Outdoor attractions & tours
Books and taxes for small aquariums.
Admission and memberships, feeding show add-ons, a filtration system that never shuts off, and specimen and utility bills that run year round. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $16,700. The new protein skimmer for the reef tank is logged as equipment this month, not supplies.
- Admission and membership batchAdmission and memberships
- Feeding show ticketsFeeding show add-ons
- Marine specimen supplier invoiceSpecimen acquisition
- Salt mix and reagents orderLife support supplies
- Utility bill, pumps and chillersUtilities
Why your books are different
Small aquarium books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees admission and a gift shop. Your business runs life support systems that pump and filter water around the clock, buys living specimens from suppliers, and pays a utility bill that barely changes whether the gate is busy or quiet. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell if a slow month is really a problem.
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1
Life support equipment looks like a supply run
A protein skimmer, a chiller, or a new filtration pump can cost thousands and keeps tanks alive around the clock. Filed as a supply, it drags one month's number down and hides what the system actually cost to build.
What we doFlags major life support equipment purchases, books them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how they get written off. -
2
Utility costs stay flat no matter what admission does
Pumps, chillers, and filtration run continuously, so a slow month for visitors does not mean a slow month for the power bill. Looking at profit without separating this fixed cost makes a quiet week look worse than it is.
What we doKeeps utilities in their own line so you can see that this cost holds steady, and a soft admission month is not the same as a cost problem. -
3
Specimen purchases get mixed with routine supplies
Buying new fish, coral, or other marine life from a supplier is a real, recurring cost of keeping exhibits fresh, not a miscellaneous expense alongside cleaning rags and paper towels.
What we doKeeps specimen acquisition in its own line, separate from general supplies, so you can see what building the collection actually costs. -
4
Memberships get counted the day they sell
An annual membership sold in January pays for visits spread across the whole year. Counting the full amount as January income overstates that month and understates the months members actually visit.
What we doHolds membership money as prepaid income and counts a share of it each month members actually use it, so the number matches real visits.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a small aquarium.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Admission and membershipsGate tickets and annual memberships, tracked separately from each other.
- Feeding show add-onsPaid keeper talks and feeding demonstrations.
- Group and school bookingsField trips booked ahead.
- Event rentalsPrivate buyouts for weddings and corporate events.
- Gift shopMerchandise sales.
Money out
- Specimen acquisitionNew fish, coral, and marine life from suppliers.
- Life support suppliesSalt mix, reagents, and water testing kits.
- Life support equipmentPumps, chillers, and filtration systems, logged as equipment.
- Veterinary and specialist careMarine veterinary visits and treatment.
- WagesAquarists, keepers, and guides.
- UtilitiesElectricity for pumps, chillers, and lighting, running around the clock.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for the property and the tanks.
What we watch for you
- Fixed cost per visit
Utility and life support costs against attendance, since these bills barely move with the gate.
- Deferred membership balance
How much membership money is still owed in visits, so a strong renewal month does not get spent as if it were already earned.
- Specimen cost trend
Specimen purchases tracked over time, so a big restocking month does not look like a spending problem.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things aquarium owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. Life support runs around the clock no matter how many visitors come through, so I keep utilities separate to show that is a fixed cost, not a symptom.
Equipment. It has real useful life beyond this month, and the accountant decides how much of it gets written off this year.
Because those memberships pay for visits across the whole year. I spread that income out as members actually come through the door.
The tax side
The tax side of a small aquarium.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: life support equipment filed as supplies, and memberships counted too early.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Life support equipment depreciationPumps, chillers, and filtration systems are business equipment. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 can often write off a system upgrade in the year it is bought.
- Deferred revenue on membershipsMembership money is not fully earned the day it is collected. It gets recognized as income across the months members actually visit.
- Worker classification for aquarists and guidesAquarists, keepers, and guides who work your schedule and follow your procedures are usually employees, even part time.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions small aquariums miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Salt mix and water reagents
- Specimen acquisition costs
- Filtration and pump repair
- Marine veterinary care
- Uniforms and staff shirts
- Liability insurance
- Membership card printing
- Signage and wayfinding
- Water testing kits
- Utility costs for tanks
- Gift shop fixtures
- Booking app fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A small aquarium year, kept every month.
The tanks run every day of the year. Your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a quiet winter does not catch you short.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the busy spring school trip season picks up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at the height of summer attendance, and whether life support and specimen costs are tracking well.
- October
Before the slowdown
A look at filtration or equipment upgrades worth making before winter and anything worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for small aquariums. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions aquarium owners ask first.
Our utility bill barely changes even when attendance drops. Is that normal for the books?
Yes. Life support runs continuously, so Gus keeps utilities as their own line to show it is a fixed cost, not something tied to a slow week.
Can Gus separate specimen purchases from general supplies?
Yes. New fish, coral, and marine life get their own line, so you can see the real cost of keeping the exhibits fresh.
We sell annual memberships. When does that money count as income?
Across the months members actually visit, not the day they buy. Gus holds membership money as prepaid and recognizes it as it gets used.
We bought a new chiller system for $6,000. Is that a repair?
Usually equipment. It has real useful life, so it gets logged and depreciated, and the accountant decides how much can be written off this year.
Our books are a few months behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in outdoor attractions & tours
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Haunted houses & haunted attractions
- Ice skating rinks
- Indoor go-kart tracks
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever