Starting my own fish breeding buisness?

Currently I work at Petco as the Aquatic specialist, but I really hate being treated like a number and unvalued for my knowledge that I try so hard to get correct. so I have this grand scheme to commandeer a building by legal means and convert into an aquarium store where I will breed and sell only locally sourced or ethically sourced fish, never wild-caught, and I have a few friends on it that are willing to split the cost of everything and just the general work of everything. I'm curious if there's anyone on this forum right now that would be able to give me any tips or tricks for some setups, techniques, business ideas, tips, popular fish, anything like that. I am interested in any and all knowledge that y'all can bestow upon me with great great appreciation. I have several plans in motion and I am fully willing to lay out my ideas but this paragraph is already long as it is. so thank you for reading thank you for offering me information I really really hope that I can get this thing off the ground, I will be the only local aquarium store in my town if I manage this!!!!

 

Good luck! You need to create a business plan. You say commandeer the building? Is there any cost to that? Like rent? Utility’s, taxes, permits ? A lot of the profit will be on items other than fish.

 

That sounds really fun, and something I'd love to do one day as well Wishing you good luck!

 

Good luck! You need to create a business plan. You say commandeer the building? Is there any cost to that? Like rent? Utility’s, taxes, permits ? A lot of the profit will be on items other than fish.

Yes, i have the rent being split supposedly 4 ways, im gonna research and see what the elec/water will cost and if i need any permits. I want to do this as legal as possible.

That sounds really fun, and something I'd love to do one day as well Wishing you good luck!

Thank you! Our old lfs was 90% saltwater and he was money laundering so I am here to just make a wholesome fish store

 

First off, do you live in a highly-populated area? Actually, before I continue, I'd like to say, I don't want to rain on your parade, I just want as much success for you as possible, and opening a fish store is something many people want to do, but is oftentimes a road to failure. But if you feel you have a big enough market, definitely go for it. The next part is only if you answered no to the population question, if not you can skip this paragraph. Because if not, the demand for your fish is going to be low, and most local fish stores can't survive in small towns due to higher pricing, not as well known, and lack of demand. If living in a smaller town you almost definitely have to have other pet supplies being sold for dogs, cats, and other pets. Also, the appeal to a random person on the street for well-bred and humanely raised fish is low, unless you are a hobbyist, so definitely get a lot of the basic fish; i.e. neon tetras, goldies, guppies, etc. As for sourcing, at first, you may have to source partly from an out-of-area supplier as you probably don't have enough people in your immediate area.


If you do live in a more highly-populated area, then it will be much easier, but just make sure you can supply all the fish needed, and get people lined up before you start who say they want to consistently provide you fish, and not just like a one time or couple time drop off, but continual stocking.

Other tips are to advertise at local clubs, Facebook groups, fishkeeping friends, and their fishkeeping friends. For bettas, since there are a lot of varieties, you may want to think about buying from larger companies as you probably won't be able to buy them locally. Just wondering out of curiosity, will you be breeding any of your own fish?

But if you decide it is plausible, I would take a look at many of the aquarium co-op's videos and lectures on how he started aquarium co-op. Very cool stuff, also just for more ideas on how to make it the most humane, and some cool ideas in general, take a look at these threads, I apologize for some of the conflict from the first one, partly my fault, but still good info based imo:

Thinking about Owning a Fish Store | General Discussion Forum | 503411

What Would Your Imaginary Fish Store Be Like? | Forum Games Forum | 474296




Sorry for such a long post, I hope it was helpful and really hope you are able to do this. Also, if you do end up opening one, I know at least I would be super excited to see pics and see how you run the store, and all-in-all, how it goes for you.

Here are a couple of helpful videos:

This last one looks super cool and seems like a good precedent for you.

 

First off, do you live in a highly-populated area? Actually, before I continue, I'd like to say, I don't want to rain on your parade, I just want as much success for you as possible, and opening a fish store is something many people want to do, but is oftentimes a road to failure. But if you feel you have a big enough market, definitely go for it. The next part is only if you answered no to the population question, if not you can skip this paragraph. Because if not, the demand for your fish is going to be low, and most local fish stores can't survive in small towns due to higher pricing, not as well known, and lack of demand. If living in a smaller town you almost definitely have to have other pet supplies being sold for dogs, cats, and other pets. Also, the appeal to a random person on the street for well-bred and humanely raised fish is low, unless you are a hobbyist, so definitely get a lot of the basic fish; i.e. neon tetras, goldies, guppies, etc. As for sourcing, at first, you may have to source partly from an out-of-area supplier as you probably don't have enough people in your immediate area.


If you do live in a more highly-populated area, then it will be much easier, but just make sure you can supply all the fish needed, and get people lined up before you start who say they want to consistently provide you fish, and not just like a one time or couple time drop off, but continual stocking.

Other tips are to advertise at local clubs, Facebook groups, fishkeeping friends, and their fishkeeping friends. For bettas, since there are a lot of varieties, you may want to think about buying from larger companies as you probably won't be able to buy them locally. Just wondering out of curiosity, will you be breeding any of your own fish?

But if you decide it is plausible, I would take a look at many of the aquarium co-op's videos and lectures on how he started aquarium co-op. Very cool stuff, also just for more ideas on how to make it the most humane, and some cool ideas in general, take a look at these threads, I apologize for some of the conflict from the first one, partly my fault, but still good info based imo:

Thinking about Owning a Fish Store | General Discussion Forum | 503411

What Would Your Imaginary Fish Store Be Like? | Forum Games Forum | 474296




Sorry for such a long post, I hope it was helpful and really hope you are able to do this. Also, if you do end up opening one, I know at least I would be super excited to see pics and see how you run the store, and all-in-all, how it goes for you.

Here are a couple of helpful videos:


This last one looks super cool and seems like a good precedent for you.

You are fantastic thank you. The hobby demand is HIGH here, I live in the fastest growing city in the US rn. I have some very experienced fr8ends going into this as well, hopefully thats a benefit. And yes my ultimate goal is to breed all my fish. (Eventually).

 

with your knowledge abt the aquarium, breeding and supplying the right thing shouldnt be a issue at all.

to be viable, you need your steady pool of hobbyist ( like we who also will replenish fish food, chemicals, filter media etc, think of it like subscription. these will give a good support to your business.) next is expanding this base.

breeding is not your issue, how you are going to distribute them, pack/ship them beyond local community will determine at least 50% of your success..
most of the items for the aquarium can be bought ordered online competitively. except live stock which can get buyer thinking as not all fish even if the same breed is the same, they look different and quality is different. how do i know you will help choose some of the best for me or scoop the easiest catch ?( which tend to be the least healthy, that why they are slow)
if you have a good local base and can expand your base thru online orders and deliveries, soon these people who buy live stock from you will aslo order supplies. then the cycle repeats.

if you already have a solid plan on how to distribute your live stocks and supplies. the rest is minor problems. once there is sale there is business there is money and you can roll.

just to share, there used to be a very nice aquarium where i lived and i used to bring my kids there as there are big pools and planks you can walk across to see all kinds of fish and shelves of tanks with beautiful fish. now they have reduced their total area to be about 25% of the original.
i chat with the people there, they say alot of people come to see, but few buy, now they just have a shop front that displays all the supplies and way lesser fish. to keep business afloat, they also sell cat/dog/rabbit/bird supplies now.
( another was a japanese supermarket that have all the live spider crabs, lobsters etc on display in big tanks, also ended their business though the place is always quite crowded when i bring my kids there)

also, HIGH demand doesnt mean they will buy from you. what sets you apart? To be blunt, i buy my supplies mostly online and from LFS, there isnt a standard one that i buy from , so long the price is good and i need it then, i buy.

e.g.. a wall to display customers tanks and say updates 3 or 6 months to show how you have helped make they tank beatiful or better, not only will attract newbie as they are clueless and will be assured to know you can give them support as well as keep current customers happy cos we all like to shocase our tanks and always think we have beatiful tank

if 80% of your list of plans is about how to get customers, 20% about how to increase profits ( breeding vs buying from supplies) ro reduce in keeping all the aquariums tip top ( fish need food, water change etx) then you have a high chance of success. cos nice clean aquariums even if you have a big store don give you revenue.

 

with your knowledge abt the aquarium, breeding and supplying the right thing shouldnt be a issue at all.

to be viable, you need your steady pool of hobbyist ( like we who also will replenish fish food, chemicals, filter media etc, think of it like subscription. these will give a good support to your business.) next is expanding this base.

breeding is not your issue, how you are going to distribute them, pack/ship them beyond local community will determine at least 50% of your success..
most of the items for the aquarium can be bought ordered online competitively. except live stock which can get buyer thinking as not all fish even if the same breed is the same, they look different and quality is different. how do i know you will help choose some of the best for me or scoop the easiest catch ?( which tend to be the least healthy, that why they are slow)
if you have a good local base and can expand your base thru online orders and deliveries, soon these people who buy live stock from you will aslo order supplies. then the cycle repeats.

if you already have a solid plan on how to distribute your live stocks and supplies. the rest is minor problems. once there is sale there is business there is money and you can roll.

just to share, there used to be a very nice aquarium where i lived and i used to bring my kids there as there are big pools and planks you can walk across to see all kinds of fish and shelves of tanks with beautiful fish. now they have reduced their total area to be about 25% of the original.
i chat with the people there, they say alot of people come to see, but few buy, now they just have a shop front that displays all the supplies and way lesser fish. to keep business afloat, they also sell cat/dog/rabbit/bird supplies now.
( another was a japanese supermarket that have all the live spider crabs, lobsters etc on display in big tanks, also ended their business though the place is always quite crowded when i bring my kids there)

also, HIGH demand doesnt mean they will buy from you. what sets you apart? To be blunt, i buy my supplies mostly online and from LFS, there isnt a standard one that i buy from , so long the price is good and i need it then, i buy.

e.g.. a wall to display customers tanks and say updates 3 or 6 months to show how you have helped make they tank beatiful or better, not only will attract newbie as they are clueless and will be assured to know you can give them support as well as keep current customers happy cos we all like to shocase our tanks and always think we have beatiful tank

if 80% of your list of plans is about how to get customers, 20% about how to increase profits ( breeding vs buying from supplies) ro reduce in keeping all the aquariums tip top ( fish need food, water change etx) then you have a high chance of success. cos nice clean aquariums even if you have a big store don give you revenue.

I agree with the above. It is great you're in a big city, and you'll already have a good market base. And gaining more people has a good chance with a high population in the city. What you really want is to get people interested in having a tank, i.e. show tanks filled to the brim with plants, maybe some super cool looking rarer fish that a non-hobbyist might want to get a fish tank because of. Online advertising has become really quite specific, you can advertise to small area groups, even a single city. But definitely make your shop look neat and tidy and try to keep the fish smell out of it. Because every time my friend walks into a dirty/smelly fish store, they comment on the terrible smell or dirtiness of the place and don't really ever want to go there again, simply because they aren't used to it yet like a lot of us are, (At least with clutter in our fish rooms) so try to make it look as professional as possible. Also if you know there are already a lot of keepers near you, definitely advertise about the humane methods, etc.

 

Yes, i have the rent being split supposedly 4 ways, im gonna research and see what the elec/water will cost and if i need any permits. I want to do this as legal as possible.

I don't want to rain on your parade, but having three partners sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen. One partner would be risky enough.

 

I don't want to rain on your parade, but having three partners sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen. One partner would be risky enough.

I would agree with perfect strangers, but if they know them and have trust in them it could work, because they are most likely not only doing it for the money.

 

Best of luck, I live in the Chicago area we use to have a place called Living Seas. Great store in Park Ridge had 3 store fronts hundreds of salt and fresh water tanks. They closed a few years back its a tough business especially with the cheaper big box places.

 

If you live in a college town, you can check with the local college to see if there is a small business developement center. They often offer help to new small businesses by offering various training opportunities and guidance.

Just a thought...

 

I do breed and sell my own fish. But not through a store. I do participate a number of relevant vivaristic events in my own country, Belgium and Germany. People pay an entrance fee. This means also that most of the visitors are serious aquarists. If they have to pay an entrance fee at an event, they expect worth for their money and fish are sold. You hardly have to go back home with fish you've offered yourself at the event.
People also find me through social media and my own website. My fish are sold domestically and abroad. My website is not commercial but people can contact me through my website. This way, my own costs can be lowered.
I also admit that even stores contact me to provide them from time to time. But also research labs and zoos buy from me. And I've build myself a serious name within the aquatic scene. And that is not specifically that people buy from me but it's the knowledge that does the trick. If people trust your knowledge, people tend to buy from you. This is very key in this business.

 

I would agree with perfect strangers, but if they know them and have trust in them it could work, because they are most likely not only doing it for the money.

The people going into this with me are my brother (whom i have worked many times with), the old manager of the old lfs and my partner

 

You still thinking about doing this?