Frequently asked questions
All the answers to the most frequently asked questions from our customers
Services and products
Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions from our customers. Click on the plus to read the answer. And products
Animal’s House is a company specializing in the construction of complete aquarium systems. Specifically, we produce aquariums, furniture, tailor-made fittings. Each of these products is unique and exclusive and is made on commission, so the customer has the possibility to make a complete customization. In addition, our business also involves other solutions including display cases, terrariums and turtle tanks, obviously always tailored to your needs. .
Of course, our mission is to handcraft the best custom-made aquariums on the market, but the service we offer boasts absolute completeness. We at Animal’s House, in fact, also sell filtering systems, sump, lighting systems, handcrafted 3D backgrounds, resin rocks and all the accessories necessary to allow a complete aquarium system to function properly. Furthermore, thanks to our innovative ACQUA platform and AcquaStudioPRO consultancy, our specialized biologists will offer our customers free support thanks to which they can easily start their aquarium and maintain it over time.
Of course: we cultivate constant contacts with a series of suppliers who carry out direct import of fish and from which we are able to recover a great variety of different species. Usually, those who decide to buy fish from specialized retailers or on e-commerce sites have the opportunity to choose from a small number of specimens. What we do, however, is direct fishing, through our biologists, in the greenhouses of our suppliers. This allows us to offer our customers the opportunity to choose the specimens they prefer and that are best suited (also in size or colour) to the environment in which they will be placed.
3D design is a service that we make available to our clients to give them the opportunity to develop the structure of the aquarium of their dreams and ideally place it in their home (or office) even before it is actually built. The cost of the service is 139 euros, which will be subtracted from the final price of the aquarium in case of confirmation of the quote received.
ACQUA is our innovative platform that helps each customer to control, monitor and manage the values of their aquarium, such as PH, KH, NO2, NO3, PO4, CA, MG. This exclusive system allows you to carry out a thorough dialogue with our biologists, communicating with them thanks to a messaging service offered through a dedicated web app. This solution guarantees remote support in the management and maintenance of your fresh water and / or marine aquarium.
STATUS ™ is the platform that we invented in 2018 and that allows us to better manage our customers’ orders. With STATUS ™ we are able to put each customer in contact with our artisans and update them at each stage of the aquarium processing. In other words, the customer receives real-time updates on the status of the order, from construction, to finishing, packaging and shipping, directly on their smartphone, just as if they were in our workshop.
It is very simple, it does not require any particular effort: after registering the order, the customer receives a summary of the purchase made by email with a private link attached. By clicking on the link, you can access the STATUS ™ page, where real-time updates on the processing of your product and the summary of your order appear.
AcquastudioPRO allows you to receive advice on how many and which species it is possible to breed in your customized aquarium and above all on their compatibility. This scientific step is crucial because it allows to recreate a balanced and functioning ecosystem, reducing any possible problems.
Along with all this, a specific study is also included on which are the most suitable fittings and accessories for the aquarium of your dreams.
Security and safeguards
Generally, the strength of a floor varies from 300 to 500 kg / m2, but obviously in these evaluations there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration. First of all, the floor tightness: an old house will have a lower resilence rate than a new one. The location within the house itself is also crucial: placing the aquarium in the center of a room is very different from placing it close to the wall. The shape of the tank, then, is the last variable to keep in mind: an aquarium that develops its dimensions horizontally will tend to stress the floor less by virtue of a more homogeneous weight distribution. In any case, the advice we give you is to request a dedicated consultation from a trusted architect if your intention is to set up a very large aquarium. We specify that any type of assessment relating to the strength of the floor is the customer’s own responsibility.
This information is offered on the estimate of each aquarium we produce, and this is because each of our creations has a different weight, which varies according to the materials used and the customizations that are made.
The weight of the piece of furniture that supports the aquarium tends to be around 10% of the total weight of the latter.
Request a quote and order management
Through our website animalshouse.it, all our customers send a request in which they insert all the features of the aquarium they want. During this procedure you will need to specify its dimensions, tell us if you intend to build a freshwater or marine aquarium and if you need to add a structure with furniture and accessories. Once the request has been completed, within 48/72 hours maximum, you will receive a call from one of our experts to finalize the quote and all the details of the personalized request.
The offer is confirmed following the payment of a deposit that corresponds to at least 25% of the total value of the expenditure.
Once the deposit equal to 25% of the total value of the aquarium has been paid, the offer is blocked indefinitely. After our last call, which we will call the “close of agreement call”, which occurs following the payment of 50% of the total amount, we will start the production work.
The processing of your product will start after the last call you will have with one of our expert consultants. This telephone comparison will serve us to be able to agree with you all the details related to the production of your aquarium.
If you decide to pay for your tailor-made product in a single solution, you can immediately agree on a time and day for making the call. If, on the other hand, you have chosen payment in multiple solutions, the call with your Animal’s House expert will be agreed and made once you have paid at least 50% of the total order.
You will be contacted by one of our experts in order to define the final details relating to the design of your custom aquarium. As already specified, once a deposit corresponding to 50% of the total amount has been paid it will no longer be possible to cancel the order.
Yes, but only until the call is made during which all the details relating to the construction of the aquarium are confirmed. From that moment on, our craftsmen will start processing the product and it will no longer be possible to make any changes. Remember, however, that even if you can and want to change your order, the size of your aquarium can still vary up to 5%, whether you want to make the product bigger or reduce it. In other cases it will be necessary to update the total of the estimate made.
It is very simple: the update on the production of your aquarium will be entrusted to our exclusive STATUS system.
The production times of one of our aquariums vary on average from 30 to 45 working days, which run from the start of production work. The start of the operation of an aquarium is notified to the customer via STATUS.
Terms of payment
Most customers choose to pay in a single solution to speed up the implementation process in production and be entitled to a 4.9% discount.
Our products can be purchased by bank transfer, cash on delivery and PayPal. In the latter case, the customer will be charged a small additional fee. We also offer installment payment solutions through DilaPay (which allows you to pay in installments with automatic debit on your credit card) and Soisy (which allows you to activate an online loan to make a payment in installments).
Shipment
Our aquariums are supported by custom-made pallets and wrapped in resistant cellophane packaging. Everything is received in a customised OSB wooden crate, which, after delivery, we take care to recycle in compliance with the requirements relating to environmental protection.
Of course, the shipment is fully insured, from the moment of departure to that of arrival at the destination. It is mandatory, upon arrival of the aquarium, to sign subject to specific control.
Shipping times are around 2-3 working days. Delivery takes place by appointment agreed with the customer through our trusted courier. When the product is delivered to you, do not forget to sign the receipt subject to inspection. Only through this step will you be able to open a claim in case you find damage to your aquarium.
If you find a defect or damage on your aquarium, you have five days to report it to us. All you have to do is send us an email attaching photos describing the problem: this will be used to start the activation of the replacement procedures.
We rely on One Force, a company that has been operating in the logistics sector for years and specialises in the delivery of products on pallets.