ScotchMaster
In Memoriam
smp - How are you going to tie the tank into your main display? Im going to be adding a prop tank to my display and want to know hw to do it
whats the average profit for you guys per month
- Thread starter gemini aquarius(t)
- Start date
10 k in the hole from setup of my display / prop tank. selling a few frags here and there id say so far i only got 50 bucks from the frags... not gonna make anything till my frag tank is compleatly set up and i get a few more going ( gonna try to do large scale ricordia. and small prodution of sps
just remember. if you have somthing nice and you just sold another thing just like it to an lfs. wait a while to sell them it again. makes it a lil rarer. ( guy at the lfs i work at was bringing in xenia once a week and getting 30 bucks store credit. the amount he is getting is slowly dropping)
just remember. if you have somthing nice and you just sold another thing just like it to an lfs. wait a while to sell them it again. makes it a lil rarer. ( guy at the lfs i work at was bringing in xenia once a week and getting 30 bucks store credit. the amount he is getting is slowly dropping)
D-Rod
Active member
Oh come on now! i met this guy who does for a living and you are all very low-balling your income and i understand why...these walls have ears. 
And if they found your true $ you would be banned here for doing this for profit. but then again they let some get away with it!
I asked this guy and his # are no where as low as you guys have "reported" here.
Give him a PM or email him with the real $$$ let him in on the action. Theres enough room for him also, he wont take away all your business.
And if they found your true $ you would be banned here for doing this for profit. but then again they let some get away with it!
I asked this guy and his # are no where as low as you guys have "reported" here.
Give him a PM or email him with the real $$$ let him in on the action. Theres enough room for him also, he wont take away all your business.
where do alot of you sell to? cause i have a few lfs who will pay for frags but in no way will they ever be able to take the 5 a day that i should be getting per frag tank
seems to me the main problom is selling the frags not growing them
for example. i GAVE some hydnophora ( really nice 1 inch frag) to the lfs and priced it at 20 bucks. its still there.
i am selling some slightly larger pieces on this fourm for 30 ( well worth it considering how much i paid) several people intrested but several hundred views and no takers
seems to me the main problom is selling the frags not growing them
for example. i GAVE some hydnophora ( really nice 1 inch frag) to the lfs and priced it at 20 bucks. its still there.
i am selling some slightly larger pieces on this fourm for 30 ( well worth it considering how much i paid) several people intrested but several hundred views and no takers
yetti
New member
Why don't you try talking to the LFS owner to set something up at the LFS instead of your home? Kinda of a partnership of sorts? You guys could sell and ship plus sell out of the LFS, where you would be able to sell for more since its retail.
Put the numbers together, a plan and go to him/her. If the numbers clearly show the amount to get it started and the return on investment then they could make an informed decision.
If you are in good standing with the owner, show that you have initiative to do this and show how they can make a profit......there you go.
jay24k
Active member
I think a little otherwise.
It costs me about 65 dollars a month in electricity for my tank. I do 2 water changes a month if I'm not busy but usually 1 at 20 gallons.
I sold about 11 frags of SPS on ebay that I accidently broke off. I made about 375 dollars AFTER shipping which they paid. The boxes were free since I get them free at my job (City gets alot of stuff). Bags are cheap as dirt. IF you get the right size box and fill it up right, then you don't need to add too much filler. I get that free from all the boxes coming in.
That was just one weeks worth of frags and you can't tell any difference in my tank. I'm not looking to do a business but I want to use every summer to trim down my tank and let it grow back during the winter. Is it great money? Not really but it is extra.
The key imo is having great growth and good FAST growing colorful corals. The more colorful, the more it sells for. I'd love to do it as a business but honestly, it would be tough. If you are looking for an extra 100 to 200 a week, it is definetly feasible but you better have a fully stocked tank to trim from. My average growth is about 1/2 to 1" of growth on every stalk in my tank per month. Take my blue tort for example. It has probably 20 to 30 stalks. At even 1/2" a month that is 15 inches a month. My slimer grows faster then I can frag it for locals.
Softies don't sell as well although mushrooms do well for some reason. Hope this helps
It costs me about 65 dollars a month in electricity for my tank. I do 2 water changes a month if I'm not busy but usually 1 at 20 gallons.
I sold about 11 frags of SPS on ebay that I accidently broke off. I made about 375 dollars AFTER shipping which they paid. The boxes were free since I get them free at my job (City gets alot of stuff). Bags are cheap as dirt. IF you get the right size box and fill it up right, then you don't need to add too much filler. I get that free from all the boxes coming in.
That was just one weeks worth of frags and you can't tell any difference in my tank. I'm not looking to do a business but I want to use every summer to trim down my tank and let it grow back during the winter. Is it great money? Not really but it is extra.
The key imo is having great growth and good FAST growing colorful corals. The more colorful, the more it sells for. I'd love to do it as a business but honestly, it would be tough. If you are looking for an extra 100 to 200 a week, it is definetly feasible but you better have a fully stocked tank to trim from. My average growth is about 1/2 to 1" of growth on every stalk in my tank per month. Take my blue tort for example. It has probably 20 to 30 stalks. At even 1/2" a month that is 15 inches a month. My slimer grows faster then I can frag it for locals.
Softies don't sell as well although mushrooms do well for some reason. Hope this helps
organism
code monkey
that can end up as a very risky proposition, a long time ago I had my frag tank plumbed into my display, somehow monti nudis got into the display, possibly hitchhiked on live rock, and next thing I knew my frag tank was totalled, now I keep the farm tank a completely separate system, with anything going into it massively cleaned, and I'm still paranoid...
I've been a successful business owner for ten years. I'm 34 years old. Try your absolute best to make it work if you don't have too much to risk. I'm new to this hobby, so I couldn't advise you on anything in this area, but the wealth of knowledge, people skills, business techniques, marketing, attitudes, etc. will benefit you forever. There are so many skills and ways of thinking that you will develop that will never be taught in any other classroom. Just don't let other areas of your life slip any( like grades).
Make sure you filter everything that you hear or read. Sometimes it is good solid advise and many times not.
ps. I just read an article in a famous business magazine about a young billionaire in the pond landscape business. He got started with a turtle when he was 13.
Something to think about.
Make sure you filter everything that you hear or read. Sometimes it is good solid advise and many times not.
ps. I just read an article in a famous business magazine about a young billionaire in the pond landscape business. He got started with a turtle when he was 13.
Something to think about.
dragonforce
New member
IMO setup small 10g aga aquarium with a heater, a mj1200, 10lbs of LR and then eggcrete on top of that with a DIY metal halide setup using your old bulbs, in my case i use old 175w metal halide bulbs. For water changes you can use the water from your reef it will work just fine. And as stated grow xenia, gsp, and rare zoas. This setup makes my coral purchases for my 37g mixed reef basically free
kathainbowen
New member
Yeah, on a small scale, I'd do it for the love of corals, a backup for my display collection, and a bid to take a large role in responsible reef ownership. I'd like to join in on a larger scale, but I do not have the money to really do it (although, I've been eyeing a plot with three greenhouses that have been out of use for 10 years!).
There are also a ton of things you need to take into account before getting really into it that don't fall under the costs department. Like, you need to stay on top of what is generally good sellers consistently, as well as what is the new, hot rage. If you're not shipping, you need to stay on top of the hot rage items, otherwise, you'll flood your market and have the prices drop over time to nothing. If you ship, then you should stay on top of both. You'll have to compete with larger distributers like ERI and larger aquaculturalists like ORA for prices. And, after all that, you have to compete with the internet dealers for livestock guarantees.
All in all, it was fun to pick up store credit every now and again by fragging out of my display tank, but it wasn't really worth it as per turning a profit when it came to doing it on a small scale.
If you really want to make quick, easy cash in the aquarium field, go into tank maintenance. You've already got the hookup working for an LFS, so it should be easy for you to pick-up clients! Especially when you end up with newbs starting their first tank, or business professionals who don't have the time. Just don't commit to anything you can't handle.
pm me, and I'll give you the scoop.
There are also a ton of things you need to take into account before getting really into it that don't fall under the costs department. Like, you need to stay on top of what is generally good sellers consistently, as well as what is the new, hot rage. If you're not shipping, you need to stay on top of the hot rage items, otherwise, you'll flood your market and have the prices drop over time to nothing. If you ship, then you should stay on top of both. You'll have to compete with larger distributers like ERI and larger aquaculturalists like ORA for prices. And, after all that, you have to compete with the internet dealers for livestock guarantees.
All in all, it was fun to pick up store credit every now and again by fragging out of my display tank, but it wasn't really worth it as per turning a profit when it came to doing it on a small scale.
If you really want to make quick, easy cash in the aquarium field, go into tank maintenance. You've already got the hookup working for an LFS, so it should be easy for you to pick-up clients! Especially when you end up with newbs starting their first tank, or business professionals who don't have the time. Just don't commit to anything you can't handle.
pm me, and I'll give you the scoop.
Frankysreef
Active member
u need a bigger tank, and about a year to grow the corals out to fragging size.
I hit all local frag swaps, and have people come by every soo often.
All in all after costs.. I can make 2-400 a mo, maybe... So it is just a little extra spending money for me.
I havent attempted shipping yet. It seems like a PIA.
I let my tank grow out for at least a year before I started selling...
And then you will make costly mistakes, and there is the corals that will die on you too no matter what you do... So more money out of your pocket..
Sit back enjoy your tank, and if it gets big enough to frag go for it...but don't rely on it for income.
Maintenance is a bigger money maker I think.
F
I hit all local frag swaps, and have people come by every soo often.
All in all after costs.. I can make 2-400 a mo, maybe... So it is just a little extra spending money for me.
I havent attempted shipping yet. It seems like a PIA.
I let my tank grow out for at least a year before I started selling...
And then you will make costly mistakes, and there is the corals that will die on you too no matter what you do... So more money out of your pocket..
Sit back enjoy your tank, and if it gets big enough to frag go for it...but don't rely on it for income.
Maintenance is a bigger money maker I think.
F
kathainbowen
New member
There is money to be made with aquaculture. Look at ORA, or even Proaquatix (before their unscheduled changed of location...). However, it's just too expensive of a profession to really make it worth it unless you are truly business and reef savvy. Even then, there's just too much competition. However, when done right, with an excellent bank throughout the entire process and with extensive knowledge of propagation techniques.
My experience, with both having attempted to "turn a trick" with my reef tank, and having done maintenance, is that, between the two, maintenance is a far surer bet. Yeah, you might not make as much as you could over a longer time period with an aquaculture company. However, as long as you know how to take care of a tank, you can't really lose.
G'luck to anyone who does get into aquaculture. I would like to go back to school for marine biology, and I've been starting to put together research paperwork studying the feasibility of aquaculture as a business over wild capture.
RedEyeElf
New member
no no no, don't do maintenance, just makes it harder for me to find customers
Maintenance is a sure thing compared to the serious risks of aquaculturing
Yes ORA and abunch of others do it, but it took them years to get there
You get a person with a 40-60g tank, you show them the pictures and explain to them the ease of a larger system, you then sell them the larger reef system (with mark-up) the larger reef tanks (generally LPS, Softy tanks) are faster to clean than a FO tank, the livestock bring a better profit than fish (especially when you are selling them YOUR frags) the salt you sell them, the food you sell them, the medications you sell them, the decorations you sell them, the RO system you sell them for their garage, ect.
just an example, but myself, and people i know make a living doing this
best tip, Do it on your own
Maintenance is a sure thing compared to the serious risks of aquaculturing
Yes ORA and abunch of others do it, but it took them years to get there
You get a person with a 40-60g tank, you show them the pictures and explain to them the ease of a larger system, you then sell them the larger reef system (with mark-up) the larger reef tanks (generally LPS, Softy tanks) are faster to clean than a FO tank, the livestock bring a better profit than fish (especially when you are selling them YOUR frags) the salt you sell them, the food you sell them, the medications you sell them, the decorations you sell them, the RO system you sell them for their garage, ect.
just an example, but myself, and people i know make a living doing this
best tip, Do it on your own
msuzuki126
New member
Hey man I'm in the same boat as you. I'm in high school too and trying to get some money out of frags eventually. :lol:
RCS
In Memoriam
The most important things you'll put into a business venture in this hobby are experience, knowledge and time. Forget the money part of it. This isn't a store where you can "shut down" for the weekend and get back to it on Monday. This isn't shipping out models, or paint, or electronics. One small mistake anywhere along the way can spell disaster. Not replacing a $50 MP3 player damaged in shipping disaster, I'm talking tank-crashed-and-everything-died disaster. Starting in this business, successfully, will take 4-6 months MINIMUM. Very few corals show any growth until a tank is mature and they're properly settled in. There are some that will grow like wildfire after they hit that point, but it will take time. I do some stuff on the side here in addition to my "day job", and moving twice in that time, it's taken a LONG time to get things up and running, waiting for systems to mature and getting any sort of coral growth.
It can (and definitely should, with the future of our hobby at stake!) be done successfully, but if you're asking lots of questions on "how" to do it, I'd venture that you're nowhere near the point that you need to be to fully understand and appreciate the demands of various species of corals and various species of customer in order to truly make a living doing this. I've been sort-of doing this for going on 4 years now...and I sold my first corals today to a LFS after a 10-month hiatus re-establishing a couple tanks.
You can do it cheaply...heck, you can do it simply and be successful. The problem is, you CAN'T do it quickly.
It can (and definitely should, with the future of our hobby at stake!) be done successfully, but if you're asking lots of questions on "how" to do it, I'd venture that you're nowhere near the point that you need to be to fully understand and appreciate the demands of various species of corals and various species of customer in order to truly make a living doing this. I've been sort-of doing this for going on 4 years now...and I sold my first corals today to a LFS after a 10-month hiatus re-establishing a couple tanks.
You can do it cheaply...heck, you can do it simply and be successful. The problem is, you CAN'T do it quickly.
spankey
Active member
I am not in this hobby to sell, however there is nothing wrong with selling frags to other reefers to help keep the hits down on natural reefs.
If you can make a few bucks to throw back at your tank, you are only doing good. It helps with costs of maintaining the tanks you have.
I hate to admitt it, but I fragged one weekend and made well over $400 in frags. Mind you I don't do this all the time, maybe every other month. Its not good to frag, frag and frag quickly. Its better to allow the coral to heal, then do some more fragging later in a month or two....
Clip away
If you can make a few bucks to throw back at your tank, you are only doing good. It helps with costs of maintaining the tanks you have.
I hate to admitt it, but I fragged one weekend and made well over $400 in frags. Mind you I don't do this all the time, maybe every other month. Its not good to frag, frag and frag quickly. Its better to allow the coral to heal, then do some more fragging later in a month or two....
Clip away
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