profitable breeding

[CCchaos04]

what is a relatively easy (it doesnt have to be really easy just nothing too difficult) to breed cichlid that would be easy to sell the fry.

[mooman]

As a nebie fish breeding I was thinking about this myself. I'm not trying to breed fish to make a ton of money. Once I really factor in all the equipment that I buy I'll be lucky to break even. Although it is fun to think of making a little cash at something you really love doing. I would pick a fish or group of fish that you really like to keep, are easy to breed (so you won't get frustrated) and breed them. That way you get some experience, you get the taste of success, and you really see if you like breeding. Later if you find you enjoy breeding, then you can try some "profitable fish" if there is such a thing. I mean why not you've already got the equipment.


With that said. Look at fish that are either allways in demand (so you can easily get rid of fry), or fish that sell for a lot of money (so you don't have to unload or produce a ton of them). I hear Angel fish are always in demand. I'm trying to breed Apistogrammas, and they are somewhat expensive, and I have found them to be facinating to watch. I bet if you ask some of the more experienced breeders this question they will invariable point you toward thier favorite fish to observe and enjoy.

Good Luck

[jonathan03]

The fish you will have most success breeding is the one your most interested in. If it seems like a job, then it would be as successful as it could be.

How big is your tank? Red devils and jags tank great care of their from is you have a tank that is 100 gallons or so. Jewels are an easy fish to breed and they go for a decent price in my area. I have seen them for $5-$7. Oscars are probably the single most popular cichlid, but I'm not sure if they can be bred.

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Dont go into breeding fish to make a profit because your not. The only way to make money is to aquire some rare species that not only will cost you a fortune in the first place but will most likely be difficult to breed (thus why its so rare to begin with).

Even africans, which are somewhat in demand and are very easy to breed, will not make you any money. If you break even on fish food and the electric bill then consider yourself lucky.

A pet store will be extremely weary of buying fish from you unless they know you really well and have bought from you before and/or know your fish are good stock and healthy. Also, they will not give you market value. They will give you $2-$3 for a fish that they will sell for double or triple that.... they need to make money too, right?

If you want to breed fish as a hobby thats great (thats what i do), but dont go into it to make money.

:)
-Diana

[jonathan03]

It is ture that the pet store won't give you a lot. They assume the worst with any fish they get. Thats why you should get something that you like, not just to breed.

Your best bet is to go to a few local clubs and meet people there. You have a much better chance of getting retail for your fish.

You will need fry tanks too. Nobody will buy the fish until they are at least an inch or two.

[racingjason]

LuvMyKribs is right, you won't get rich doing this unless you manage to breed wild caught discus.
Go with a fish that is in demand and takes care of the eggs to increase yield. I would try fronts, fronts (http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0271&view_records=1), if I were to start with cichlids again.

[CCchaos04]

i dont plan on making any money i just want to breed for fun and still be able to get rid of the fry. I have been successful with convicts and im breeding kribs but i was wanting to start breeding some other neat cichlids and actually be able to get rid of the fry. I was thinking about breeding africans like peacocks or labs and maybe some others. I have considered frontosa but dont have a lot of room so i cant get a tank big enough.

[Mr.Firemouth]

Anyone who is over 18 years of age can go to their state dept. of revenue and file for a resellers tax i.d.# as a breeder. This will allow you to do business with wholesalers and LFS's will take you more seriously. A small at home business does not have to be on a grand scale to be profitable. Maintaining other peoples tanks in your spare time is also a good way to make hobby cash. As with anything, you get what you put into it and hard work pays off.
I have bred angels(koi viel tails), rams, discus, cichlids, and catfish. In the early 90's I bought softcorals wholesale, grew them out and sold them for huge profits because good quality corals weren't always available like they are today.
Keep in mind that local sources for quality fish are alwats in demand. They save LFS's on shipping and independant dealers almost always deal in cash. Always try to trade stock if possible, you get more for the money than if you got cash.

[jonathan03]

If you setup a small business, then go for an LLC. Its the best way to minimize any legal troubles. They are a long shot, but you can't be held as liable if you have an LLC. If someone can sue for hot coffee at McDonald's, I'm sure someone could think of something crazy when it comes to fish. It is a long shot though.

Also, keep records of everything you need to buy for your business. These are tax free (except sales tax) and can save you a lot of money. Keep your recepts as well because you might attract some attention if you buy a large tank. That would be a nice writeoff ;-) If its for your business and you have the recepit, then there is nothing they can do.

[Samala]

I think most people have this philosophy on small scale breeding, or turning a bit of the hobby into a buisness/job: Its a lot of work, it doesnt usually pay off very well, but they wouldnt trade the experience for anything.

I bred several different types of Apistos and angels for petshops and wholesalers in my area a few years ago - I also kept it LLC though I honestly cant imagine being sued over fish... As I said, rewarding, fun, wouldn't trade the experience for anything.. but I'm not doing it now. Its a time consuming and space demanding job. Its mostly a question of turnover.. how quickly can you grow out the fry to sellable size and make money on them. For me, that was about two months with multiple daily rations of different live foods (which also had to be fed and rotated/cultured), large tanks in rack designs, and tri-weekly water changes.. though they were more like water flushes.

I did break even on food, electricity, heating and water costs.. and even made some money to put away for college (which just got spent on ichthology books, so, its still all the same stinking thing, lol.)

I too would say angels for being able to sell the fry, chocolate gouramies, some Apistos and the rare Kribensis should also go over well. ;)
>Sarah

[CCchaos04]

well today i got a couple albino eureka red peacocks from a local breeder so im going to try to breed those and i also got a group of zebra obliquiden fry from another local breeder and i plan on raising those until they are big enough to breed. How big do zebra obliquidens have to be to breed, What about peacocks and yellow labs.

[erratum]

I've just entered the hobby & have Yellow Lab fry. I've a dominate male & 2 females. All three are less than 2 inches long, and I believe the male to have bred with both, as I have seen the antics of "courtship" displayed with each female on a few different occasions.

I never saw either female "spit", and discovered 2 fry two days ago (either all I could see throught the breeding "grass", or the rest were gobbled up.) The fry I can see are 1/4 inch & have been taking sinking cichlid pelets, after grinding them to a powder, algae from algae pellet, also ground down, as well as the occasional bloodworm.

The spawning antics were displayed after feedings of bryne shrimp as well as after feedings of sinking algae discs.

The labs are housed in a 30 gal cube, with a small pleco, two small khuli loaches, and four 2/3 inch long kenyi cichlids of yet-to-be-known sex.

:) Cute lil' buggars, .. the lab fry. I am in hopes to this continue on a regular basis.

[Z Man]

I've sold 100's of fish to my LFS over the past 20 years without any type of permit of any kind. As long as you give them your name & address for their records, everything is fine. Never even was questioned by anyone. I never even came close to breaking even either!