Starting my fish store-- stock ideas?

[mike1987]

i help out at a family owned lfs, his money makers are discuss, chiclids, wolf fish, aros.

he has a breeding pair of all. and man do they help him out tons.

everything thing else he orders

he has mala wolf, discuss, sliver aro, pelco, jags,


i would with everything said with the hardy easy fishm do em, but dont forget about the oddballs that everyone likes like the wolf

 

[yodaLBC]

aros (black,jardini,african) rays,ATF and datnoids goodluck!

 

[mshill90]

aros (black,jardini,african) rays,ATF and datnoids goodluck!

ATF?

 

[creepyoldguy]

I'm new to the hobby but not new to business. Separate the hobby you love from the business you want to run. Here are some recommendations:
- Research your market. Local and abroad. Pick one and stay with it until you are solid in it. Overstretching your resources can be a killer especially if something goes wrong. You are dealing with livestock and that in itself is a risk.
- Breed what people are buying. What’s the point of breeding strange fish that no one wants to buy? Selling the mass sellers will give you a cushion for working with the more “interesting” species. Toyota built a reputation with cheap, really good small cars but the real money is in the Tundras and Sequoias (with the leather package).
- If I’m paying $3 for a gourami over a Petsmart, I’m going to assume that the profit margin is not that big. Keep that in mind when spending on consumables. Be mindful of economies of scale and remember that brand loyalty only works for rich high school kids and expensive clothes.
I hope that you have a lot of fun in this and make a ton of money doing it!!!

First solid advice yet. Theres more to opening a business than having everything that you want.

 

[creepyoldguy]

i help out at a family owned lfs, his money makers are discuss, chiclids, wolf fish, aros.

he has a breeding pair of all. and man do they help him out tons.

everything thing else he orders

he has mala wolf, discuss, sliver aro, pelco, jags,


i would with everything said with the hardy easy fishm do em, but dont forget about the oddballs that everyone likes like the wolf

Breeding pair of aros?

 

[tommy_zito]

rare rare cichlids is always good

 

[Industrial]

Fancy plecos, malawi cichlids, livebeares, killifish, dwarf cichlids, angelfish and fancy goldfish are all necessities. I work at a LFS that sells strictly fish and we make more than most pet stores. True species tank only fish such as exodons will sit for months before somebody buys them. Then, they only buy two and hold you liable for what happens. Oddballs like sturgeons and pimelodes go pretty quickly. Wolffish are also quite popular.

Get the store set up with bread and butter variety fish and as you get more established wean in some more of the hobbiest kind of fish. For every MFKer, there are 99 ignorant fishkeepers who just want colorfish fish that are easy to keep.

Also, don't waste time. When working at a LFS there is ALWAYS something that can be done. A new LFS by me, already looks run down and the employees spend most of their time watching youtube videos instead of scrubbing that spot of algae, or fixing the exposed UG filter plate in a tank.

When you do become more established, research wholesalers. Many LFS use the same selection of popular wholesalers. In my area, the LFS I work at wholesales fish, TFD is popular, various Florida fish farms (they all have the same thing anyways) and there is an African cichlid wholesaler that all the stores order fish from.

Try to outsource competition by researching other wholesalers. I haven't heard of a store having an Asian or African wholesaler. South American wholesalers too do wonders.

Remember though, chances are nobody is going to want a dull colored fish that only eats other fish and hides. Yellow fish, Blue fish and Red fish are going to be the top three choices when you ask a customer. These ignorant one-time shoppers will support your business, and advanced hobbyists aren't really going to buy expensive fish at retail cost when they can buy them on aquabid for half the cost.

 

[nes999]

ATF?

african tiger fish

 

[mshill90]

african tiger fish

That's what I thought... Always call them GTF.

I would not sell this for the same reason I will not sell Airapaima- majority of the fish keepers can not house them properly..

I would consider special ordering a GTF if requested.

 

[Scuba_Kid]

Yeah my LFS sells there arowana pretty fast also bigger clown loaches! Usaully somone trades them to the lfs because they dont want them anymore and they are gone in like 1 day. Good luck man!