fish stores?

[phoenixfire]

has anyone ever sold any of there baby fish to stores...because i like breeding my fish..and i have a bunch so i wasnt sure if stores will buy or what i want to avoid, just having them take them...i work hard to get my fish to have the best colors so i would hate to see them just givin away toa fish store thats not gunna take care of them...has anyone ever sold them to fish stores? i know i should call but i didnt wanna seem dumb asking them if no other stores do this...thanks!

 

[paulthegreat]

I have been selling my juvies to many of the stores in my area for several months now. I have even recently been asked by the owner of one store and a cashier at a different store when I was going to have more ready for sale! Most of the stores I deal with prefer to buy from locals since they can get a better fish that was raised in the same water supply. There are also less deaths and injuries due to long transportation times. I would suggest that you go in and talk to the owner or manager in charge of purchases. Tell them what you are offering and maybe ask for a price about 33% of the amount that the store sells them for. They will usually want the fish to be of sale size and maybe even if some of the males are developing the gonopodium. I am able to sell my Swordies when they get to be 3-4cm and I get 10 Swedish Crowns per fish(about $1.35 US). You may even have to do a bit of salesmanship and explain why your fish are of superior quality, do not be afraid to brag and let them know how well you treat your fish in comparrison to those uncaring mass-breeders Good Luck!

 

[Tolak]

Best bet is going with a privately owned store, most chains won't deal with local breeders. I am picky about which shops I sell to, if I wouldn't buy fish from them, I don't sell my fish to them.

If they are hesitant, offer to give them a few for free, and check back a week later to see how they like them. I found that going into the store in person, when they are a little slow, works better than calling at first.

I make it a habit of giving 10% over for free when selling 30 or more juvies. This keeps the customer happy, everyone likes a freebie. Helps empty some tank space out for me.

Tolak

 

[ananda1]

Around here, very few places will take tank-raised livebearers. A couple of non-chain stores and the occaisional Petco will take them. But often, the stores that will take them won't pay you for them. I had one store tell me they would take my 1.5" sailfin mollies, and then back out when I showed up with 30 of them.

In some cases, the franchise has rules that they cannot buy from anyone but their approved distributors. One particular store (long since closed) used to get around that by offering X amount of merchandise in exchange for X amount of juveniles.

Your best bet may be to find an individual who keeps and breeds seahorses or other fish that must have live food. I ended up bringing my fry to a woman who bred seahorses, and got assorted marine critters and fish supplies in exchange.