Tough to make money breeding fish. You have to have a market for the fish you breed. I've bred thousands of fish over the years. You may pay for the hobby, but you won't get rich. Fish that always sell - tropheus, catfish and anglefish.
Most lucrative fish to breed?
- Thread starter Dispatch273
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+1 for the angels and plecos, don't forget about discus. I know someone here who sells quarter sized angels for $5 and they have hundreds that sell so i imagine they make $500 per batch. Very very good
IF you have free water/electricity/feed/meds/etc then the fish world is your oyster.
It all basically sums up to the length of the fish that reaches adulthood, how many per batch/spawn/length before reaches to be sellable
zebra plecos 3-5 years before maturity, then another good 6 months-2 years before you can make pretty coin on them. that's not counting the countless costs of running the tank/water changes etc.
Oh before I forget, if the current economy keeps going down and down the drain, it'll be more harder and harder for many more people to justify the cost of keeping fish in certain areas in the US. Investments are all about risks. You have the risk of the act of god, such as hurricane or tornado or earthquake flooding, fires and so on, power goes out etc your entire stock or half is gone in an instant.
The question is are you willing to put the time and willing to start all over again with time again and again if you have to? Not many last that long.
I personally think the lucrative thing in the fish hobby is NANO fish/shrimp/plants. Not anything else. Besides asian aros which never will be allowed in the US. Darn it.
It all basically sums up to the length of the fish that reaches adulthood, how many per batch/spawn/length before reaches to be sellable
zebra plecos 3-5 years before maturity, then another good 6 months-2 years before you can make pretty coin on them. that's not counting the countless costs of running the tank/water changes etc.
Oh before I forget, if the current economy keeps going down and down the drain, it'll be more harder and harder for many more people to justify the cost of keeping fish in certain areas in the US. Investments are all about risks. You have the risk of the act of god, such as hurricane or tornado or earthquake flooding, fires and so on, power goes out etc your entire stock or half is gone in an instant.
The question is are you willing to put the time and willing to start all over again with time again and again if you have to? Not many last that long.
I personally think the lucrative thing in the fish hobby is NANO fish/shrimp/plants. Not anything else. Besides asian aros which never will be allowed in the US. Darn it.
Shrimp would be good and not cost too much. I know tropheus don't sell too well at lfs around here (too many people want wc) so owners don't want to buy hobbiest stock
The only high $$ fish I've ever seen is the zebra pleco. All other fish come in waives...1 day you might sell a lot of a certain species-and the next day you won't even be able to give away that same species. The market changes all the time. Ive seen those zebra plecos breed, and its crazy to see them go on a waiting list to be sold. Good luck!!
Quality bettas from Thai imports make a good deal of money. You don't find a lot of quality bettas from U.S. breeders on aquabid. Those that you do find usually lack diversity. I easily made over $100 on my last betta spawn. Not huge numbers, but it helps fund the hobby.
The small fish for small prices will yeild you the most profit on an on going basis. Big rare fish go for large prices and flood the market, impoorters see the popularity and bring in wild caught specimens. Once the price bubble pops they are common trade and worth half as much. Most people would rather have wild caught fish from a reputable vendor than tank bred specimens from someone they don't know. This is especially true in the cichlid market at least.
L46 Zebra Pleco would result in a large income due to high demand/high cost. The initial investment will be costly but I heard they are not difficult to breed and the profit margin is great.
If you are willing to ship, the variety of fish you could make money offer would significantly increase.
If you are willing to ship, the variety of fish you could make money offer would significantly increase.
A zebra Pleco would probably be the most rewarding fish but getting a male and female would be the problem. They are as rare as they are expensive.
