I think it's more important to plan for the fish first. You need to figure out what you're going to be keeping/breeding and then go from there. There's a lot to consider. I can't list a "most important" because there's too many that can compete to be most important. Uh, well maybe I can. TIME. That's probably the most important. You MUST be able to devote large quantities of time !!! WC's. What is your water like to begin with ? Will you need to age water to keep up on the # of WC's required to keep them healthy and happy ? Not all fish live or breed in the same water. Waste water is another (sewer use) expense that gets added in to your water bill. Are you going to apply for a deduct meter? (Google deduct meters)
Electrical is another. What's your current service into your home-will you have to upgrade to support lights, pumps, (both air and water). What are you going to use for filtration ? What kind of lighting ?
Heaters or heating the whole room ? Cooling if it gets too warm ? What is more sensible for the climate you live in ?
As I type, here's another that's probably more important than anything else. BUDGET. This isn't a cheap hobby. Actually fairly expensive. Unless you're getting everything for free, it's quite costly in the startup phase.
What about food and on hand meds ? Those are very necessary as well. What fry eats what food and when ? Why treat this tank for that and another differently ?
Are you doing this to try to make money or just because ? If you're going to sell, are you going to ship or try local pickup only ? Trying to sell to a LFS ? Shipping may require heat or cool packs depending on where they're going. What experience do you have with shipping ? Have you contacted them to find out their requirements and if you need permits ? State and federal laws requiring import/export limits-contingencies ? Taxes ? IRS is gonna want their share (and prolly a bit more if they could lol).
I'm not saying it can't be done but you're asking for some info. You can do anything you wish in life and if you choose to give this a try, I say go for
First that was an amazing reply, thank you. I have a insulated garage that has been spilt in two. One side is my woodshop the other is going to be my fish room. I've re plumed 4 water lines coming into the room and two central drains. I live in orange county so weather is not a huge issue.
As far as fish i mainly will want to focus on cichlids, discus, angels and a few others. I don't plan on doing plants and was going to make custom t5 fixtures for the racks. I have not got to planning for food/medication.
I will have 16 10 gallon tanks for fry. Right now each column of tanks will run on a sump 3 - 4 tanks per sump as well as 2 large filter sponges for each large tank.
Most of all I am doing this because I love fish and want to for fun. I'll be shipping and selling to lfs...
As far as taxes my wife is a cpa and does the taxes ( she loves numbers like I love fish)
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