# Is there good money to be made in a fish store/breeding op



## CichlidsTank

I have a 55 gallon tank (african cichlids) that produces some fry that I sell every once in awhile. Sometimes the fry sell for a hefty price, sometimes I end up giving them away for free.

I was just courious if there is any good money to be made from a bigger operation.

How many tanks would I need to having running/breeding to cover the costs?

I'm going to guess the rarer the breeds the more opportunity to make money.

This a very broad general topic, just looking for some insight.

Has anyone out there made good money breeding/selling?


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## John27

It's my understanding that red zebras and yellow labs tend to interbreed. If that's the case your not likely going to make money from responsible fish stores or fishkeepers as hybrids are generally looked down upon.

That said, I can't commend whether "money can be made" in the essence of supplemental income, but I do know of some people who cover their costs with breeding, pays for fish food, the occasional replacement part, etcetera.

I wouldn't go at it with money as a goal though, it's fun and exciting, and in the end the only money your going to make at a practical level is going to cover the initial investment in rearing the fry (food, etc.).

You asked, however, if ANYONE has made money at this. Absolutely. Scroll down on the main discussion page there are several there they do- while I don't know their personal situation I assume that they have no other jobs or otherwise. But these are massive operations that would not likely get started on the average persons budget, it would require serious commitment, something to offer that the others (who already have customer loyalty and a positive reputation) don't, and as with any business, the ability to go without a salary for 5 years or more before you start to see returns.

My advice? Don't go at it looking for money just enjoy it, as your breeding populations increase so will your "income" from the breeding, hopefully enough to cover the costs of your hobby which means you get to enjoy your fish for free!

-John


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## DJRansome

I think you have to go pretty big to make money. Since you won't make much per fish by the time you subtract supplies, labor and electricity, you have to sell a lot of fish. And that means a large variety of species as well.

Small to mid volume breeders are more likely to cover expenses and not much more.


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## Fischfan13

I have had this conversation over and over again for the past 10 or so years.
How about this?
1/100th of 1% of all breeders MAKE money to live on.
So what I am saying is this...
For every 100,000 people in this hobby, there is only one who is successful enough to breed and make a living out of it.

Do you really think that there are more than 10 breeders in the US who make a living out of it?
I sure don't think so.


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## tokyo

I think there are probably more than 10 breeders in the U.S. that make a living from it. But in order to make a living at it you would need an extraordinary amount of commitment and financial investment. It's just not practical or probable for most hobbyists.


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## DJRansome

The problem with the "rare breed" idea is that often by the time you identify the fish you want, buy it, raise it and get it breeding, so have others. The fish are so prolific that it does not take long to flood the market and make a rare breed into a common fish.

Also if you go too rare your market will be limited. I am also thrilled by the amounts I am paid for my fish, but I forget about the electricity, supplies and labor that went into the sale.

Be an interesting study using the vendor list in Reviews. I'll bet a lot of them are doing it because they enjoy the hobby in spite of meager profit. Fischfan, you may be right.

Fish store I would say no...notice all the LFS going out of business. The profit for a fish store is dry goods. And most cannot compete with the internet vendors selling the same item for 50% less.


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## nick a

The store owners I know are all so passionate about the hobby that they are willing to just barely make it by financially in order to be doing what they do.

Breeding fish is rarely profitable.

Breeding quality fish is VERY rarely profitable.

Breeding in glass tanks with heaters/lights/WCs/filters/etc... is next to NEVER profitable long-run.

I _may_ make enough to break even on just the cost of food....maybe......which means that the original $'s on tanks/filters etc...., the monthly $'s for water & electricity, the original $'s for the fish and all my time & effort are 'business' losses......thankfully, I have a job that allows me to support my addiction in spite of these losses :lol:


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## Fischfan13

Tokyo, I would love to see a list of ten people in the US who are making a living by breeding fish.
Of all of the sponsors here and on my site I only know of ONE in the entire NorthEast region of the US that makes a living out of breeding.


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## tokyo

Ok, let me explain my thought process on this one.

I was including fish farms as profitable breeders. I was also considering the amount of non-cichlid breeders and fish farms there are. I'm sure there are more than ten(or atleast close to ten) fish farms that specialize in ornamental fish just in florida.

Although, I could be completely wrong. Maybe I am underestimating the amount of fish that are imported from europe and asia to supply our pet stores.


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## Number6

*tokyo*
There are many profitable cichlid breeders in the US. Many are popping up here in Florida as I type this...

Tilapia farms... yum yum.

Oh, you guys meant "pet" cichlids? :lol: dream on...

I have wondered why you don't see some smart enterprising Florida fish farmer supplementing their farm's income with ornamental cichlids. I think there might be some cash in that, but it'd be a supplement income to the primary of Tilapia fillets if I had to offer a prediction.


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## Chromedome52

First, fischfan's math is faulty. One one hundredth of one percent is only one in 10,000. That would increase the number to 100, rather than 10. And that number is still low if one considers the Florida fish farmers. A lot of smaller operations in Florida specialize in a few species, which are then sold to the larger farms for national or international distribution. The profit is not great, but they do make a living from their fish.

However, as far as making a fishroom profitable, it requires breeding not just rare fish, but difficult species. The ones that other people cannot readily spawn. Then there has to be a market for them. The number of times these conditions can be met can be counted on one hand by Three Fingered Ted. :thumb:

The only genuinely profitable Cichlids to breed are Angelfish and Discus, but they are a lot of work and it eventually gets boring as heck. There used to be a lot of people breeding Angels, but a lot were wiped out by the plague that happened a number of years ago.

Many Tangs are profitable, but lack sufficient market. Malawians that are popular are also too easy to breed, and those that are a little more difficult are not very popular. Malawians bring a good price per fish, but have small spawns; that's why stripping and tumbling eggs was first tried. In a pond you just throw a few in and take a bunch out. A home breeder cannot compete with the cost effectiveness of Florida pond raised fish.

I have had my fishroom support itself at times, but I was breeding everything from guppies to rare Characins. A wide variety is another way to produce a little income. Build a lot of experience and you might break even occasionally. But unless you live far enough south to raise fish in ponds, profit is going to be a pipe dream.


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## exasperatus2002

nick a said:


> The store owners I know are all so passionate about the hobby that they are willing to just barely make it by financially in order to be doing what they do.
> 
> Breeding fish is rarely profitable.
> 
> Breeding quality fish is VERY rarely profitable.
> 
> Breeding in glass tanks with heaters/lights/WCs/filters/etc... is next to NEVER profitable long-run.
> 
> I _may_ make enough to break even on just the cost of food....maybe......which means that the original $'s on tanks/filters etc...., the monthly $'s for water & electricity, the original $'s for the fish and all my time & effort are 'business' losses......thankfully, I have a job that allows me to support my addiction in spite of these losses :lol:


Your right. When I helped manage a family run pet shop (not my family but they treated me as such) in the mid 90's, the mark up for fish was usually by 3, one to cover cost of fish, one to cover death of one tank mate and then one for "profit". Dry goods are where the money is, excluding cat/dog food where (atleast our store) the mark up was minimal to stay competitive with the chain stores.


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## Number6

*CichlidsTank*

Did you take a look at the "big" Florida fish farm's website? 
http://www.cichlids.net/


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## Fischfan13

Chromedome52 said:


> First, fischfan's math is faulty. One one hundredth of one percent is only one in 10,000. That would increase the number to 100, rather than 10. And that number is still low if one considers the Florida fish farmers. A lot of smaller operations in Florida specialize in a few species, which are then sold to the larger farms for national or international distribution. The profit is not great, but they do make a living from their fish.
> 
> However, as far as making a fishroom profitable, it requires breeding not just rare fish, but difficult species. The ones that other people cannot readily spawn. Then there has to be a market for them. The number of times these conditions can be met can be counted on one hand by Three Fingered Ted. :thumb:
> 
> The only genuinely profitable Cichlids to breed are Angelfish and Discus, but they are a lot of work and it eventually gets boring as heck. There used to be a lot of people breeding Angels, but a lot were wiped out by the plague that happened a number of years ago.
> 
> Many Tangs are profitable, but lack sufficient market. Malawians that are popular are also too easy to breed, and those that are a little more difficult are not very popular. Malawians bring a good price per fish, but have small spawns; that's why stripping and tumbling eggs was first tried. In a pond you just throw a few in and take a bunch out. A home breeder cannot compete with the cost effectiveness of Florida pond raised fish.
> 
> I have had my fishroom support itself at times, but I was breeding everything from guppies to rare Characins. A wide variety is another way to produce a little income. Build a lot of experience and you might break even occasionally. But unless you live far enough south to raise fish in ponds, profit is going to be a pipe dream.


Ouch, I made a math mistake...that's gonna leave a mark.
Ok, so 1/1000th of 1%.


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## John27

ANY type of hobby based business does not produce much money. Profit margins are super meager, it's the manufacturers that rake in the dough. For example, other than fishkeeping I also fly R/C planes. Futaba is a leading manufacturer of radios, the retail price they force the stores to sell them at is sometimes cost. Most R/C hobby stores also do a variety of other things, dollhouses/beads/crafts, they just aren't in it for the money. You really can't be, it's unfortunate really because you don't make much to begin with, and then you add a poor economy and what's one of the very first things people cut back on? Hobbies and leisure! It's also difficult for them to compete with prices on _used_ dry goods right now. With so many people breaking down their tanks and selling everything on craigslist, you can get a gently used and well maintained canister or heater or what have you for less than half of new, so why go buy a new one?

-John


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