New to breeding...$???
- Thread starter NobleSheff
- Start date
I would disagree with what some are saying about starting with easy fish and seeing how you go.
Anyone can put pairs of convicts in water and enjoy the breeding benefits.
If I were you, I would save up some serious capital, and while saving up, read all you can. Set up a small fish room maybe. One thing is for sure, you will need many tanks if you intend to make profit.
Look into fish that are expensive as there are restrictions on their import, or they can not be imported as they are fragile. Discus and Angel fish are example of small fish that cost more to ship normally (also they are always in high demand).
If you fancy making some serious money, but have some serious capital/investment, take a look at some very high market fish. Such as Asian Arowanas (location dependence), zebra plecos etc.
Research and investment is the key. Followed by a good selection of fish, a large amount of attention and a multiple number of tanks.
But do not start small, jump right on in there once you have the research and investment.
Anyone can put pairs of convicts in water and enjoy the breeding benefits.
If I were you, I would save up some serious capital, and while saving up, read all you can. Set up a small fish room maybe. One thing is for sure, you will need many tanks if you intend to make profit.
Look into fish that are expensive as there are restrictions on their import, or they can not be imported as they are fragile. Discus and Angel fish are example of small fish that cost more to ship normally (also they are always in high demand).
If you fancy making some serious money, but have some serious capital/investment, take a look at some very high market fish. Such as Asian Arowanas (location dependence), zebra plecos etc.
Research and investment is the key. Followed by a good selection of fish, a large amount of attention and a multiple number of tanks.
But do not start small, jump right on in there once you have the research and investment.
thanks to everyone who answered my questions I really appreciate it. i think ill take the advice about starting easy though because i dont have a whole lot of time to invest into it right now along with my other 160 gallon.
Breeding is quite rewarding. There's just not very much money in it. Most of the larger fish breeders in the US are in Florida between Lakeland and Tampa. They are going out of business like crazy. Foreign labor is extremely cheap and it is hard to compete with that. It is much more practical to import fish and distribute on the wholesale level.
I'm breeding honduran red points, red tiger motaguensis, and am 1/3 the way towards breeding electric bue jack dempeys. Just doing it for the fun and to help pay for this expendive hobby. Making money will be quite hard in my opinion.
Darthsniper;594122; said:
I totally agree!Im doing the blue demsey thing right now but its more for fun then money,but i am planning on making money on these guys as well well.But Ive bought grow out tank and plenty more for this prject so get ready to spend some money to make some money but make sure you have doing it during this process!!!
Whatever you decide to breed, make sure you develop a good relationship with one or two lfs before you start.
Research your market.
Find out what sells, even if they don't sell for a lot of money. There is no point in you dedicating time and money to breed something that no-one will take off your hands.
I just wandered around my lfs and, over a period of a few weeks, I could see what stock was moving out of their tanks, and what WASN'T selling.
As has been previously stated, you will probably never make a profit, but you will be able to use the cash generated to offset your expenses. Most stores I know will give you 1/2 retail value of your fish for STORE CREDIT, but only 1/3 retail for CASH.
Go for the store credit. That's why it's important to develop a relationship with the store first. Then you and the staff can get to know each other, they can advise you on the type of fish they would be willing to buy of you, and for what price.
I've currently got an lfs taking Convicts off me for £2 a pop store credit, and 2 different stores waiting on my Platies getting big enough, then I'm looking at 75p a pop for them. So far my fish have paid for their own food and some equipment for my tanks. It's fun to go into a store and walk out with stuff without any cash changing hands!
It's fun breeding your fish, and the fry respond to you as they grow - they know where the food comes from!
Heres a few of pics of my tanks - one with my breeding Convicts, another with my fry/growout tanks. This is strictly small scale, and I've recently changed the top tank in the "stack" to a 20 tall, but hope it gives you some ideas....
Good luck with it....
Research your market.
Find out what sells, even if they don't sell for a lot of money. There is no point in you dedicating time and money to breed something that no-one will take off your hands.
I just wandered around my lfs and, over a period of a few weeks, I could see what stock was moving out of their tanks, and what WASN'T selling.
As has been previously stated, you will probably never make a profit, but you will be able to use the cash generated to offset your expenses. Most stores I know will give you 1/2 retail value of your fish for STORE CREDIT, but only 1/3 retail for CASH.
Go for the store credit. That's why it's important to develop a relationship with the store first. Then you and the staff can get to know each other, they can advise you on the type of fish they would be willing to buy of you, and for what price.
I've currently got an lfs taking Convicts off me for £2 a pop store credit, and 2 different stores waiting on my Platies getting big enough, then I'm looking at 75p a pop for them. So far my fish have paid for their own food and some equipment for my tanks. It's fun to go into a store and walk out with stuff without any cash changing hands!
It's fun breeding your fish, and the fry respond to you as they grow - they know where the food comes from!
Heres a few of pics of my tanks - one with my breeding Convicts, another with my fry/growout tanks. This is strictly small scale, and I've recently changed the top tank in the "stack" to a 20 tall, but hope it gives you some ideas....
Good luck with it....
Just read all three pages, and 1 error I see repeated over an over... breed the expensive, or rare fish. While it is important to have these if you intend to make money, they are not going to be the staple of income, with a few exceptions. Expensive and rare fish are such because they are either restricted, or in short supply. Often the short supply is the cause of the restriction, and is caused by a low spawn brood. These will make money but should not be the staple of your goals. What you should look at are fish that have large spawns, are fairly easy to raise, and above all else are good sellers. Angelfish, corydoras paleatus (as well as many other rarer corys), live bearers, bettas, certain plecos, and possibly discus (dependent on demographic) should all be staples. These fish will breed regularly, with large spawns in some cases, and are for the most part in high demand. Look into fish that every beginning fishkeeper wants to get. This will ensure that you will be able to sell them very regularly. I know several breeders that will have to cull entire spawns of fish becuase the demand isn't high enough for them to spend the money on raising them. Angels are a good choice as every aquarium store wants them, and most beginning fishkeepers will want one at some point. Having a large selection is also important. Make sure you have several of these, and then a few types of rarer, and more expensive fish, but make sure these will sell fast as well. For the common fish, be ready with 6 tanks per species generally as you will have spawns faster then the fry will reach a sellable age. For the other species that are rare, depending on the species be ready with 3-6 tanks for each. Breeding to make money is a HUGE investment, and will very rarely return a lot of money. If you want to breed I strongly recommend that you do it for the enjoyment, with some means to gain back a little of what you spend.
