RyanTheFishGuy64
Fish Fanatic
So Ive been thinking for a while and I have been looking on AB for a while and I have decided I want to breed fish and sell them. If anyone has an tips on how to get started, I'd love the info! Thanks
Tips On Breeding Fish (For Money)
- Thread starter RyanTheFishGuy64
- Start date
To make money selling fish, you have to have a large starting investment. You'll need tons of tanks (your ten gallon will not cut it, especially with your stock), a buyer, a way to transport the fish, enough money to cover the cost for running the tanks, as well as several high quality strains. If you intend to breed platys, you would select a color you want to breed, keep females all in one tank, remove the fry that will drop from previous breeding, then add a single male to the tank of females. Then move the fry to a decent sized fry tank. Many people who sell fish, also sell plants and inverts to make money. Shipping makes things more costly. Your best bet would be to sell locally. However, common fish like platys and mollies rarely equate dollars on the local scene unless they are very special. Most other LFS will only give you store credit if anything.
You would need to start with rarer fish if you hope to make a few dollars.
You would need to start with rarer fish if you hope to make a few dollars.
Attibones has pretty much hit the nail on the head, there.
There is no such thing as a fish that is easy to breed that no-one else is breeding.
If a fish is easy to breed, then it's done on a commercial scale, and the LFS pay a few cents for each fish. They then sell them for a dollar or three. Why would people buy your "easy" fish when they can get them at Petsmart cheaply?
If you want to try something harder, fine no problem, research plenty first, get yourself set up properly with plenty of grow-on tanks and see how it goes. But, you might not be successful, in which case you've wasted all that investment in equipment.
It is just not possible for a hobbyist breeder to make serious money. If you want to do it for the achievement, that's one thing, but you want to do it for money.
There is no such thing as a fish that is easy to breed that no-one else is breeding.
If a fish is easy to breed, then it's done on a commercial scale, and the LFS pay a few cents for each fish. They then sell them for a dollar or three. Why would people buy your "easy" fish when they can get them at Petsmart cheaply?
If you want to try something harder, fine no problem, research plenty first, get yourself set up properly with plenty of grow-on tanks and see how it goes. But, you might not be successful, in which case you've wasted all that investment in equipment.
It is just not possible for a hobbyist breeder to make serious money. If you want to do it for the achievement, that's one thing, but you want to do it for money.
Indeed, I've bred fish over the years. The biggest issue is selling what you have, unless you have something rare (which is by definition expensive or difficult to breed) then you're going to struggle to sell it on. At best I've covered the costs of housing and feeding the results.
The way to get good results, as said above, is to go properly commercial, which is a full on business approach with all the relevant licencing and risks, or to take a shot at the rare or expensive. Even with the rare and expensive setting you'll take a while to get a reputation as a reliable breeder before people start buying from you properly so a lot of the time breeding is done for people's own hobby desires.
The way to get good results, as said above, is to go properly commercial, which is a full on business approach with all the relevant licencing and risks, or to take a shot at the rare or expensive. Even with the rare and expensive setting you'll take a while to get a reputation as a reliable breeder before people start buying from you properly so a lot of the time breeding is done for people's own hobby desires.
OP
OP
RyanTheFishGuy64
Fish Fanatic
I appreciate the responses! I understand all the work to be put in and I'm ready for that!
I have another 10g, two 30g, and a 55g in storage. I have also cared for "harder" level fish and I have found myself to be successful! I only have this 10g up now but I have done other things folks!
Thanks again for the responses!
I have another 10g, two 30g, and a 55g in storage. I have also cared for "harder" level fish and I have found myself to be successful! I only have this 10g up now but I have done other things folks!
Thanks again for the responses!
I find this topic quite interesting as I am also breeding fish right now.
I don't want to make a living out of it but I plan on at least getting a few dollars every now and then.
Right now I'm breeding Tateurndina Ocellicauda which is a rarer fish from where I live.
I have already spoken with a few LFS and they were all very excited when I told them about my project.
The key is to have good relations with the LFS.
You need to know, as you start selling fish, you won't be getting lots of money for them but as your reputation grows, you will be able to sell your fish for more and more.
Most LFS will buy the fish for about 1/3 of what they sell it for. This is called wholesale price. They will very rarely buy your fish for more than it costs them to import them. The only time they will do this is when they are sure that you deliver healthy fish to them constantly.
You need not to overproduce the fish as well. As with everything on the market, price is relative to demand and offer. The more there is available, the less it'll cost.
My fish is fairly easy to breed and raise but takes about 3 months until I can sell them. It's a lot of time and effort but in the end, since they are rarer in my area, they command a higher price. I've seen them sell for 15$ each.
I only plan to raise one batch at a time, so that way, the offer isn't quite too much, and it gives time to the LFS to sell all of them and need more. Like attibones said, if you really want to be making money, you need to sell other stuff as well. Personally, I'm also selling microworm cultures, grindal worm cultures and Cherry Red shrimp. My two fry growout tanks (5g each) also serve as Cherry shrimp colonies. They act as a cleaning crew when I have fry in, and they give me extra money when I have no fry to sell.
I often have to settle for store credit when selling cherry red shrimp as they give me more money that way. Remember, if you sell them for money, they have to markup the price, but if you sell them for store credit, their price is already marked up in there.. Most of the time you trade for store credit, you can get as much as 1/2 of selling value. (You can bargain everything!)
As I already stated, I'm not doing this for money. It's more of a challenge I'm giving myself. My goal is very simple: I'd like to buy a 60 gallon aquarium out of all of this.
I wish you luck in your quest, if you plan ahead and are patient, you will be able to suceed. Just make sure you don't rush things as first of all, you need to establish reputation!
Cheers!
I don't want to make a living out of it but I plan on at least getting a few dollars every now and then.
Right now I'm breeding Tateurndina Ocellicauda which is a rarer fish from where I live.
I have already spoken with a few LFS and they were all very excited when I told them about my project.
The key is to have good relations with the LFS.
You need to know, as you start selling fish, you won't be getting lots of money for them but as your reputation grows, you will be able to sell your fish for more and more.
Most LFS will buy the fish for about 1/3 of what they sell it for. This is called wholesale price. They will very rarely buy your fish for more than it costs them to import them. The only time they will do this is when they are sure that you deliver healthy fish to them constantly.
You need not to overproduce the fish as well. As with everything on the market, price is relative to demand and offer. The more there is available, the less it'll cost.
My fish is fairly easy to breed and raise but takes about 3 months until I can sell them. It's a lot of time and effort but in the end, since they are rarer in my area, they command a higher price. I've seen them sell for 15$ each.
I only plan to raise one batch at a time, so that way, the offer isn't quite too much, and it gives time to the LFS to sell all of them and need more. Like attibones said, if you really want to be making money, you need to sell other stuff as well. Personally, I'm also selling microworm cultures, grindal worm cultures and Cherry Red shrimp. My two fry growout tanks (5g each) also serve as Cherry shrimp colonies. They act as a cleaning crew when I have fry in, and they give me extra money when I have no fry to sell.
I often have to settle for store credit when selling cherry red shrimp as they give me more money that way. Remember, if you sell them for money, they have to markup the price, but if you sell them for store credit, their price is already marked up in there.. Most of the time you trade for store credit, you can get as much as 1/2 of selling value. (You can bargain everything!)
As I already stated, I'm not doing this for money. It's more of a challenge I'm giving myself. My goal is very simple: I'd like to buy a 60 gallon aquarium out of all of this.
I wish you luck in your quest, if you plan ahead and are patient, you will be able to suceed. Just make sure you don't rush things as first of all, you need to establish reputation!
Cheers!
OP
OP
RyanTheFishGuy64
Fish Fanatic
Thank You!l_l_l said:I find this topic quite interesting as I am also breeding fish right now.
I don't want to make a living out of it but I plan on at least getting a few dollars every now and then.
Right now I'm breeding Tateurndina Ocellicauda which is a rarer fish from where I live.
I have already spoken with a few LFS and they were all very excited when I told them about my project.
The key is to have good relations with the LFS.
You need to know, as you start selling fish, you won't be getting lots of money for them but as your reputation grows, you will be able to sell your fish for more and more.
Most LFS will buy the fish for about 1/3 of what they sell it for. This is called wholesale price. They will very rarely buy your fish for more than it costs them to import them. The only time they will do this is when they are sure that you deliver healthy fish to them constantly.
You need not to overproduce the fish as well. As with everything on the market, price is relative to demand and offer. The more there is available, the less it'll cost.
My fish is fairly easy to breed and raise but takes about 3 months until I can sell them. It's a lot of time and effort but in the end, since they are rarer in my area, they command a higher price. I've seen them sell for 15$ each.
I only plan to raise one batch at a time, so that way, the offer isn't quite too much, and it gives time to the LFS to sell all of them and need more. Like attibones said, if you really want to be making money, you need to sell other stuff as well. Personally, I'm also selling microworm cultures, grindal worm cultures and Cherry Red shrimp. My two fry growout tanks (5g each) also serve as Cherry shrimp colonies. They act as a cleaning crew when I have fry in, and they give me extra money when I have no fry to sell.
I often have to settle for store credit when selling cherry red shrimp as they give me more money that way. Remember, if you sell them for money, they have to markup the price, but if you sell them for store credit, their price is already marked up in there.. Most of the time you trade for store credit, you can get as much as 1/2 of selling value. (You can bargain everything!)
As I already stated, I'm not doing this for money. It's more of a challenge I'm giving myself. My goal is very simple: I'd like to buy a 60 gallon aquarium out of all of this.
I wish you luck in your quest, if you plan ahead and are patient, you will be able to suceed. Just make sure you don't rush things as first of all, you need to establish reputation!
Cheers!
Ditto Dr Rob really with my experience breeding fish. You can breed popular or rare/hard to find fish or never bred in the home aquarium before fish and still end up not being able to shift them. I have bred thorichthys Elliotti - hard to find fish, yet I had two tanks full of them. Rotkeil Severums ended up giving a tankful away, Aquidenes Metae another rare fish - I still have fry from the last spawn I ended up keeping. Weather loach - yes easy to find but I bred my own, I kept all the fry I bred.
Yes breed fish for your own pleasure or acomplishment, but to make money at it you would need far more tanks than you have listed.
Yes breed fish for your own pleasure or acomplishment, but to make money at it you would need far more tanks than you have listed.
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
yea i currently have 12 tanks and 5 fry tanks and im already am pushed for space. i do it for the pleasure whith the odd income now and then. my live bearers cover the costs and the egg layers make the proffit. i have 3 types of live breeders and 2 types of egg layers (when the angels are the size of a coin they can fech a dollar each in this country althou i find them quite(very) difficult to breed
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