Aquarium Maintenance — Monthly
Aquarium Maintenance — Monthly
One visit a month, twelve a year. This is the right plan for exactly one kind of tank, and I would rather name it than sell it to everyone: established, lightly stocked, freshwater or planted, and already stable.
Be clear-eyed about the interval. Thirty days is long enough for a small problem to become a big one — a sticking heater, a failing top-off, or a fish going off its food are all cheap fixes in week one, and can cost you the tank by week four. On a reef we do not recommend monthly at all; the variant labels say so, and we will tell you the same before taking the booking.
What every visit includes
- Full parameter panel — logged, trended, and sent to you
- Equipment checked and consumables swapped on schedule
- Livestock delivered and installed into your system from our quarantined-to-order program
- Priority answers, and a between-visit callout each quarter
The guarantee
Livestock our team installs on this plan carries a 14-day live guarantee. On plans with two or more visits a month — Biweekly and up — that same guarantee runs a full 2 months, because when we see the water more often, more of the outcome is ours to control. The step up is not about buying more visits; it is the point where we can promise the result.
Pricing
Monthly prices the same way every other cadence does — by system type and water volume, nothing else. A small planted tank starts at $59.99 a month. All prices are per month.
| Water volume | Planted & freshwater | FOWLR | Reef (not recommended) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–20 gal | $59.99 | $73.99 | $88.99 |
| 20–40 gal | $88.99 | $103.99 | $132.99 |
| 40–60 gal | $118.99 | $147.99 | $177.99 |
| 60–80 gal | $147.99 | $177.99 | $221.99 |
| 80–125 gal | $162.99 | $206.99 | $265.99 |
| 125–200 gal | $206.99 | $250.99 | $309.99 |
| 200–300 gal | $221.99 | $280.99 | $354.99 |
Travel zones
| Zone | Towns | Per-visit premium |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | New Milford, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Sherman, Roxbury, Washington | Included |
| Zone 2 — ~15–30 min | Danbury, Bethel, Newtown, New Fairfield, Kent, Southbury, Woodbury, Litchfield | +$45 |
| Zone 3 — ~30–50 min | Ridgefield, Redding, Waterbury, Torrington, Watertown, Oxford, Warren | +$85 |
| Zone 4 — ~50–75 min | Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk, Westport, greater Hartford, northern Westchester NY | +$125 |
Prices shown are Zone 1 (New Milford and immediate neighbors). Other zones add the listed per-visit travel premium — the drive is real time, so it's priced like the rest of the visit. Not sure of your zone? Ask, or book the on-site consultation and we'll confirm it.
Over 300 gallons is quoted per project. Prices cover our core service area around New Milford; further out, ask and we will quote you one blended number.
Every plan begins with a System Audit & Reset, credited toward your first month when you start service at that visit. Livestock orders over $350 ship free as standard. Compare all four cadences on the services overview.
If monthly fits your tank, it fits, and we are glad to do it. If it does not, we will say so — a booking is not worth a dead tank to either of us.
Expert guidance
Have a question about this piece?
Cameron draws on 25+ years in the hobby and a marine biology background to help you choose the right fit for your system.