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ChasingFish

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Sep 25, 2022
Messages
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Location
Council Bluffs, Iowa
So, yesterday we bought 10 tanks (all fish and filters, lights, etc., included) from a guy who was shutting down his LFS for health reasons, and the price was rock bottom.
  1. 220 gallon (dream display tank that I always wanted)
  2. 2 x 75 gallons
  3. 1 x 65 gallons
  4. 6 x 40 gallons
That's in addition to the 75 gallon, 50 gallon, 3 x 20 gallons (split), and 4 x 10 gallons that I already owned - for a total of 22 tanks. I'm crazy, I know. But in my defense, someday my dream is to open my own fish store. Starting with online and local sales fish and plant sales...so I guess that's my justification, one I'm a fish addict but two it's an investment. I still have to round up help, move them all and get them all set up.
 
Wow, that sounds awesome!! If you ever get that fish store running, you need to post about it, because I'm only 5 hours above you in MN and would want to come shop.
Tank wise- wow, are you just going to store most of them, or are you going to use them all? What's your plan for the fish store?
Edit: now i see that the tanks all came with fish?
 
Wow, that sounds awesome!! If you ever get that fish store running, you need to post about it, because I'm only 5 hours above you in MN and would want to come shop.
Tank wise- wow, are you just going to store most of them, or are you going to use them all? What's your plan for the fish store?
Edit: now i see that the tanks all came with fish?
Thanks for your question! I almost went into the details further because I'm really excited about it, but thought maybe others wouldn't be so much. Anyway, here's what I'm planning for now - and those with experience feel free to offer suggestions:

The 220 is coming with 2 oscars and 3 large silver torpedo fish that the seller called pencil sharks, although, i looked those up and they do not look at all like what the internet is showing me - so I need to properly identify them (will add pictures to this thread soon, but at work computer atm). Also a couple of plecos. This is going to be just a display tank in my living room. My boyfriend and I are kind of on the fence about whether we will keep the current fish it has or try to trade or rehome them. I love the idea of owning oscars, and other big fish that I've never been able to keep before - but I also really want to do a beautiful planted tank and I can't really do that with these fish I don't believe.

Most of the other fish tanks had only a few fish in them (like a breeding pair and pleco, etc.), so though they are coming with fish, it will be easy to redistribute them to community tanks if desired, or can continue with breeding attempts.

One of the 75 gallons we are actually giving to a guy friend who is going to spend an entire day helping us move and set up all these tanks.

The other 75 gallon will be a planted display tank going in my bedroom.

The 65 gallon cube has fancy goldfish in it, and that is going to go to my 14 year old daughter, who is very pet responsible and super excited about this addition to her bedroom.

The 6 40 gallon tanks are probably the ones I have the most plans for. I want to raise as many plants for sale as possible, sell them on etsy, facebook market, ebay, amazon, etc. I also plan to breed something in each tank, like shrimp, various types of fish that I have previously been unable to breed in my smaller tanks, etc.
 
WOW! Amazing find! Sad for the owner of the store but still a great find...
Definitely keep us updated!! I really want to follow this story!
 
Thanks for your question! I almost went into the details further because I'm really excited about it, but thought maybe others wouldn't be so much. Anyway, here's what I'm planning for now - and those with experience feel free to offer suggestions:

The 220 is coming with 2 oscars and 3 large silver torpedo fish that the seller called pencil sharks, although, i looked those up and they do not look at all like what the internet is showing me - so I need to properly identify them (will add pictures to this thread soon, but at work computer atm). Also a couple of plecos. This is going to be just a display tank in my living room. My boyfriend and I are kind of on the fence about whether we will keep the current fish it has or try to trade or rehome them. I love the idea of owning oscars, and other big fish that I've never been able to keep before - but I also really want to do a beautiful planted tank and I can't really do that with these fish I don't believe.

Most of the other fish tanks had only a few fish in them (like a breeding pair and pleco, etc.), so though they are coming with fish, it will be easy to redistribute them to community tanks if desired, or can continue with breeding attempts.

One of the 75 gallons we are actually giving to a guy friend who is going to spend an entire day helping us move and set up all these tanks.

The other 75 gallon will be a planted display tank going in my bedroom.

The 65 gallon cube has fancy goldfish in it, and that is going to go to my 14 year old daughter, who is very pet responsible and super excited about this addition to her bedroom.

The 6 40 gallon tanks are probably the ones I have the most plans for. I want to raise as many plants for sale as possible, sell them on etsy, facebook market, ebay, amazon, etc. I also plan to breed something in each tank, like shrimp, various types of fish that I have previously been unable to breed in my smaller tanks, etc.
Ahh, that sounds so fun! I wish I were in your shoes right now 😂 sounds like an amazing project. Like rockey said- keep us updated!!
 
Oh man ! Are you lucky or what ? Open your small store. Run it out of your basement or garage on an appointment basis to start . Get a feel for the need. The world cries out for the return of the true small operator. If nothing else you will wind up with a great fishroom that pays its own way to whatever degree.
 
WOW! Amazing find! Sad for the owner of the store but still a great find...
Definitely keep us updated!! I really want to follow this story!
Yeah he had back surgery about 6 months ago, and said he just couldn't keep up with all the water changes, etc. He and his wife were the ones doing all the work, and they were both getting older.
 
Oh man ! Are you lucky or what ? Open your small store. Run it out of your basement or garage on an appointment basis to start . Get a feel for the need. The world cries out for the return of the true small operator. If nothing else you will wind up with a great fishroom that pays its own way to whatever degree.
I do have a garage that I'm not really using - so I could potentially start there, just wasn't sure how "professional" people would think it is (and not sure of the legality of that, I'll have to look into it more). I basically have 2 fish rooms where the majority of aquariums will be, and then a few on display in bedroom/livingroom areas. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted once everything is set up, it's going to be a few weeks at least.
 
Yeah he had back surgery about 6 months ago, and said he just couldn't keep up with all the water changes, etc. He and his wife were the ones doing all the work, and they were both getting older.
I’ve seen it a few times and heard of it many times. Little operators get old or crippled and just plain , physically, can’t do it anymore. The bad part is that nobody steps in and takes over. Those small operators are where you find the rare and unusual fish that never turn up in the big box outfits. I sure hope you run with it.
Also : Many towns allow very small businesses in residential neighborhoods and as for how it would look professionally, serious aquarists will not care one bit.
 
Don't worry, you're not crrazy. I have parts of 2 different LFS in here. 10x10 I got last Spring. 4 30 gallons in my shed, I also gave away a bunch of small tanks I got for $3 each from a guy who had clearly decided growing strong smelling plants in hius rural garage would pay better than guppies. I only have a couple of those left.

Then again, if I'm crazy then we're in the same boat.
 
@GaryE Crazy ? All aquarists are crazy. We’re trying to recreate a natural environment in an indoor glass box. We’re trying to induce fish to spawn when few have ever seen it in the wild. We’re trying to get fish to thrive on a diet unknown to them and we are expecting them to like all of that while our ugly faces peer in at them from beyond a glass wall . Crazy ? Yep. Or just plain goofy.
 
I’ve seen it a few times and heard of it many times. Little operators get old or crippled and just plain , physically, can’t do it anymore. The bad part is that nobody steps in and takes over. Those small operators are where you find the rare and unusual fish that never turn up in the big box outfits. I sure hope you run with it.
Also : Many towns allow very small businesses in residential neighborhoods and as for how it would look professionally, serious aquarists will not care one bit.
Thank you, I appreciate that input. "Serious aquarists will not care one bit".
 

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