catcher Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 G'day all, I'd like to run something by everyone that I'm sure most would have had experience with over time. With the couple of tanks i have the fish are established and from an uneducated guess, pretty much must like their surrounds and water quality. I have a fairly regular supply of fry, I don't like letting them spit in the tank as I see that as a waste, but, when I get the fry and grow them to a good size it's next to impossible to sell them, whether to a LFS or private person. Most are the run of the mill stuff, but you would think that is what shops need, the common easily identifiable fish for other newbies to enter the hobbie. I'm very careful not to allow crosses or If i suspect a batch then they become lunch for the others. Is this common place across the hobbie or is it that LFS suspect people that are not "Breeders" thinking the fish will be rubbish? Happily a forum member has indicated that they will take a group of fish I have at the moment, but that's a first. I must point out that I never started the hobbie with an angle to make money, I would just like to recoup the money spent on growing them. Am I expecting too much? cheers glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk21 Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 glenn, I dont think anyone starts keeping fish with the idea of making a million dollars. I know thats not what your after but there are a very few that come close to breaking even. Where to get rid of them?? Members from down Syd way will be able to tell you when/ where auctions are held and they are a good way to move fish, and sometimes you do get a good price for your fish. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlabxr Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Glenn, I can sympathise with you. I have the same problem. I was a member of the NSWCS and did sell a few at their auctions. Nothing spectacular but $3 or $4 a fish at least enables me to pay for some of my hobby. Unfortunately first Rugby and then illness led to a lapse with my NSWCS membership but I intend to re-join. There are a few 'old hands' with quite a few contacts, they might be able to help out. But on occasions its like trying to get a fisherman to tell you where the good 'holes' or 'spots' are. I'm like you its not the money factor. It is a great experience to raise fry to a reasonable size but then what? You'd like to try another species but can't get rid of the ones you've got. I too find it extremely frustrating. There must be a market out there its just finding it. I only dream of buying some of the more expensive species. Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Hi Guys - Rarer fish IMHO can sometimes be harder to sell (esp. if they arent popular and rare) (good examples include virtually all rare tangs (with the possible exception of Tropheus). Easy to sell species are good quality lines (this is important) of popular fish: eg: Electric yellows, mainganos, saulosi, bristlenose etc. I make a loss from my hobby - but I have fun so that more than compensates me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I'm not making money, but the only species I ever had trouble moving fry was Lab. 'hongi' Of course sometimes fish stay in my tanks a month longer than I'd like, but they always eventully move on. I am now very selective with what fry I grow up. Not only due to the space and time involved, but because I can not afford to be stuck with tanks full of sizeable fry, as then there are more mouthfuls I'd like to play with. I only sell my gear privately, although a few shops have bought from me based on Ad's I placed here (well not here, in the classifieds) Surprisingly they all paid what i asked for them and didnt even haggle when buying numbers. I guess quality and fair prices speak for themselves in the long run. As an example, I think I have some of the best GT's going round. (Full credit to Aline and Matthew who I sourced them from) I think you may have even seen them? I have raised about 50-100 fry to sellable size in the last year. I think I have probably fed off over 200 wrigglers to semi-advanced fry. IMO it is about being a bit hard-minded, and only raising what you are pretty confident you can move. You might need to try everything a couple of times before you learn what to select and what is live food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropheusQueen Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Hi Glenn, Like most hobbyists we are now at the point of identifying what we enjoy keeping and what presents a challenge in breeding and also what breeds prolifically to enable us to use as feeders. We move our fry through the NSWCS auctions, through this forum and rarely to some select LFS that have come to know the quality of our fish........predominantly through word of mouth (thanks to testamonials like Ducksta's comment). We have spent the last eight months in building a fishroom in our new home, to house our 40 tanks with hopefully a projected 60 in the future. The species we keep however have been reduced to a handful over the years as we have our favorites. At best we have been able to subsidise their food and a portion of the electricity bill that we dread each quarter we have also been known to reinvest very quickly into more bloodlines of the species we hold. Through a friend we were introduced to the NSWCS and this forum only a few short years ago. Since then our knowledge, friends and aquaintances, and avenues to sell our beloved fish have grown tenfold . Yew brings up an excellent point in "bread and butter" fish. Easy to breed (with average spawns), colourful and not too BIG are definately favourites with newbies and old hands alike. Alot of very very hard work, time and loss of a family room or two........who would have it any other way . Cheers Aline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Concentrate on building colonies of only the best quality fish. I choose my fish very carefully, and pride myself in only breeding quality fish. I rarely have difficulty selling fry, and quite often have people contacting me looking for fish because they have seen pics of mine or have heard about them from someone else. Mind you, I have been working on that for a long time now, and it takes time to get recognition sometimes. Just keep slogging away and in the long run the quality of your fish will speak for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmiccreepers Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I find that rather than selling my fish to a LFS, the LFS will give me store credit for more than they would pay in cash. Just my 2cents but it keeps me in food or gives me a sizeable discount on filters, lights, tubes or other fishy things. Cheers, Cassandra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracle Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Have you thought about giving some of the fish away to family and friends? This may entice them to start keeping fish and you might even be able to start selling them your fry once they get roped in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeWs Fish Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 From what i know/heard, fish stores dont like buying fish which are not popular. This also means rare fish. They want to pay small amounts of $ for lots of fish which they can sell quickly. Also, if you want to 'try' and break even.. sell fish which have colour in boys and girls and fish which colour when young. a few examples are electric yellows, mainganos, demsaoni, etc etc. Most bread and butter LFS dont want to pay money for litte grey things that nobody looks twice at. This includes things like peacock fry etc. I know specialty stores (the bigger LFS) sell these things but to a small LFS these are as good as useless. I have heard the best things to breed are: 1. BN (beacuse every lfs sells the not because of colour) 2. Electric yellows 3. mainganos 4. acei (lots and lots of fish each mouthful) If you want a bit more money per fish try things like 1. frontosa 2. calvus/comps (black/gold) my auroras are best sellers at all the small LFS (NOT!) but the big ones take them happily. I have some acei and demasoni fry coming up so it should be intertesing to see if i can offload them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catcher Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thanks for the comments everyone, maybe I just have to get a bit tougher in regards to letting them spit and become lunch every now and then. It's like a couple of you said, I like to get them to a good size and then it's fingers crossed to move them on, most I have given away to friends, but they are at max capacity It is hard to show your fry is good quality at a LFS if they don't give you a start in the first place though. Anyway, you all have a great new year and stay safe glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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