No doubt about it: there are a lot of pond companies out there. And like many of them, Tom’s Pond Service Inc. provides pond cleanouts, shutdowns, biweekly maintenance and repairs. But there’s one thing that makes our business stand out from the rest: fish storage service!
Why offer fish storage service, you ask? There are many reasons and benefits for clients to have us store their fish over the harsh Chicago winter months, including:
- Clients leaving town or taking a vacation
- No need for a heater or recirculating pump
- Lower utility bills
- No danger of electrical failure
- Protection from large snow accumulation on the ground
- Protection from freezing temperatures
- Larger and healthier fish returned to customers
- Peace of mind!
If you can make fish storage part of your business as a pond professional, your relationships with your clients will grow stronger too, due to the care and effort you provide for them all year long.
The winter months can significantly lower your pond company’s income. But we at Tom’s Pond Service feel that we’ve found a way to keep our staff busy all winter long, while at the same time supplying our clients with a much-needed and much-appreciated service. Plus, this new model brings us a constant flow of income all year ‘round.
How It Works
When we store a client’s fish for the winter, we drain the pond at the time of the fall shutdown in order to catch all of them. We then place them in a plastic barrel lined with a large plastic bag that’s filled with water and its own oxygen source for the safe trip to the “fish hotel,” where the fish will live until spring.
Once the fish arrive at our warehouse, they are inspected, photographed, counted and transported into their own tank, fully supplied with air and netting. For the next several months, the water will be tested and monitored and the fish will be fed as needed.
Toward the end of the season, fish storage clients will be automatically contacted and scheduled for their spring pond cleanouts. Once cleanout is complete and clients’ ponds have had a few days to establish, their fish will be delivered safely back to their homes.
Why Winterize?
A lot of pond owners do not winterize or shut down their ponds for the season. But there are many advantages to shutting down your clients’ ponds and recommending fish storage.
First, if customers take advantage of fish storage, the spring pond cleanout is basically a guaranteed purchase. This cleanout can generate additional repairs and replacement of worn-out filter media, UV light bulbs, ionizer probes, autofill valve parts, et cetera, making your spring season much more profitable.
So now you know the question you should be asking your customers: Why not store your fish for the winter? Or better yet, why not let us store your fish?! At Tom’s Pond Service, we have a full facility to handle all sizes and quantities of fish storage. It’s what sets us apart.
