BY JOSEPH A. GONZALES Special to The News-Press
Jeff Jenkins remembers the thrill of trading in his old fish tank with piranhas and “graduating” to a saltwater aquarium, where fish seemed to glow and the environment more alive.
That was about 26 years ago. It’s taken him that long to discover he could combine his knowledge of aquarium life and woodworking skills to start a business that’s a lot more exciting that his previous career selling mattresses.
Jenkins, 39, owns and operates Sparkling Blue Fish & Aquarium LLC, a home-based firm offering setup and service for all types of aquariums. He also builds cabinetry custom made for any tank to sit atop or within.
“How lucky is someone who can do two things he has a passion for,” said Jenkins, a Cape resident since 1985.
Jenkins owned and operated other businesses, including “Mr. Mattress,” a former business on Cape Coral Parkway, before being lured away by his fascination with all things aquarium.
Selling bedding became “really boring,” Jenkins said, so he began taking on some service calls for a local aquarium business. Then, one day early this year, the entrepreneurial fever bit Jenkins again, this time hooking him to the aquarium and custom cabinetry venture.
The cabinetry building side of the business is what Jenkins said makes his business stand out. His customers come up with a rough sketch for what the cabinet should look like, Jenkins finalizes the drawing, builds it and installs it.
“It’s not the same old pine cabinetry that every store sells,” he said, noting that he can build from the simple to the ornate. “You can order cabinets somewhere, but the choices are limited. Nobody else is really offering a quality tank with cabinetry.”
At least once a month, and for $39 an hour, Jenkins visits his customers to check their fish tanks. He wants to be sue the water‘s calcium and phosphates are just right, among other environmental issues, and that the fish themselves are thriving.
“The key to a healthy aquarium is to keep it clean,” he said.
Most customers want a saltwater aquarium in their home or office, although Jenkins also works with freshwater tanks.
He’s setup and serviced tanks from simple 29-gallon aquariums to elaborate 500-gallon jobs that are 10 feet long. Tanks are made with acrylic or glass. Most popular these days in the hobby are saltwater aquariums, Jenkins said. That’s where clown fish, trigger fish and tangs live, among others.
But the “ hot new thing” is reef tanks, Jenkins said. A reef tank incorporates a few fish with living organisms such as corals, crustaceans and invertebrates, and rock and sand. It’s a system that supports itself. A small ocean of sorts. With special lighting, the corals take on a variety of colors, and the fish seem to glow.
That’s exactly what Rich Greer has wanted since about 1994. After recently moving to Cape Coral from California, his wish is coming true after finding out about Jenkins.
“I’ve had the tanks and all the equipment for the last 8 years,” said Greer, 55. “I just didn’t have the time to sit down and study it all. There are a lot of requirements to make a reef tank flourish. So this is something you go to an expert for.”
The drawings for Greer’s 180-gallon, 6-foot-long tank that will be set within a wall in his home are underway, as is the preliminary setup. The actual putt9ng together of the tank can be just two weeks away. But getting the tank’s environment established to perfection could be a year away.
The next big trend Jenkins foresees is leasing aquariums to businesses and homes.
“Some people want an aquarium but don’t want anything to do with it -- from feeding to servicing it -- they just want to look at it,” he said.
Contact Jeff Jenkins at (239) 470-6234 and www.TheGlassOcean.com.
— A weekly series featuring people in the area who have unique or unusual jobs. Those interested in submitting ideas can reach Gonzales at joenewsguy@yahoo.com.
