business is business

[giorid]

They say that business is business, yeah I know, and that it has brought alot of friendships undone too, but do any of you guys treat your fishkeeping as purely a hobby to enjoy or would you turn it into a business if you could and do it at any cost even if you had to sacrifice other parts of your life, is it worth it, just wondering, thanks. :)

[iro11a]

fishkeeping/discus for me is just a hobby... and personaly i don't think you can make money even breeding discus, if your lucky you will be able to cover your costs etc but even selling fish is not a easy takes as everyone wants everything for nothing.

I would never quite my day job to say for example just breed discus even though i would enjoy it alot more.

[Hooked]

Hi Giorid,
I'd have to say that going forward into a business where you are concerned/expecting to possibly loose a friendship and then continue it at all "costs", expecting to have to give up important parts of your life as well.... is perhaps not a business that would be "worth" it in the long run to start out in.
Being passionate about something is the best foundation for a business venture in my opinion. Doing your research (the boring bit) on your competition first, before diving in, and possible market is a must.
I think a lot of people get stars in their eyes when they see the potential to make money out of their hobby but when you factor in your labour costs alone, is it really worth it.
I have a good friend who bred discus for a long time only to have his house broken into by a customer and only his best pairs taken. He tracked them down and got them back (very lucky) but it spoilt it for him after that and now doesn't bother to breed much.
If I can breed some nice fish (most in Perth I'm sure were classed as culls before leaving Asia) and sell a few to select people and cover some costs then that's about all I expect/hope to do.

If you get what you want out of it and its worth it to YOU....... then its worth it! : )



Cheers

[Xerxes]

I have a business of my own (not fishkeeping), but I would say that if you were starting in any business, you can't JUST breed discus and focus on such a narrow market

(unless you are willing to and have the knowledge in international/national transport of fish--and somehow cultivate trust in the online fishbuying community who would buy fish they never looked at and were just satisfied by your pictures on your updated website, for discus no less).

I think it would be a blast to open up a local fish shop, sell the guppies and goldfish for the average joe hobbyist fishkeeper, and some exotic breeds of angelfish for the intermediate fishie, and then some discus for the nuttie people who don't mind burning their money. You would basically be a retailer selling air stones and filter canisters, etc. My local fish shops do a good business going around to their clients doing a once-a-month water change for about U$80 a pop. Talk about bourgeois rip-off, but people will do it, especially the saltwater keepers and the businesses that want a fish tank on site (good Fung-Shui), but don't want the hassle.

If you breed angels or discus at home, probably you will sink more money than make it, just from looking at my own personal private attempts, although I've never thought too hard on this all. This guy down the street from me does the once-a-month fish cleaning bit and has the worst stock of fish I've ever seen, but he also sells rabbits, hamsters, equipment and does a good clip. I say, if you wanna do it, you gotta do it. Although most private businesses go belly up, and about a fifth go on to be profitable. Again, business is good initial research, good guts, good luck, and good luck, and then good guts when the business turns downward as it always does.

Oh, hey, the economy sucks to start a new business. NO buddy is spending money on inessentials, including fish probably. Oh, and you gotta sell to friends (although I personally don't and refer them to someone else, unless they insist on coming to me).

Just my $.02 (Hew, although I sure wrote a lot--I must not really really wanna do my work today).

[swampy1972]

The others have already covered most of the valid points concerning your question, but I thought I'd ask to see if you've seen a commercial breeding/wholesale operation and the shear scale it takes to turn a profit.. They are immense!

I went to a fish wholesaler last year in Western Sydney to drop off some fish for a friend. This place took up 2 large industrial units + 3 shipping containers converted into fishrooms! The cost of the purchase/rent on the property alone would have been $100K's per year.. THAT'S A LOT OF FISH SALES..

From the look of the cars parked outside, no-one there was living the high-life, just working hard.. But who knows, maybe the owner was sipping champagne somewhere?? :P

All I'm saying is that if you want to go into it to develop your sole income, I doubt you'll do it from your backyard garage. If you have the ability to fund and run a commercial scale operation, then my hat goes off to you and I hope you make a million $$ :wink:

[Old Dave]

My worry is that the cost of clean water & electricity haven't stopped going up.

If you want to be serious about it, you need to be in warmer climates with plenty of rainfall.
Maybe solar power with a backup generator?
Proximity to an airport would be another essential.

How easy would it be to get wiped out by disease or a stupid mistake?

As for me, my fish are a way of relaxation.
Depending on how you look at it, the reward already exceeds the costs..

jmo,
Dave

[ILLUSN]

IMO dont even think of it!!!!!!!

seriously after overheads you wont break even and the cost to your life is beyond measuring, at the height of my fish room with 11 pairs of discus i was heamoraging 1K a month in power alone, + water (2000L/day) + food ($30kg)+ running costs (replacing lights, water conditioner, filter wool) and 67+ hours a week just to have tiny little things (cockaroach contaminsted with insecticide/ overdose of chlorine in tap water/ power cuts)) ruin EVERYTHING!

keep small, breed what you like, sell what you can and just enjoy the hobby.

[Wendy]

Fish are most definitely a hobby for me, I like the challenge of getting them to breed and raising a batch of babies up to adult and picking the best to keep. At the moment water changes etc on around 20 tanks is fun. It is enough to keep it interesting with room for quite a few different varieties. I suspect however turning this hobby into a job and having to do things on a much bigger scale would eventually prove to be a bit of a chore.

[giorid]

Thanks for your input folks, I guess we'll have to keep buying/importing discus, etc, etc, because it's become too expensive to start any kind of business, when will we see made in china discus, :) just joking.

[mistakes r crucial]

keep small, breed what you like, sell what you can and just enjoy the hobby.

The best advice I've heard in a very long time unless you have very deep pockets, a heart the size of a Lion, the patience of Job and the luck of the Devil!