Market Research - Selling Apisto. Cacatouides

[RustedKnight]

Hi there, thanks for taking an interest.

Basically, i'm on the verge of setting up a breeding tank for my cockatoo cichlids.

My current male and female are very attractive, and I am taking collection of another male and 2 female "super red" cockatoo's next tuesday.

If they were to breed (which I will be shocked if they don't) would you be interested in purchasing young pairs, singles, etcetera.

These fish would be my prized possessions, so you'd be guaranteed well looked after fish, they'd be bred and kept in slightly hard water, so they should be hardy to such conditions.
I would only sell strong healthy fish, and would do my best to offer a DOA replacement or money back scheme.

Finally, how much would you be willing to pay for a Male cockatoo cichlid (in theory super red, but that would be up to the genes, not me), and how much for the female (postage not included, postage will be however it costs me to post them, and a little extra to cover some of the costs of transport media)

I was thinking prices in the range of £8 for a male, and £7 for a female, as this is what i'm paying now to buy my current fish. Let me know your thoughts on these prices. I would be willing to consider deals for multiple fish.

Why am i conducting this research? As buying Boxes and polystyrene cases, heatpacks and fish bags could work out expensive, so i'm seeing how much interest there is. I'm not out to make much of a profit, just enough to help me keep doing what I love, keeping fish.

 

[Tolak]

I'm seeing pairs go for anywhere from $10 per pair for double reds to $32 per pair for the white phenotype of triple reds. There are recent US sales, off of an auction site, and don't include shipping. Your prices are pretty reasonable for what you plan on breeding.

Ask about styros at your lfs, they may get some in that are a bit smaller. These can usually be had for free. Cutting sheet styrofoam to line a box is another option, depending on the thickness which would be governed by local temperatures when shipping this amounts to $1-$2. Heat packs run about $1 online, 8"x20" bags can be had for around 7 cents each, this is buying 50 at a time.

I'm most often involved with cold shipping live blackworms, but do ship fish on occasion. The biggest trick is watching weather conditions, in your area as well as the destination, and packing to control temperature accordingly. Don't be afraid to delay shipping when temperatures are extreme, at times all the insulation, heat packs and so on can't keep mother nature at bay.

 

[RustedKnight]

Thank you for the reply.

So considering "super red" is in theory rarer than "triple red" then selling youngsters at that price is a good deal. Seems fair, aslong as i'm not out of pocket.

And good idea about asking the LFS, they must have tons of poly from the deliveries.

Temperatures in wales are normally extreme, it snowed yesterday (only briefly) but you get the idea.

 

[Flute]

If I had the room I would definitely love a pair or trio. The price seems really decent too If you get into the habit of breeding regularly and I end up with space then I know where to go

It snowed down your end already? We've had snow on Snowdonia so far, but nothing up in Wrexham as of yet.

 

[BethK]

I know a good breeder who sells his females for £5 and the males £7 but p&p is £10; he'll sell a pair for £10 though

 

[RustedKnight]

I know a good breeder who sells his females for £5 and the males £7 but p&p is £10; he'll sell a pair for £10 though

What colour strain are they?? Are they good fish?

 

[BethK]

doubles, triples and gold.

He's been doing this for 8 odd yrs and has a good strain brewwing. F1's aren't always the 'best', sometimes breeders aren't content, till the F3 batch but i don't have 1st hand experience. The last spawn he had, turned out to be albinos, first time for that, so he is trying to figure things out, driving himself crazy with it lol

 

[fluvial]

Have a look at Trimar Tropicals on the web.
They offer Cockatoos with a courier service -
the prices may be of interest to you.

I bought a pair of Apisto Njsseni from them for £18 excluding postage -
but got my cockatoos from an ebay auction which went for £2.13p -
a real bargain