement being removed and the liner pressure washed. Ornaments, rocks, and filter pads are also cleaned. The pond is then refilled with a garden hose and a stress coat is added and the water is tested. The average pond, Wolph says, takes about 3-5 hours to clean though some have had to be done in stages and it has taken a couple of days to complete the job. While cleaning a pond, structural integrity has to be taken into consideration and if it turns out the pond was not built correctly, a referral will be made to a landscaping company if it is leaking or there are unstable rocks. Until it is repaired, it cannot be cleaned. It is Wolph’s dream to one day to franchise the business to multiple states with multiple employees. He also envisions owning a fish shop replete with a fish hospital with quarantine tanks set up to isolate and treat unwell fish. He is grateful for the success the cleaning business has found and says of the community “It is an honor to serve you this year and we want to continue to build our relationship.” He enjoys educating clients about the fish they enjoy keeping as pets so that the fish can have happy, healthy lives as they deserve. The Wolph’s strive to keep in mind while on a job “that this is someone’s home, and it is a privilege to be there not given to most.” Clients, in turn, have given the Wolph’s a 5-star rating for their work on Google and Facebook. To celebrate their first year in business, they are offering a 30% discount on all services during the month of April. Wolph would never have envisioned this when he first began to keep fish as pets. It was just fun. But this passion has become so much more and if he can make owning fish “as painless as possible” for someone, then he’s more than willing to answer any and all questions. Connor’s Aquarium Cleaning LLC has been a big success in more ways than one and the Wolph’s look forward to many more years of servicing aquariums and ponds while educating and getting to know their clients. They are thankful for the support and take pride in what they do. Though the local fish community is relatively small, they are lucky to have the Wolph’s in their corner. Prices – Aquarium – Freshwater $1.25 per gallon, saltwater - $1.75 a gallon plus a $20 service fee, Deep clean $100 an hour for both fresh and saltwater aquariums. Koi ponds receive an estimate with a free consultation and quote. For more information log onto connnorsaquariumcleaning.com or call 541-654-3963.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
July 2024
Categories |