Making $ With My New Tank

Brennon272 · Mar 12, 2019

Hello,

I have been a long time lurker (yes I have read A LOT of the "making money" threads), where most people highlight high overhead and the shear time involved as main causes of lack of profit and mostly loss. I am not trying to run a business, I just want to offset the cost of my newly acquired tank (an upgrade from my old tank). I just purchased a 155g tank locally used for a great price ($300 with stand). I am upgrading from a 55g tank and really want to have a more "high end" approach with this aquarium. I know that i will have multiples of my purchase price in my setup before I ever put the first fish in it. My question is this: with a more high end approach, is there an opportunity to break even on my setup by growing/breeding fish, coral, etc. in an effort to BREAK EVEN. I did not get into this to make money, however If i could offset my costs and deliver mid to high end products at reasonable prices to fellow hobbyists then I feel like it could be a win-win. I also own multiple smaller tanks that I could use as growing and breeding tanks. I am also not opposed to shipping or dealing with customers online (I already do this with another business I have). If so, what are some recommended species to take a look at? I know this is a long term venture, but feel like I could do it with my expertise and persistence. I am also located in S. Florida so second hand items from tanks to equipment are available all the time at great prices which helps a lot and I essentially have warm temperatures year round.

GabeM · Mar 12, 2019

For me, trying to make money off of the hobby would ruin most of my enjoyment of it. I do not think it is unreasonable to make a few bucks back here and there though - I know of some locals who have done it pretty well.

Dan P · Mar 12, 2019

I recoup some of the costs by trading frags back to the LFS in exchange for credit. Covers the T5 bulbs and food, and many of the corals I buy. I doubt I’m anywhere near breaking even though lol.

landlubber · Mar 12, 2019

Dan P said:
I recoup some of the costs by trading frags back to the LFS in exchange for credit. Covers the T5 bulbs and food, and many of the corals I buy. I doubt I’m anywhere near breaking even though lol.

I do the same as well but when I consider the start-up costs and every dollar I've spent since, we might have flying cars before I see numbers in black.

sde1500 · Mar 12, 2019

Brennon272 said:
is there an opportunity to break even on my setup by growing/breeding fish

At a hobbyist level almost certainly not.

Brennon272 said:
coral

Possibly here, it would depend on quality/quantity of corals you have and grow.

Brennon272 said:
I know this is a long term venture, but feel like I could do it with my expertise and persistence.

How good are you at growing a lot of corals fast? Running an online coral shop I don't think really compares to almost any other online business. You can have the best website in existence but if your tank keeping skills are trash, then what?
I think the best aim is to keep a nice tank, have success growing corals and keeping fish. Anything further, which really would be frags from overgrown corals, is just a bonus.