Working in the Aquarium Industry: Would you consider it?

MightyMO · Oct 9, 2020

I have worked in the industry already... The problem was that it didn't pay good. If I can't pay my bills doing what I'm doing, then it isn't feasible...

Silent · Oct 9, 2020

Boanerges said:
I would love to get paid for something I'm willing to volunteer for.

You volunteer for the government? LOL

Labora · Oct 9, 2020

Wouldn't do anything requiring import of livestock. Too much disease in the hobby.

BannerFish · Oct 9, 2020

revhtree said:
Today let's have a little fun and talk about working in the aquarium industry. Some of you may a;ready but many, and most of you do not. But would you ever consider it?

1. Would you ever consider working in the aquarium industry? Why or why not?

2. If you did work in the industry what would you want to be doing or owning?

Other (please explain)

would like to start my fish export company.

JasonC. · Oct 9, 2020

I would love to work in the aquarium industry, it just doesn't pay enough. Well unless you owned a successful shop or something like that. Most people I know that do work in it can hardly afford to build their own tanks, but they do get hook up from time to time.

wolfthefallen · Oct 9, 2020

I would love to work in my field in the aquarium industry. But not a whole lot of positions for an IT Security Professional for aquarium businesses, even if I doubled as their IT guy. Though if there was one out there, I got my resume ready!

TheOldSalt · Oct 9, 2020

Been there, done that.

I've worked in three pet stores, and owned one.
I've worked on commercial fish farms, including a clownfish farm.
I'm a fish farmer today, but only on a small scale.
I've also worked in two zoos and aquariums, and was the Senior Aquarist at one aquarium.

You know what?
It's fun for a week or so, but then it's just another job. Doing it for a living takes the fun out of it.

That won't stop me, though.

tony'stank · Oct 9, 2020

Years ago when I lived in rural AZ two local LFS closed. Both were offered to me as a retirement purchase and job. I consulted with the owners of three LFS in Las Vegas where I regularly shopped. All three told me it was a good way to lose my retirement. Fortunately I listened to them.

Reefs anonymous · Oct 9, 2020

Nope, working in the industry isn’t for me, cause what would I do for fun?

FangsAndGames · Oct 9, 2020

I just turned of legal age I my state and their is an insane LFS near me who I’ve made freinds with a lot of the employees. That or there’s a really nice reptile shop of the same caliber

gabrielw94106 · Oct 9, 2020

I would love to work in the aquarium industry. I am currently in college to get a marine biology degree. I hopefully can work at the Monterey bay aquarium. I really enjoy the coral side and hopefully can emphasize my degree on such.

pdxmonkeyboy · Oct 9, 2020

Absolutely, I always wondered what it would be like to..
A. be poor
and
B. work with people with unrealistic expectations every day.

richarddeweerd · Oct 9, 2020

I would love to work in a big public aquarium as a maintenance engineer.

Vette67 · Oct 9, 2020

About 15 years ago, a friend and I almost did. We had someone willing to invest the seed money to open up a storefront, and I registered the domain SimplySaltwater.com (Up for grabs if anyone wants it). We started to put together the business proposal, looked into registering an LLP, and that's about as far as we got. So, who knows where things would be if we had followed through more thoroughly. So, that was my one shot, and it's too late in life for me to make that kind of change now.

JaimeAdams · Oct 9, 2020

I run a LFS. The job its self is really good, but as others have said the pay isn't as good.

Ardeus · Oct 9, 2020

1. Would you ever consider working in the aquarium industry? Why or why not?

No. It would make as much sense as saying, "I really love people, so I would love to work in the slave trade"

2. If you did work in the industry what would you want to be doing or owning?

Setting up virtual reef tanks (I did do that for some time).

bkhunt · Oct 9, 2020

I would love to have a store. There is a very good, dedicated saltwater, that is an hour plus away from me. There are 2 LFS that is ok but has gone down hill. Another is overpriced compared to the other but has a decent selection of fish an usually minimal coral. There also have been a few that closed for various reasons but none seem to be lack of business.

Would love to have a dedicated saltwater store on this side of town. Having higher end corals and fish would be a focus. My biggest pet peeve is going into places and tanks are empty. Plus our area is a black hole for serious saltwater tank enthusiasts.

Blknovass · Oct 9, 2020

I said no and here is why. If you spend 8-10 hours a day working on them testing water and all of the things this hobby has to do you are not going to go home and want to work on your system as well.

Nigel35 · Oct 9, 2020

You get to be around what you love. Although it would be a retirement job just saying...

Ronny Pena · Oct 9, 2020

I own a store in Dominican Republic. I ship the most rare and exclusive fish both Fresh and Saltwater of the country from Wholesalers in the United States. I got all my permits from the government when I was just 21 yo.

Now I'm 24, it's a hard business, specially in a small country with limited possibilities but I love the feeling of opening recently arrived boxes with those rare Anthias or Yasha Gobies paired with shrimps.

Since I'm outside of the US my prices are usually higher than those on the internet, so it's sometimes hard to explain that I can't sell Hippo Blue Tang at $60 bucks like in Liveaquaria, even when they know they can't purchase them from Liveaquaria.

I'm also a Veterinarian, so I usually have to work with other aspects of the pet industry, but at the end of the day I'm happy that I'm in it.