Return on Investment of Shrimp.
- Thread starter matefrio
- Start date
If you bred red cherries, you could sell them locally at a dollar or 2. All they need is a 10 or 15g tank to themselves, and you'll be swarming with them. I'd also add a lot of mosses and carpeting plants, maybe a rock or a piece of driftwood for them to scale.
As the income starts flowing, you can buy a few crystal red shrimp. They're usually 10-20$ online, take longer to breed than cherries, but sell quickly and could make a booming buisness.
As the income starts flowing, you can buy a few crystal red shrimp. They're usually 10-20$ online, take longer to breed than cherries, but sell quickly and could make a booming buisness.
They LFS here sells them for a buck, so it really depends on what the going price is around you neighborhood, but you can always get $1+ on Aquabid/eBay.
Dwarf Puffers - I was looking for more detail but good growth model.
vampie - Red Cherries may not be the best shrimp to start with as they do sell for about $1 or they may depending on the numbers.
Anyone else? I plan to put together my own ROI if no one else has done it.
Things I plan to include:
vampie - Red Cherries may not be the best shrimp to start with as they do sell for about $1 or they may depending on the numbers.
Anyone else? I plan to put together my own ROI if no one else has done it.
Things I plan to include:
- My time - Discounted if I do something I enjoy.
- Setup Costs including equipment
- Breading stock cost
- Upkeep - Electricity, food, filter media, etc.
- Growth and Reproductive Rate
- Shipping including packaging.
- Room in home.
- What scale to use .. One 10 gallon tank? Ten ten gallon tanks?
I'm currently breeding Macrobrachium dayanum (Red Claw shrimp), a species of freshwater prawn.
I've got four tanks 3 10g 1 15g. One tank to house the breeding adults and three for grow out tanks. Red Claw shrimp are more aggressive than dwarf shrimp, though they are extremely docile for prawns, so adults cannot be crowded like Ghost, RCS, CRS, etc... I'm selling groups of 6 juveniles for $15.00 online, and larger groups to LFS.
I sell the juveniles, at about one inch, to prevent deaths from fighting.
For filtration, all shrimp do well with cheap air driven sponge filters. This also keeps the larval or young shrimp from being killed by the filter.
I got the 10g tanks for about $10.00 each and the filters for about $8.00. I also have heaters, the weather here gets cold. Most are cheap filters that cost about $15.00. I built lids from acrylic and florescent light kits from Home Depot, say ~$10.00 with the tube costing ~$15 (full spectrum).
The tanks are kept on a heavy duty metal shelving system that cost $35.00.
I currently have 3 adults; 45 1+ inch juveniles; 15 1/4 inch juveniles; and another brood that will hatch in another week or two.
For shipping, I purchased a package of breath bags and use USPS flat rate priority mail boxes. The boxes are free, but it's ~$8.50 to ship anywhere in the US.
I haven't tracked how much it costs to run the filters and lights (the heaters really don't run much right now).
I've got four tanks 3 10g 1 15g. One tank to house the breeding adults and three for grow out tanks. Red Claw shrimp are more aggressive than dwarf shrimp, though they are extremely docile for prawns, so adults cannot be crowded like Ghost, RCS, CRS, etc... I'm selling groups of 6 juveniles for $15.00 online, and larger groups to LFS.
I sell the juveniles, at about one inch, to prevent deaths from fighting.
For filtration, all shrimp do well with cheap air driven sponge filters. This also keeps the larval or young shrimp from being killed by the filter.
I got the 10g tanks for about $10.00 each and the filters for about $8.00. I also have heaters, the weather here gets cold. Most are cheap filters that cost about $15.00. I built lids from acrylic and florescent light kits from Home Depot, say ~$10.00 with the tube costing ~$15 (full spectrum).
The tanks are kept on a heavy duty metal shelving system that cost $35.00.
I currently have 3 adults; 45 1+ inch juveniles; 15 1/4 inch juveniles; and another brood that will hatch in another week or two.
For shipping, I purchased a package of breath bags and use USPS flat rate priority mail boxes. The boxes are free, but it's ~$8.50 to ship anywhere in the US.
I haven't tracked how much it costs to run the filters and lights (the heaters really don't run much right now).
legendaryfrog
Tactical Refreshment Action
hmmmmmmmm........if i were to start breeding RCS for profit, I would have one large tank instead of many small ones. Reason being, my fiancee hasnt been very succesful at breeding RCS in 10g tanks.
If budget is tight, you could start with an indoor pond.
If budget is tight, you could start with an indoor pond.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
If it were me, I would use a large feeding trough with shoplights and sponge filters. Remember the shrimp are there to make money for you, not to look nice in one of your tanks.
If you have relatively soft, acidic water, you should look into raising tiger shrimp, bumblebee shrimp or crystal red shrimp. They're not nearly as common as Cherry shrimp and you'll be able to get a lot more money.
Come to think of it, maybe I'll try doing that. I have perfect water for tiger shrimp, CRS and bumblebees (don't keep all three, they'll hybridize). Also they prefer cooler temperatures so you don't need a heater.
Sam
go out and get the biggest rubbermaid container you can find. if you can find one that is around 30-50 gallons, it should be fine for a while, and will cost much less than a comparibly sized tank. then, get a sponge filter that will be able to filter the tub adequatley, and add a bit of driftwood and a few patches of moss. you are also going to want to get some overhang lights that will be powerful enough to reach the java moss at the bottom and allow it to grow.
start with 6-10 cherry shrimp, and they shoudl start breeding on their own. you may also want to try ghost shrimp or ammano shrimp.
start with 6-10 cherry shrimp, and they shoudl start breeding on their own. you may also want to try ghost shrimp or ammano shrimp.
Ghost shrimp sell for way too cheap to make it worth while. Amano shrimp require saltwater in their larval stage so that's a lot of work. Also Amano shrimp still sell for less than Cherry shrimp (at least they do around here).