Once I get my fish room going, I'm going to get another two 10gals for shrimp. I was thinking one with Yellow Neocardina and the other with CRS and CBS. What do you think?
Breeding shrimp for profit?
- Thread starter newbie breeder
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I think yer jumping into it too fast and not really listening to what people are telling you.
If you are doing this -purely- for breeding, substrate is not needed. At most, I would put some java moss and a piece of driftwood into a bare bottom tank.
Further, if you have never raised shrimp, I would have started with something bullet proof and cheep like RCS. Yes, they are only a buck a head normally, but they give a good start on what shrimp demands are like, what is needed to ship successfully, and as they are cheep, there is always a market.
Further, what is your market? Do you have local shops in the area you can supply? Are you looking at only internet sales?
You are not going to build a retirement account on 3 5.5 gal tanks. Some people would argue its not even going to get you beer money. It can be a relatively painless way to offest hobby costs though, and that is how I would start looking at it. Then, if you find it enjoyable as a hobby, I would look to broadening your horizons.
If you are doing this -purely- for breeding, substrate is not needed. At most, I would put some java moss and a piece of driftwood into a bare bottom tank.
Further, if you have never raised shrimp, I would have started with something bullet proof and cheep like RCS. Yes, they are only a buck a head normally, but they give a good start on what shrimp demands are like, what is needed to ship successfully, and as they are cheep, there is always a market.
Further, what is your market? Do you have local shops in the area you can supply? Are you looking at only internet sales?
You are not going to build a retirement account on 3 5.5 gal tanks. Some people would argue its not even going to get you beer money. It can be a relatively painless way to offest hobby costs though, and that is how I would start looking at it. Then, if you find it enjoyable as a hobby, I would look to broadening your horizons.
I did a few hours of research on shrimp species and keeping. Now the Taiwain Painted Fire Shrimp which is the one I will be getting is a breed of RCS that was selectively bred to be redder, they need the same parameters as RCS and even go for about the same price. I just liked the color better. I do have a good amount of local shops that are not company owned and I do know a few owners of the shops. I guess i should have mentioned this off the bat but I am 14 years old so I have no plan on doing this full time obviously as I have school. I'm getting a 9 foot long x 5 foot wide x 8 Foot tall room that I will be using mainly as a fish room. I am going to mainly have 10 or 20gal tanks with shrimp or smaller fish. I've done some math and if this works out I can make some money, I don't know why that many people think you can't, full time it might be harder...But i guess time will tell. I do want to sell mostly online as I know that I can get a higher price then selling below wholesale price to LFS. I've been in touch will a few exporters oversea's regarding rare shrimp such as Panda, and a very new shrimp Blue King Kong which are over $100 a shrimp.
Thanks for recommending no substrate, that might save me a few bucks. I have some java moss and am probably going to order some more.
Thanks for recommending no substrate, that might save me a few bucks. I have some java moss and am probably going to order some more.
Some of us have been doing the shrimp thing for a couple of years. People have been politely trying to dampen your enthusiasm before you invest too heavily in something that some of us Have experience doing. Before you invest in enough $100.00 shrimp, prove to your self you can rear and sell quantities of $5.00 shrimp. Water conditions are identical, but you know that from your hours of research. Since you know that, why are you ignoring that. <-- Rhetorical question. No need for an answer.
Because we know from experience, that you can't. We think you can't do it as only a few have done it and they had hundreds of gallons of tanks and thousands of dollars invested in livestock and water treatment tools. Optimism is great. You'll need it if a tank of $100.00 per shrimp breeding colony crashes. Some of us have been there too.
Why is it that you think you have to go overseas for quality breeding stock?
There are several successful aquatic shrimp breeders in the US that can supply every shrimp you've named without the governmental paperwork.
Have you done a bit of research regarding shipping and handling costs? How about packaging costs? How about that the new USPS reduced levels of service coming in 2012?
Ok, quick question. Your success depends on it.
How much is a health certificate - that is required by our government - that must accompany the shipment from your overseas exporter?
I can guarantee that at 14 you do NOT want to end up on the naughty lists kept by APHIS, ICE, Homeland Security, and the US Department of Agriculture. Which is where you will be if you import illegally.
If you can't grow enough java moss you certainly can't raise expensive shrimp. Java moss will grow in an applesauce jar on a window sill .
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The shrimp I'm starting out with are around $1 give or take a quarter a piece. I'm not even putting $100 into the stock I put $25 into it. I'm not saying I'm going to be importing Shrimp, I was simply mentioning it. I am aware of the changes in price of shipping, just because the shipping price fluctuates does not mean people will stop buying online, if the demand is there so is the supply. And for your information I ship around 5-10 packages out a week so I am familiar. If I ever imported anything form oversea's I would obviously be aware of the country and states guidelines and I would need huge tanks which I am not expecting to have any time in the near future.
I can grow java moss... I just need more to completely fill the tank...it doesn't just instantly grow to the size I need it takes time.... Does it instantly grow for you? <--- Rhetorical question.... No need for an answer because the answer is no.
A lot of people are doing this and making money....Not as a business but because their shrimp breed.... If you're getting $3 for a CBS and a female is dropping 30 a month and 20 are surviving that is $60 a month per female shrimp.. Yeah I can do math. Now if you up that on a scale of something as small as 10 females 200 shrimplets survive, $600 a month.... People are doing this right now....
I'm not starting with CBS however because i know that they cost more and I would have to front more money and take a bigger risk and I have minimal experience with shrimp. I am starting with a 10gal that will be stocked will 15 Taiwan Fire Shrimp which again are around $1 a piece...They are a result of selective breeding CRS so they are fairly easy to keep and maintain and I will see how that goes before i start jumping into the shrimp breeding industry.
I can grow java moss... I just need more to completely fill the tank...it doesn't just instantly grow to the size I need it takes time.... Does it instantly grow for you? <--- Rhetorical question.... No need for an answer because the answer is no.
A lot of people are doing this and making money....Not as a business but because their shrimp breed.... If you're getting $3 for a CBS and a female is dropping 30 a month and 20 are surviving that is $60 a month per female shrimp.. Yeah I can do math. Now if you up that on a scale of something as small as 10 females 200 shrimplets survive, $600 a month.... People are doing this right now....
I'm not starting with CBS however because i know that they cost more and I would have to front more money and take a bigger risk and I have minimal experience with shrimp. I am starting with a 10gal that will be stocked will 15 Taiwan Fire Shrimp which again are around $1 a piece...They are a result of selective breeding CRS so they are fairly easy to keep and maintain and I will see how that goes before i start jumping into the shrimp breeding industry.
livebearerfreak
you are hypnotized! LOL
for 5.5 gallons at 12 bucks, you can get 10s right now for 1.00 at petco ( dollar sale ) saves you 4 to 6 bucks if you dont have the first 5.5 first, well i would do the 10 gallon and get 3 ( like you said with the 5.5 you wanted 3 ) and that would help alot. it may take awhile, but you could make SOME profit, there are really good venders on this site that sells really good quality shrimps. i would get all the right equiment togther first, then cycle the tank ( if you dont have a tank already cycled, if you do, then add some media from the already cycled tank to the new tanks ) and get some good shrimps from great members here ( jinkz comes to mind ) but other then that, good luck!!
I would listen to these guys. I'm also trying to start up shrimp tanks and am getting red rili and PFR/TFR next week as well for an AMAZING price. In fact, I spent multiple hours contact numerous people just to find this deal that I have set up. I looked at this whole shrimp breeding thing like "oh i'll just get some shrimp and they'll breed for me within a month," kinda like how you are now. Then I was told by multiple people that if you order juvis, it'll take a couple weeks to a month for them to reach breeding age, then females usually drop their first few groups of eggs. So that's possibly almost 3 months of NO breeding.. Meaning 3 possible months of NO profit. A friend I made on another forum said he came into shrimp breeding with the same goal and outlook, "quick breeding/quick money." Took him 5 months before he could successfully get the shrimp to breed. You, he, and I are all teens, me being the eldest. Take their word of advise. Conditions aren't always perfect and you run into setbacks such as bacterial infection, egg dropping, die offs, etc. You asked for their help and opinion, and they gave it to you. Acknowledge it, LISTEN to it, use it to help yourself, and thank them for even taking the time to try to help you out. Anyways...
As for moving up to CRS/CBS, what are your water params? I'm sure you know this, but they require different params than neos. They can be kept and live at some params, but not likely to breed.
And your berried rili, what will you do if she drops her eggs? Like I said, it's a very likely possibility, especially since she's going to be introduced into new water parameters than she's used to.
As for moving up to CRS/CBS, what are your water params? I'm sure you know this, but they require different params than neos. They can be kept and live at some params, but not likely to breed.
And your berried rili, what will you do if she drops her eggs? Like I said, it's a very likely possibility, especially since she's going to be introduced into new water parameters than she's used to.
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Livebearerfreak-The 10 gal tank I have now I picked up from a friend that wasn't using it for like $2 which is a good deal. I will defiantly look into the $1 a gallon sale though. Thanks for telling me that.
Neps- I also looked around for quite a while trying to find a good deal. This was the best one by far that I could locate. The guy I bought them from told me they were all adults,but.....People do often lie so time will tell. I don't mind waiting a month of two for them to start getting berried because I wasn't going to be shipping this winter anyway.
CBS/CRS- I talked to jinkz about these and she said that I need to have RO water for this...I spoke to another member who said that he doesn't use RO water and his are breeding just fine. However I have an RO system in my house for my dads 280gal saltwater tank so If I get to the point where I get CBS/CRS I will just use RO water. My ph is a little high for them but I heard that sometimes the RO can lower ph and if not I will just have to treat the water.
If she drops her eggs, there's really nothing I can do...I'll se what happens and decide what to do with her at a later point.
Thanks you everyone for participating in this thread as well.
Neps- I also looked around for quite a while trying to find a good deal. This was the best one by far that I could locate. The guy I bought them from told me they were all adults,but.....People do often lie so time will tell. I don't mind waiting a month of two for them to start getting berried because I wasn't going to be shipping this winter anyway.
CBS/CRS- I talked to jinkz about these and she said that I need to have RO water for this...I spoke to another member who said that he doesn't use RO water and his are breeding just fine. However I have an RO system in my house for my dads 280gal saltwater tank so If I get to the point where I get CBS/CRS I will just use RO water. My ph is a little high for them but I heard that sometimes the RO can lower ph and if not I will just have to treat the water.
If she drops her eggs, there's really nothing I can do...I'll se what happens and decide what to do with her at a later point.
Thanks you everyone for participating in this thread as well.
Newbie breeder,
I want you to have a clear, real world perspective of what it takes to be a successful shrimp vendor. With any business, you should start out asking a few questions.
Here are some of my answers to the questions above.
I invested multiple thousands of dollars into the business (equipment, breeding stock, finding clients, shipping materials and costs).
I took care of the equipment, with limited help from others, while working full time.
Primarily, I sold to local and regional pet stores. I sold excess stock online via auctions and limited advertising.
If you want to be as successful as possible, you're going to need a good reputation as a breeder, and a seller. Unfortunately, a good reputation is difficult to create rapidly. The simplest way to do so is to start selling to people here, and on auction sights, where you can record and archive feedback. A good seller is someone who accurately describes the wares they sell, and ships them as well as possible. This is the type of reputation most vendors rely on. A good breeder is someone who takes the utmost care in acquiring breeding stock, and refining their breeding pools to breed true to the standard they advertise. Those are the breeders that have the potential to sell individual shrimp for large sums. It is not guaranteed though, demand drives the market.
Now, you can have success selling shrimp in a small easy to maintain setup, but don't plan on making hundreds of dollars annually.
Good luck.
I want you to have a clear, real world perspective of what it takes to be a successful shrimp vendor. With any business, you should start out asking a few questions.
- How much money do you have to invest (tanks, testing kits, livestock, website creation/maintenance, shipping supplies, food and maintenance equipment)?
- How much free time do you have to maintain your tanks, equipment, and get shipments packaged and delivered on time (think about how you spend your time; school, social life, sports/recreation, family obligations).
- What is your target market? Local pet stores(very difficult to do, you need to provide high volume for them), local hobbyists (cheap shipping, but very limited market) and online (wide market, more expensive shipping, international orders may be prohibitively expensive, and there are complex laws regarding shipping breeds of livestock over state and country boundaries).
- What are your operating costs (difficult to accurately predict with no experience. Here are a few; equipment replacement (filter media, testing equipment, electricity, shipping material).
- How much money do you realistically want to make. You'll have to plan on loosing money for a while, with the costs of purchasing tanks, breeding stock, and shipping material. FYI, depending on the type of business, a startup tends to loose money for the first year or more.
Here are some of my answers to the questions above.
I invested multiple thousands of dollars into the business (equipment, breeding stock, finding clients, shipping materials and costs).
I took care of the equipment, with limited help from others, while working full time.
Primarily, I sold to local and regional pet stores. I sold excess stock online via auctions and limited advertising.
If you want to be as successful as possible, you're going to need a good reputation as a breeder, and a seller. Unfortunately, a good reputation is difficult to create rapidly. The simplest way to do so is to start selling to people here, and on auction sights, where you can record and archive feedback. A good seller is someone who accurately describes the wares they sell, and ships them as well as possible. This is the type of reputation most vendors rely on. A good breeder is someone who takes the utmost care in acquiring breeding stock, and refining their breeding pools to breed true to the standard they advertise. Those are the breeders that have the potential to sell individual shrimp for large sums. It is not guaranteed though, demand drives the market.
Now, you can have success selling shrimp in a small easy to maintain setup, but don't plan on making hundreds of dollars annually.
Good luck.
