breeding for local sale questions

[Scott S]

I have 2 100gal tanks, and today my neighbor gave me a 50gal and a 28 gal tanks.
lately Ive been thinking, rather than just complaining that no one local carries anything interesting, maybe I should just bite the bullet and do it myself. I'm going to have tanks anyway, why not have a breeding tank or two.
I guess I should say, I'm into SA and CA cichlids.

so, my short list of things I was thinking I might give a try were:
Rotkeil Severum, red severum, gold severum, etc.
any of the Thorichthys family, except Meeki
gold convicts
blue acara, or whatever they're calling them these days. strangely they're impossible to find here.
and maybe, just maybe, a nice breeding pair of crenicichla zebrina.

I'm not looking to make millions, or start a huge operation, just breed enough that it pays for itself and maybe a few extra bucks.

any advice or cautions?

 

[coralbandit]

Pick one fish and learn to artificially hatch.
Once you see and feel how much goes into getting a fish from fry to store then you can decide if you can handle more then one fish type.
Tank wise sounds like you are ready for one type..

Most LFS won't give you money,they will give you store credit. None of the box stores will do anything but offer to 'adopt' your fish for free!
So without other places to sell you could possibly do it for free/break even, but no real profit.
I haven't bought anything in year$ .

 

[SherLar]

I agree with coralbandit for the most part.
It's strange to me that Blue Acaras are hard to find in your area, as they're common as dirt most places, and sell for less that $15.00 here. However, if they're rare in your area, that would be a good fish to breed. THey're always popular, and though you likely won't make a profit, maybe you'll earn enough to pay for your effort and supplies. Or, choose another high demand fish that is hard to find in your area. I would stay away from common fish for the area, as there'll be no profit in breeding them.

 

[ghyti]

Pick fish that are popular and sell well. Angels, Bristlenose Plecos, and Cories do pretty good. It helps a lot if it is a fish that you enjoy.

Raising and selling enough fish to pay for food and electric is quite a bit of work just to come close to breaking even.

Check with your local fish club to see if they have swap meets or auctions you could sell at. Also check with the local fish store to see what fish sell well and they would be willing to buy consistently.

Craigs list might work a little but not too many people will come to your house to get fish, it is easier for them to go to their favorite fish store.

 

[Scott S]

Good advice all. I wanted to get something that is unusual. nothing too exotic or hard to deal with, but you always see Convicts, but never the gold Convicts, you always see the green and turquoise Severum, but never the Rotkeil, Aequidens metae. all beautiful, but not readily available. and I can't figure out why. they should be as easy to deal with as their more common cousins, but just not out there. I'm tempted to try the gold Convicts. convicts have a reputation of breeding easily whether you want them to or not.

 

[Scott S]

stopped by the LFS today. the owner seemed very open, and while there a guy walked in who was breeding Jewel Cichlids and selling to him. good sign. so one store open to buying from me.
tempted to start with something fairly easy, maybe the gold convict (Aequidens metae) or one of the Thorichthys variety.

 

[coralbandit]

Keep going on the good note!
Fish aren't always cooperative so the sooner you start the better you get..
I figure from my GBR to swordtails it takes 4 months to bring fry up to saleable size fish.
For many of the cichlids they just won't be coloring up fast enough to move any sooner...
Glad to hear one store is good. The fish from the pros are sick so any store with a care should buy from the hobbyist breeder.

 

[Scott S]

any advice on where I should start looking for my starters? I figure get a batch of 6-10 and hope for at least one pair.
anyone buy on aquabid? ebay?

 

[Andy Sager]

As Ghyti said, it's best to ask your LFS what they are looking for as they will know their customer base better than you will. No sense breeding a low demand fish to sell just as it does not make sense to breed a fish that, while either rare or exciting to you, the store may only have 1 or 2 customers for and won't buy or trade for on a regular basis. Very few fish have low quantities of fry so you need to have either an outlet for a consistent delivery or multiples of stores or buyers you can sell to as well.

 

[Brookster123]

Can't go wrong with dwarf cichlids imo. Apisto cacatoides and German blue rams are always a quick sell. For larger cichlids look into electric blue Acara. The thorys may be a little less popular for resale?? My lfs has been getting lots and lots of sevs so they must be selling??

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Scott S]

Can't go wrong with dwarf cichlids imo. Apisto cacatoides and German blue rams are always a quick sell. For larger cichlids look into electric blue Acara. The thorys may be a little less popular for resale?? My lfs has been getting lots and lots of sevs so they must be selling??

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

I'm a huge Severum fan, so I always think there first, but they can be bit and expensive, I worried they might not go as easy. that's why I thought in the Cryptoheros family, they're small cheal and easy to breed, and you only ever see convicts in the stores, never the yellow or gold. also thought about the Sajicas.

 

[Scott S]

so, I'm on my way... sort of.
I set up the 28 gallon which will act as the breeding tank. and something came up and I ended up with a few fish I really wanted, but not really in this tank. on the bright side, the tank is now cycling nicely, and I'll have it ready when I'm ready to make the jump.

here's what showed up last night

 

[coralbandit]

Frontosa ?
They to can be worth money , but you won't pull it off in a 28...

 

[Scott S]

no, I just wanted them, and they're too small at present to stick in the community.
so, my options are to go ahead and stick whatever I choose in with them, or wait until these guys grow up a bit and then go forward.

I need to loof for a thread on the Frontosa, from what little I've heard, they take a long time to mature. heck, I'm not even sure of the sexes on any of them yet.
the red one is cool though, I looked and there are actually red Frontosa, so I hope it stays red.

 

[Scott S]

ok, I bought a small batch of Rotkeil Severum. now it's about shepherding them into maturity and hoping romance breaks out.

 

[Scott S]

Rotkeil are showing up today, 20 gallon tank ready to go!
I'll post a photo and have some input on how buying Fish from Fla. is.
so far, the guy has been really great to deal with.
this is the guy I bought them from:
Aqua Research Center

 

[Scott S]

they're here, all accounted for and alive!

 

[Scott S]

update, growing out nicely, won't be long now!