An aquarium with fish is always a very beautiful and peaceful sight. Today people want to have such a small piece of the natural world both at home and in offices. A lot can be said about the benefits of an aquarium. Today we are interested in whether it will be profitable to breed aquarium fish for sale at home. This business will operate in big cities. Despite people's love for aquarium fish, there is not much competition in the market.
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Begin
The breeding process itself is not very complicated, but it requires attention and patience. Many people do it to earn extra income. To be an aquarist means to be a truly passionate person. Experience shows that only enthusiasts can achieve success. You will have to study the lifestyle of these creatures, be able to maintain the desired water temperature, its hardness, and light conditions. Any fluctuations in these parameters can lead to the death of the fish.
Where to start breeding aquarium fish at home?
The key to successful sales in the aquarium fish market is strict adherence to fashion. Yes, today there is such a trend. New rare varieties are sold very expensively, and some are ready to be given away for free. In addition to fish, shrimp, newts, and snails take root well in aquariums. They are also in demand. Priority may vary by region. In the capital, for example, zebra catfish are offered for $300. In small towns it is considered prestigious to have a corntail betta in the aquarium. The most popular varieties include cuckoo catfish and cichlids. Bottom species are popular.
Home aquariums are usually small in size. The inhabitants are also characterized by their small size and unpretentiousness. These are, for example, dwarf corydoras, the barb family, and blue neons. The last species is generally a classic of the aquarium hobby. Before you start breeding aquarium fish, you need to consult with pet store sellers about which species is most in demand.
What kind of aquariums can you make?
Depending on the material used, a home aquarium can be all-glass, frame, glass or plastic. When making all-glass panels, the presence of seams is not allowed. They are the most expensive.
When making frame glass, glass is attached to a special metal frame. The main disadvantage is its destruction over time. Glued glass aquariums are the most common. During manufacturing, the plates are connected to each other with a special compound.
Plastic ones are made from plexiglass. The material is subject to mechanical damage, but at the same time has minimal weight.
Features of this direction
The specifics of this business are such that one fish can cost a dollar, or maybe a hundred. It depends on the species. The price also depends on the age of the young animals. Very small individuals cost no more than a dollar, but an adult individual of the same species costs several dollars.
To begin with, you can breed fish in three aquariums with a volume of 400 liters. The costs of their maintenance are usually set per cubic decimeter. In addition, you will need to purchase:
| 1 | compressors |
| 2 | filters for water |
| 3 | lamps for illumination |
| 4 | thermostats |
| 5 | automatic feeders |
The mandatory conditions for maintenance include the following:
| 1 | Direct sunlight should not penetrate into the room. Natural light is difficult to regulate. It is better that the inhabitants of the aquarium receive light from artificial lamps. |
| 2 | Containers should not be placed near heating or heating devices. |
| 3 | It is better to install aquariums in one tier. Piling them up can make the structure unstable. In addition, feeding the inhabitants and cleaning the containers will be inconvenient. It is imperative to correctly calculate the load on the racks. |
| 4 | There are separate aquariums for adult fish and fry. |
At the same time, you can breed aquarium plants. For them, the main thing is a high-quality substrate . It is through it that the plant receives all the substances it needs. If algae grow poorly, then they lack microminerals. For good growth you will definitely need: calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus. Often the main element is iron. Stores have ready-made soil for aquariums. As a rule, the packaging contains the composition of everything that enriches the soil.
Algae love a lot of light. They need to provide constant illumination with fluorescent lamps. For active plant growth, the water will need to be enriched with carbon dioxide. Usually the natural amount is not enough for rapid algae growth. There are special CO 2 solutions, but you can use a plant for its production.
The essence of business
There are 2 options for developing your own business. You can choose one direction or two at once. An entrepreneur can create aquariums for further sale or only grow fish. Each direction has its own characteristics that need to be taken into account in advance.
Making aquariums
At the initial stages, you can make 4-5 aquariums per month. Buyers can be private individuals who need a product of an unusual shape or size, entrepreneurs who have their own business selling pet products, as well as wholesale buyers.
The aquarium manufacturing business is profitable in any city. Important conditions for opening it are registration of a private enterprise, an agreement on the right to rent the premises or its property, and the choice of conditions for paying taxes. It is advisable to produce aquariums in separate rooms. It is extremely important to have a powerful hood. The aquarium is made of glass or polymer. If the entrepreneur proves himself well, then finding wholesale buyers will not be difficult.
Selling fish
Raising fish is profitable in any case. It is better to give preference to the reproduction of rarer subspecies. They are the most in demand. Additionally, the profitability of such a business will be several times higher. The main thing is to create a suitable habitat for the selected fish. Otherwise, all representatives will quickly die, and the entrepreneur will suffer financial losses. Only under good conditions can you count on fish reproduction at a sufficient level.
It should be taken into account that some fish have completely different conditions of detention, so 2-5 aquariums may be required. It is imperative to dose the diet and select it correctly, taking into account the subspecies. Even a novice entrepreneur will be able to understand the intricacies of growing.
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It is important not to overfeed your pets and give them a variety of foods. The largest amount of investment goes into equipment. The price of fish depends on their beauty and rarity, the survival rate of representatives and ease of care. This all affects the quality characteristics of pets.
How much can you earn from breeding aquarium fish?
Much has been written about how to breed fish and plants in an aquarium. With the correct organization of the process, a businessman can receive his first profit within six months. There should be several age groups on sale: from fry to teenagers. You can use the following as sales channels:
| 1 | Community of aquarium fish lovers. They are always interested in new species and update their collections. |
| 2 | Conclude a contract for supply to a pet store. The entrepreneur may lose something in price, but sales will be stable and wholesale. |
| 3 | Post information on the Internet. These include message boards, special forums, and thematic sites. |
It is known from experience that having 12 aquariums, you can earn more than 40 thousand rubles in net profit. You will have to invest more than 200 thousand rubles in organizing a business. This amount will pay off in less than a year. The good thing about business is that it gives you the opportunity to choose which species to breed: expensive or cheap, where to organize such a mini-farm, and it can be a supplement to your main job.
How to create conditions for reproduction?
To breed fish, you will need more than just separate aquariums. The following units are used for equipment:
- Filters with mechanical, biological and chemical cleaning.
- Compressors. The power level is determined individually. The phenotypes of the fish that are selected for breeding are taken into account.
- Lighting equipment. The power level of fluorescent lamps is determined individually.
- Temperature level regulators.
- Automated feeders.
In order for aquarium fish to reproduce normally, the following rules are taken into account:
- The tank with shellfish and fish should not be exposed to sunlight. This is because the level of natural radiation is difficult to adjust. Therefore, the selection is carried out with special care.
- Do not place aquariums near heating units.
- To place the tanks, special cabinets are used, which are durable and reliable.
- A separate container is prepared for the fry. After all, adult phenotypes violate their personal space.
Which OKVED code must be specified for breeding aquarium fish?
To legalize this line of business, it is enough to undergo state registration as an individual entrepreneur. In the application submitted, we indicate the OKVED code 46.23, which includes services directly related to the wholesale trade of live animals.
If you plan to expand your activities in the future, then we additionally note code 47.76, which includes the provision of services for the retail sale of flowers and other plants, as well as pets and seeds, pet food in specialized retail outlets.
Problems of a new entrepreneur
To have a stable profit, numerous conditions are necessary. We need to analyze the market.
Equipment for commercial aquarium keeping
Currently, the demand for exotic fish breeds is quite high. Additional conditions must be provided for the reproduction of expensive aquarium inhabitants. The intensity of lighting in a room is of great importance. Each breed of ornamental fish requires a certain water temperature. Several aquariums of different sizes need to be purchased when starting a business. For a beginning entrepreneur in the field of commercial aquarium farming, you need universal aquariums with a volume of 200-250 liters in an amount of 10-12 pieces. How to place these containers correctly?
Durable shelf racks with aquariums should be installed in 2 or 3 tiers. Glass containers for spawning and juveniles will occupy the lower shelves. The heaviest large aquarium should be installed at the top. The inhabitants of the aquarium should be properly distributed among different containers, since they often do not get along well with each other. Small aquariums are required to keep newborn fry.
What ornamental fish are profitable to breed?
You should thoroughly study the demand for this product. It is quite risky to buy fry at the market, so you should not do this. It will be a waste of money and time if you lose your young. When engaged in commercial aquarium fish farming, it is important to choose the right species of ornamental fish for breeding.
Breeds of aquarium fish that can be easily bred are common, and there is no need to choose them. The cost of such fish is quite low. It is better to start your entrepreneurial activity with beautiful, but unpretentious breeds of ornamental fish. When the necessary funds and experience become available, you can begin breeding complex exotic breeds.
To select a breed of aquarium fish, the following criteria are decisive:
- peacefulness;
- beautiful decorative coloring;
- omnivorous;
- growth rate.
It is better to choose non-aggressive fish species. Barbs are quite peaceful, unpretentious and nimble aquarium inhabitants. They reproduce very easily. Wayward cichlids and goldfish with unique colors reproduce well. Imported little-studied fish from Asian countries are beautiful, but they reproduce extremely slowly. Gourami, bettas, and guppies are very unpretentious fish. Even novice entrepreneurs can cope with their content. The price of goldfish increases to 420 rubles per piece. About 75 rubles apiece is the cost of the simplest guppy.
What to feed the fish? To keep them healthy and grow well, provide the fish with a varied diet. Overfeeding is very harmful. This affects the health of waterfowl. It is necessary to feed fish correctly. You should not limit yourself to one type of food. There is no need to use only artificial food. The exotic inhabitants of the aquarium absolutely need live food 2-3 times a week. Fish most often become seriously ill in the absence of it. They become painful and lethargic. The fish feel discomfort.
How to sell ornamental aquarium fish profitably? Private individuals purchase fish in small quantities. Wholesale resellers and pet stores purchase goods in large quantities at a lower price. An entrepreneur can pay visits to pet stores with interesting proposals for mutually beneficial cooperation. On the Internet, it is necessary to correctly provide the necessary information to ensure active sales of decorative aquarium inhabitants. In order to attract potential buyers, you can use social networks, forums, and websites with advertisements.
Transportation of ornamental fish is carried out in tanks with a lid, necessary for transporting floating inhabitants of aquariums. For an entrepreneur this is a very troublesome task. The volume of the container must be selected taking into account the length of the journey and the number of aquarium fish.
What should you choose?
For a newbie in business, the first question is where to start? It would be useful to study the main preferences of aquarium owners in your city, as well as carefully analyze the range of products that are presented in major pet stores. Find out what your competitors are offering, if there are any in the market.
To decide which varieties of aquarium fish to give preference to, you should follow a few tips:
- The cost of each copy should not be too low, as this will not bring any benefit.
- The product is in demand, but not mass-produced, which can be found in any store.
- Don't choose fish that are too exotic. It is quite difficult to bring them from abroad, bypassing customs rules, and they also have low adaptive abilities, as a result of which they may die or will not reproduce.
- Also, you should not choose varieties for business that are too difficult to breed or those about which there is almost no information. They will not only be difficult to care for, but also to sell.
Among the best options we can recommend the following - Barbus Denisoni, Synodontis Petrichola, Knife Chitala, Parrot Cichlid or Goldfish. Although, if you know the matter and have some experience, you can find other types of sold copies.
Whichever option you choose, remember that before you start breeding fish you need to know everything about them: behavioral characteristics, reproduction, how and what to feed, in which groups to keep, nuances of the microclimate, suitable plants, required level of lighting and much more.
Room equipment
As we have already said, aquarium business plans most often do not involve renting additional space due to the fact that it is possible to place all the necessary equipment in your own apartment. However, for such an activity it is recommended to allocate a separate room, which it is advisable to darken. Daylight in it will be replaced by artificial lighting.
The aquariums themselves should be located away from heating devices and radiators. It is also necessary to keep in mind that even a fish farm consisting of 10 aquariums will have a significant weight. To withstand it, the floors must be strong enough. In addition, you need to take into account that aquariums should never be placed in several tiers.
