Does anybody else service ponds?

[NOVA Merd]

So as the title states I am interested if anybody else services ponds?

I am going to consult my first client today at her house! I just happend to talk to her at my school and found out this teacher had a pond and she said it was very "muddy". I asked about equipment and she said she didn't have any filters and I said that's probably the problem. Or if the pond is truely "muddy" then you could have a problem with the linner. She asked me if i'd be interested in servicing it and I said hell yes.

I think alot of people when they get ponds don't realize how much work it is and how much knowledge they need to know about fish and more importantly bio filtration and then there pond gets dirty and murky and they stop trying.

It's just interesting that I may start into a pond service because of the need in my area, better for me though . Plus it's fun.

 

[capewind]

First off, welcome.

My husband takes care of ponds professionally and I wish you luck with your first client. He fell into as it was one of his hobbies and too few QUALIFIED people in the area.

I cant tell from the few posts that you made what your pond experience level is, but do want to caution you that you can run into every issue under the sun working on other people's ponds. IF you have not being working on your own ponds for YEARS, I would highly recommend that you are HONEST with your clients about your level of experience, and charge accordingly.

Often, hubby comes across pond folks who need a bit of help, while doing other aspects of his job, and 90% of the time, will tell clients how to solve their own issues, FREE OF CHARGE. Of course if they do not want to do the work themselves, he does charges them for his labor.

 

[HTH]

I do not service ponds for money but I have helped out a good number of people.

You are also going to run into people that want it fixed coupled with unreasonable conditions. Sometimes you just have to walk away.

 

[NOVA Merd]

Yea I understand capewind. As far as experience i've been working with fish as a hobby for five years and within this last year i've been working with ponds and expecially koi. While doing a science project for my school is where i gained most of my interest and knowledge in koi and ponds. I also have taken up a interest in ponds and aquaculture in general. The fact is this women dosen't know much of anything about what makes a pond function and I do. She knows all of this because she is a teacher at my school which is how I met her.

Because she is my first cleint what I think i'm going to do is charge for materials either way (probably what is costs for filter material to either build or buy) and if i'm sucessful in what she wants then cost for labor as well.

I'm going to see her tonight and take mesurments of the pond and equipment and what not and come up with a action plan. I'm so excited to possibly be getting payed for something that I love. I've also got a friends dad who is interested in me constructing a pond for him. This should be fun because the natural slope and nice landscaping in his backk yard should make for some awesome fancy water features.

 

[Waterbug]

I used to 10-12 years ago. I only did it part time because I like ponds and I was testing some equipment so I needed lots of different kinds of ponds.

The beauty of becoming a pond professional is the only requirement is that you call yourself a "pond professional". Owners looking to hire someone never know much about ponds at all and more importantly don't want to know anything about ponds. So you can do and say anything at all and be fine at least for a couple of years for each pond. Filling in ponds is a good business too you shouldn't overlook. I found more people wanting to remove ponds than hire to build or maintain. There are some clever ways to re-purpose a pond.

My niche was to guarantee clear water in 7 days, without draining and replacing. Just vacuuming and filtering. They didn't have to pay a dime if not clear in 7 days. I charged a lot, $0.25 to 0.50/gal for two reasons. One, the Bay Area market would support that fee. Two, because I didn't want a ton of customers. I wanted people who could and would to pay for results. Many people will call you out for an estimate and then say no because they really don't want to spend any money at all. That's fun at first but gets old and boring really fast.

By the time people contacted me they were so sick and tired of "pond professionals" telling them crap and making their pond worst that a guarantee was almost like a bet. They were pretty sure I couldn't do it. Very few "pond professionals" give any kind of guarantee at all because they'd lose their butt.

Once the pond was clear in like 3 days they'd be over the moon happy and happy to pay on the spot. And then the door was wide open to serious and expensive fixes that would enable them to have clear water going forward because there was some trust now. People with money will pay for results. They really love their pond but want it clear and clean. But most of the market is cheap, cheap, cheap.

Good luck.

 

[studiovette]

In my short experience I'm noticing that most pond professionals do not want to get involved in a pond they didn't build. As mentioned above so many things can go wrong and unless you know exactly what was done its gonna be hard to remedy. They either will not get involved or tell you it has to be redone! Good luck on your new venture. It's awesome getting paid to do something you love.

 

[DrCase]

My son and I clean a regular. Customers pond each year
we charge are reg plumbing rate, just like we do if we go to change light bulbs or hang pictures

 

[NOVA Merd]

Wow it's great to hear from everybody.

I went to her house today. It's about fifteen feet by seven in the middle and one step from one foot to about 2.5. The pond is EXTREMLY dirty. In the middle it just looks black. They have algae growing on the liner about the length of a grass blade. The pond has been like that for six years. They are pretty much about to fill it in. They have a disgraceful system going. The pond is huge and only have a small pump that is rated for about 500 gallons per hour hooked up to a waterfall box with plastic media inside of it. That's all they have for filtering...it's pretty bad. No wonder it's so dirty. So i didn't want to do it but they insisted on emptying it and having me clean all the organic debree and then i'd have to cycle it back up. I have to try to do what I can with there filter and if not recomend some wort of bio filter.

My teacher has a connection to a wholesale pond retailer and maybe I could get some stuff cheaper. MAYBE, it'd be a plus. But anyway I'm pretty sure I can work with it i'm thinking it'll be a day to max four day job and I think i'm going to charge something like 150 if it's two days and 45 every additional day. I'm thinking a day will be about five hours...

They NEED a new pump something at least twice the size of there tank and i'm thinking if there not open to it i'll do what i can with the clearning and filter but I'm not going to guarentee anything.

From my experience I'm going to expect that once the organic leafy debree and algae has been removed and a new more powerful pump and filter system have been installed the pond should clear up.

What do you all think?

 

[fishin4cars]

I've been in and out of almost every niche there is when it comes to fish keeping, From Pond maintaince and installation, catfish and tilapia farming, owning a pet-store, I've dealt with freshwater fish, saltwater fish, natural fish, and cold water fish. Plants galore, built ponds both natural and water garden, pondless waterfalls, to working with research teams with the Army Corp. of engineers. . The list goes on and on. trying to profit from this hobby is most certainly one of the most challenging of all the types of Hobby stores and businesses I've been involved with. Personally I get far more reward helping others from the heart and love of the hobby and making what comes to me. I get the chance to meet friends that I've kept in touch with for years and years. Many have paid me for the work but quite often I trade out. Fish keepers always seem to have things to offer of similar interest. Just recently I helped a coupe install a skimmer and filter fall on a pre-existing pond, I traded off the work for a sign I had spotted I wanted to put out in the front of the property here. They made me a personal sign and they got a lot easier pond to keep and maintain. Then today I had to go install a liner for a fellow that had been in a serious car accident and wanted to get his new pond up and running. But couldn't spread out his liner before the rain was coming in. . He had pulled up a 300 gallon preform pond and a nice small pump and UV light. What a great trade off for two hours work. I now have a pond to set-up for my own use or sell to someone looking for a cheap set-up and get them started in pond keeping and can still make a decent profit for the effort I put in it. To me this is the reward I aim for, a happy pond keeper that trust you for who you are. I make no guarantee, but I don't walk away from my friendships either. . For the sake of the animals and the love I have of the hobby I hope to help a fish keeper keep their pet for many years of enjoyment. I'll never make enough profit out of the hobby to cover what I personally have spent in the years I've enjoyed, But I can honestly say that I have been rewarded with many friends that enjoy the hobby just as much as I do.

 

[capewind]

Hard to say what a pond will or will not do without seeing it ... $150 sounds like a lot to me to pay someone for 5 hours labor, who doesnt sound overly confident, but hey, if they are willing to pay it, go for it.

 

[NOVA Merd]

Wow that's pretty interesting. I'm actually very interested in aquaculture and it's a path I want to follow down as a possibly career. I've been reading alot this year on aquaculture. I love the subject so much. That's pretty cool though i'd love to make enough money to be sustainable further down the road.

And I meant 150 for the whole job....i'm pretty sure it'll only take two days maybe three but no more than four.
But a reason i put this topic up is to get opinions. This is my first job. Maybe i haven't had as much experience as some of you others on this forum but compared to alot of people I meet...actually most they think i'm some sort of expert. Everybody at my school calls me the pond guy. And everyone who knows me knows how much i love playing with filters and pump systems. So i think this will be a experience to lead to more to come.

 

[Waterbug]

As long as people are willing to pay you to teach yourself on their pond I say go for it.

15'x7' is a small pond imo.

Have you looked through the yellow pages, penny savers, Craig's LIst and bulletin boards at local pet shops to see what your competition is? How much they charge? How they do a cleaning? 90% of running a business is running a business. Most of it is the same whether it's keeping ponds or remodeling bathrooms. Knowing your market, marketing, business plans, cash flow, customer relations, bidding are required skills to even have a chance at success.

In many areas most pond businesses are Aquascape certified contractors. You can check their web site to see who is working in your area. Draining and cleaning a pond is a standard Aquascape method, and the depth of this pond is an Aquascape type depth. But no rocks in the bottom?

My guess is the owners called some listed businesses and got a price of $400-500 and figured they could get someone cheaper. And they were correct.

I assume you already have your trash pump, power washer, wet shop vac, waste hoses, garden hose, GFI extension cords, etc?

Generator is nice too because often a home only has a single GFI circuit outside which sometimes has to be reset from inside the house. If it trips and they're not home you're screwed.

You have a tank ready to house the fish? Net for catching the fish? Air pump? Net to cover the tank? You've discussed with the owner the danger this all is to the fish? You've agreed in writing who's responsible if the fish die? Some people really love their fish. Some people don't even know they have fish.

You have a test kit to test the new water? You know what the different parameters mean and how to adjust? Will dechlorinator be needed?

You've already discussed with the customer where you can pump the waste water? And where you can put all the smelly muck?

Maybe you could post a video of how the job goes. Future customers will like to see you working on a job.

The pond is huge and only have a small pump that is rated for about 500 gallons per hour hooked up to a waterfall box with plastic media inside of it.

Why do you say the pump is too small?

That's all they have for filtering...it's pretty bad. No wonder it's so dirty.
So i didn't want to do it but they insisted on emptying it and having me clean all the organic debree and then i'd have to cycle it back up. I have to try to do what I can with there filter and if not recomend some wort of bio filter.

You think a bio filter makes water clear? Have you already tested the water to see if a bio filter is actually needed?

But anyway I'm pretty sure I can work with it i'm thinking it'll be a day to max four day job and I think i'm going to charge something like 150 if it's two days and 45 every additional day. I'm thinking a day will be about five hours...

So you're charging by the hour, not fix bid? Customer is OK with an open ended contact of $45 per day? Sweet.

You're only going to work 5 hours a day? Sweet.

After you've cleaned a few ponds you'll find that a 15'x7' shallow pond should only take a single person about 4 hours. You've heard the expression "time is money"? It is. Of that 4 hours it'll take an hour to unload set up, pack up and clean up. If you have to do that multiple days it's money out of your pocket, unless you can find people willing to pay you for that. Most customers are smarter than that and prefer a fix bid.

Spreading the job out as long as possible increases your risks. Fish die, dog comes a long at night and decides to dig a hole in the liner. Had that happen to me once while I was at lunch. Guess who gets to pay for that? After that I fenced the pond if I was going to be off site.

...but I'm not going to guarentee anything.

How course not. Smart.

From my experience I'm going to expect that once the organic leafy debree and algae has been removed and a new more powerful pump and filter system have been installed the pond should clear up.

Doesn't really matter if it does or not. It will be very clear when you refill. That's enough to get paid. If it turns green in a week that's a separate job.

What do you all think?

I think you're about to learn a lot. Hope you can post video, pictures and how it goes.

 

[capewind]

Excellent post Water Bug ... you hit on a lot of my own thoughts. I think it will be a good learning experience, I just hope the client is aware.

 

[Mmathis]

As a BUSINESS?? Well, first of all, I don't consider myself qualified. Advice? Maybe. Assistance? Maybe. There's just too much knowledge involved, and I would NOT feel comfortable unless I had that knowledge. But most important is EXPERIENCE, and I sure don't have that. But learning every day

That being said, I would certainly offer to help someone, as this has turned into SUCH an enjoyable hobby. And it's a lot of fun when I can expose other people to something fun and new. I'll try to follow your progress -- SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO POST AND UPDATE!!

 

[NOVA Merd]

Waterbug, your post was slightly hubling. Everything I said is sertiantly just off the top of my head of what I know of now from this year about ponds and prior experience with indoor aquariums. I sertaintly have alot of learning to do and that is no doubt. I will get into this job as a learning experience and hopefully make some money in the process. This client knows that and they don't care too much about the comets in there pond.

I've been shopping around for them and i'm thinking a pump around 2,000 gallons at least should do it for them and to make a mechanical filter from materials at home depot and redoo there bio filter i'm not expecting anything more than 200 bucks in materials. As far as labor goes i've heard alot of people say different things. My dad sertaintly thinks it will take me way longer than I thought that's why i said four days max. At first I was thinking a FULL days work from morning till whenever I get done would be enough. Plus not know exactly everything about what's in this pond (build up of organic debree) I will just have to see when it's emptied.

The waste water will simply go into the yard and we allready have a pressure washer, net, test kits, extentsion cords etc. I have what i'm pretty sure will get the job done. I will document this as my first experience and put this up on here. I am truly hoping this goes well and

So honestly there is still alot of things I don't know and I will figure out quickly how long it will take me once i'm in there.

As far as a quote like I said i'm thinking 200 no more than 225 or so in parts plus however long it takes me. Now just out of curiousity from everything ya'll know about my experience as of right now, what do you think would be a good amount to charge for labor. I allready looked around and there isn't anybody in my area doing pond servicing...