Have you thought that raising fish for sale brings good income, and aquaristics will be a profitable hobby? How wide sales will take on depends on you and the realities of the local market.

I will talk about the main points that you need to pay attention to before deciding to make money on fish sales.

The first step is to evaluate the capacity of the local or regional market for the sale of aquariums and equipment for them. Talk to pet store owners to find out. No one will present the layouts on a silver platter, so you have to “work with a liver” or unbutton your wallet.

The find will be a talkative talkative seller, from whom you can find out about the patency of the pet store and the needs of customers for buying fish for the aquarium.

Chain pet stores work with national suppliers and rarely turn to private owners, preferring established amateur breeders of the breed.

The more information you collect about the local market, the lower the cost of risk and cash costs will be.

How to breed fish for sale

Do you plan to breed fish in a dozen aquariums or can you breed in equipped pools? This question is of great importance because it is connected selling price on fish and the cost of breeding.

If you know how to breed fish at home, which are in great demand, then I congratulate you. I'm pretty sure that there is another businessman in the region who supplies or breeds fish in pools. If there is no major player, then this is an occasion to seriously think about the question “why”? Regional players can be located in warm regions, which affects the cost of breeding. The cost price will be lower compared to cold regions.

Decide which fish you will breed and become a breeding expert. If you are awakened in the middle of the night, then you must tell how the fish are bred, what they eat and how to quickly raise fry. Viviparous fish are bred on their own, but for breeding spawning fish, conditions are created for spawning eggs. Spawned caviar must be preserved, preventing eating by producers and damage by fungal infections.

After the larvae hatch from the eggs, the question arises of feeding up to the stage of fry. You will need food, such as live dust or specialized food for fry or larvae. The culture of the first is difficult to maintain, and the second is expensive, which will affect the cost of fish. Expert knowledge will be required not only in the field of breeding, but also in the field of rearing.

How to sell fish

Popular fish in pet stores cost between 50-200 rubles, and when buying a batch of 20-30 fish, stores provide a decent discount. Rare fish, like discus, cost about 2,000 rubles. But discus are hard to breed and even harder to sell. A rare aquarium owner will buy fish worth 700-1000 rubles per pair for a home aquarium. The market for selling expensive fish is narrow. The volume of the market is determined by the cost of the fish, which depends on the complexity of breeding.

Determine the cost of breeding aquarium fish, based on the conditions, and compare it with the wholesale and retail price. This will allow you to understand the level of income from the sale of one fish, relative to the complexity of breeding.

You will need a lot of breeding fish, because you can’t make money from breeding from one pair. Get regular breeding fish. Decide to what size you need to raise the fish before the onset of marketable condition. Find a pet store that is ready to participate in the sale and carefully consider how many fish will be sold in what time.

How to wholesale fish

If the pet store sells 10 fish per week, then the market for that type of fish and store will be 30-50 fish per month. Such a rough estimate will allow you to understand how well the fish are selling, and whether it is worth negotiating more sales through the pet store. If the initial batch of fish is sold for a month, then admit that you will not be able to make money because the market is absent or small.

The Internet is full of beautifully written articles, tempting recipes and words about how easy and good money is to sell aquarium fish. If you think this is the case, then don't take it.

Breeding fish to earn money on the subsequent sale is a hard risky job. The success of this work depends on knowledge and skills, which does not exclude the influence of negative factors, such as an outbreak of infection in aquariums with juveniles.

I will not talk about the fish resale business, as well as the amount of required aquarium equipment for breeding, so as not to blur the message of the article. If necessary, you can easily calculate yourself using the indicated reference points.

Hello to all readers of my blog!

This publication is for those who decide to start selling aquarium fish. Selling aquarium fish may be enough profitable business. Aquarists who have decided to start breeding and selling aquarium fish have questions that I will try to answer.

How to breed aquarium fish for sale

The number of aquariums depends on how many types of aquarium fish you are going to breed. Usually, for one species, for example, barbs (not counting the general aquarium), only one aquarium can be used, which is used first as a spawning ground, and then as a nursery aquarium for growing fry. The capacity of such an aquarium can be from 50 liters.

This economical option is suitable for breeding most aquarium fish. Also, to save space in the room, you must use a multi-tiered rack for aquariums. Everything must be arranged according to a certain scheme. In the general aquarium, it is necessary to contain only producers, create the best conditions for them and plant them for spawning at the scheduled time.

Further, the spawning ground is used as a nursery aquarium, and at the final stage, the grown juveniles are sold and everything is repeated anew. For sale, it is necessary to breed the most popular and peaceful species of fish, such as swordtails, guppies, zebrafish, barbs, mollies, platies, thorns, catfish gourami, etc. It is undesirable to breed a bully, as well as large expensive and rare fish that are not designed for mass buyer.

Rare and large fish can be bought from you to decorate large office aquariums, but not all such establishments have aquariums. Ordinary buyers, as a rule, do not always have large aquariums with distrust of unfamiliar fish, and the price of such fish “bites”. In addition, it will be much more difficult for you to breed large fish. Large fish need large aquariums, and space in the apartment is usually limited.

How many types of aquarium fish should be bred for sale? Buyers came to me more than once, but after standing and looking at the aquariums, they left without buying anything, and this made me feel embarrassed. I understood them because they had already bought from me the types of fish they liked and came to see if new ones appeared.

Based on this, it is desirable to breed at least five species for sale. a good plus there will be a variety of color variation. For example, if you are breeding platies for sale, increase the color variety of these fish, buyers very often give priority to the beautiful coloration of the fish, not noticing the duplicate appearance. Thanks to the beautiful color variety, despite the same type of fish, they will be sold out faster.

Being engaged in mass cultivation of aquarium fish it is necessary to save electricity. Heaters in aquariums should be equipped with thermostats, and the room itself should be warm enough. The water temperature must strictly correspond to a certain type of fish, excluding possible overestimation.

Lighting for aquariums should also be used rationally. If you are illuminating aquariums with fluorescent lamps, which are 120 cm long, then the aquariums, if possible, should be 60 cm long installed in pairs or one aquarium 120 cm long. It would also be nice if during the daytime there was enough light coming only from windows.

Business plan for selling aquarium fish

For a better sale of aquarium fish, it is necessary to sell them on the market or hire a person who, for a fee, will act as a seller. And over time, you will have regular customers who will come to your house for fish. Never take fish to pet stores where resellers will appreciate them for a penny.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

This business plan considers a project for breeding freshwater aquarium fish at home with a view to their subsequent implementation in a city with a population of more than 1 million people and making a profit. Sales channels will be private aquarists, as well as pet stores, aquarium stores, etc. Fish will be sold both through an online store and through a non-stationary outlet at the poultry market.

To implement the project, it will be necessary to purchase aquariums of various sizes and other equipment necessary to ensure their vital activity, purchase fish, as well as food for several months. The advantage of the project is that there are no expenses for rent and renovation of the premises, the need to hire staff and receive special education. In fact, the business will have a family format and represent a source of additional income.

The volume of investments in the project is 468.9 thousand rubles. Payback period - 23 months. The preparatory period before the start of sales will take 4 months, which are necessary for raising fish for sale.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY AND COMPANY

Freshwater aquarium keeping is a popular hobby among people of all ages. The demand for aquarium fish is highest in the United States of America and European countries, where the aquarium fish trade industry is well developed. One of the main trends in the industry, which is noted by aquarists in last years- This is a trend for marine aquariums. However, in Russia it is less pronounced due to the lower awareness of amateurs and the unwillingness to raise marine fish. Often, instead of exotic, the bulk of the population prefers small and widespread freshwater species of ornamental fish that do not require any serious effort to maintain them.

Due to the fact that the breeding of aquarium fish in Russia is mostly a shadow business, which is often a way of additional income for the population, it is difficult to give any intelligible statistics on it. According to Rosstat, as of July 10, 2016, 2,139 firms were registered according to OKVED related to fish farming in general, of which 201 firms chose OKVED 05.02.11 “Reproduction of fish and aquatic biological resources by non-agricultural producers”. However, these figures hardly reflect the real number of those who breed aquarium fish.

About the number of Russians who have aquarium fish at home, one can also speak only approximately. According to surveys by VTsIOM (2010), Levada Center (2014) and NAFI (2016), about 4%, 6% and 3% of the population have aquarium fish as “pets”, respectively. That is, according to various sources, from 4.4 to 8.8 million Russians eat fish at home. The greatest demand for aquarium fish is in cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg and other million-plus cities with the largest number of solvent audiences.

This project is to organize a business for breeding freshwater aquarium fish at home with a view to their subsequent implementation in a city with a population of more than 1 million people and making a profit. Aquarium fish breeding activities will be family business and source of additional income. The main responsibilities will be assigned to the project initiator, registered as an individual entrepreneur and having previous experience in aquarism. Ancillary work will be carried out by members of the initiator's family.

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Breeding of aquarium fish will be organized in one of the rooms of a private household, for which aquariums of various sizes and the necessary equipment will be purchased. Sales channels will be private aquarists, as well as pet stores, aquarium shops, etc. It is planned to sell fish through an online store, as well as through a non-stationary outlet in the bird market.

To bring your idea to life, you will need to go through the following steps:

purchase equipment and compactly organize space for activities;

to install aquariums;

buy fish and food supplies;

create an online store;

place information about yourself on the Internet and in social networks;

to grow fish for a stable organization of sales;

The preparatory period will be 4 months. The preparatory period does not take into account the professional training of the project initiator (taking aquarium courses, reading specialized literature, and so on), since it is assumed that the experience of breeding aquarium fish in small volumes was carried out earlier.

The volume of initial investments will amount to 468.9 thousand rubles. Articles of initial expenses are stated in Table. 1 business plan. It is supposed to reach payback for the 23rd month of work. The start of sales is scheduled for September 2017. Thus, the advantages of the project include: no expenses for rent and renovation of the premises, no need to hire staff due to the family business format, as well as obtaining special education or any qualifications.

Table 1. Investment costs of the project

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

The most popular fish will be selected for breeding. When choosing the assortment, the demand in pet stores of the city was analyzed and the most popular species were identified. The company will operate in the middle price segment. In Table. 2 business plan presents an indicative price list for all types of fish planned for sale ( retail). In the future, the assortment of the store can be expanded by selling rarer fish species, as well as providing services for cleaning aquariums, the production of algae, invertebrates, live food, etc.

Table 2. Price list

	TYPE OF AQUARIUM FISH	Cost, rub.
cichlids
	Libidochromis Yellow
	Nimbochromis Venustus
	Zebra marmalade
	Aulonokara multicolor
	Aulonocara Orchid
	Pseudotropheus demasoni
	Pseudotropheus zebra orange
	Haplochromis cornflower blue
	Aulonokara Bensha yellow
	scalar
	Nannakara neon
	parrot fish
	Apistogram of Ramirezi
Somiki
	Ancistrus
	Speckled corridor
	Golden corridor
	Platidoras striped
	Tarakatum
Loaches
	Botsia the Clown
	Botsia lokahata
viviparous
	mollienzia
	Pecilia red
	Swordtail red
	black swordsman
Characins, tetras, rasboras
	neon blue
	neon red
	neon black
	Ternetia
	Rhodostomus
	Tetra firefly
	Cardinal
	Rasbora cuneiform
Rainbows
	Iriatherina Werner
	Glossolepis red
	Boesman's rainbow
	Neon iris
labyrinth
	pearl gourami
	marble gourami
Barbs, zebrafish, labeo, goldfish
	shark ball
	Veiltail
	Sumatran barb
	barb chinese green
	fire barbus
	Barbus cherry
	labeo bicolor
	Danio leopard
	Danio pink

When placing orders through the online store, all necessary requirements for transportation, taking into account specific features. Before shipment, the fish will be packed in plastic bags with water, where special preparations will be added, air, oxygen or air-oxygen mass will be pumped. The bags will then be packed in foam boxes to help keep the right temperature inside. Special heating bags will be placed in the boxes for winter shipments.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

The largest number of potential customers live in million-plus cities. If the audience is quite diverse in terms of gender and age, then in terms of income, these are people with an income level of “average” and “above average”. As noted in the Levada Center, aquarium fish are mainly planted by entrepreneurs (11%), employees, pupils and students (10% each) and, in general, Russians under 25 years old (11%), with a high consumer status (10%) and Muscovites (12%). This can be explained by the fact that people perceive the presence of their own aquarium as an indicator of stability and well-being. Most often, people who have their own housing and are not going to move out of it decide to buy an aquarium and fish. The same can be said about companies that decide to have an aquarium with fish in their office: they are bought by companies that are firmly on their feet.

Based on the survey data given in paragraph 2 of the business plan, then in a city with a population of more than 1 million people there are more than 30-60 thousand owners of aquarium fish. The majority of the population (about 42% according to surveys on specialized sites) usually prefers to breed fish in small aquariums up to 60 liters, the remaining 36% and 18% fall on aquariums with volumes of 80-180 liters and more than 180 liters, respectively. Sales of aquarium fish will be carried out directly to private aquarists and through intermediaries - pet stores, aquarium shops, etc. Fish will be sold both through an online store and through a non-stationary outlet at the city's bird market. When selling fish wholesale customers prices will depend on the volume of purchases.

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Particular attention is planned to be paid to the competent presentation of information about yourself on the Internet and the creation of an online store with high conversion. Due to the fact that private aquarists are often looking for some certain kind fish for your aquarium will be clearly labeled with their name, price, current availability/absence, and a photo of each species. It is supposed to place ads on free ad sites and aquarists forums, maintain groups in social networks.

There are 6 main competitors in the city market. An analysis of their strengths and weaknesses is given in Table. 3 of this business plan. It should be noted that this type of business has a seasonality with a decline from March to August and an increase from August to December.

Table 3. Analysis of competitors

Competitor	Price segment	Strengths	Weak sides
"Live fish"		A wide selection, the presence of exotic species of fish, crayfish, shrimps, newts, amphibians, frogs, snails + sale of food, decorations, plants, equipment, medicines, the ability to pay by card, shipping within Russia	Distance from the city, site with incomprehensible navigation
"Tailed trifle"	Below the average	A large selection of popular fish species, the presence of its own stationary store, aquarium cleaning services	Complaints about sellers and service
« gold fish»		Good promotion, quality design print ad	Narrow assortment, focus on several types of fish
"Fish Base"	Below the average	Wide range of	Bad reputation in the market, inconsistency of information on the site with real prices
"Aqua Monsters"		Sale of rare fish species, talentedly designed website, location in the city center	Frankly inflated prices, the calculation of the premium segment and one-time sales
"AquariumMystic"		A wide range, extensive experience in the market, the presence of regular wholesale buyers, blogging by the business owner	Claims for high mortality of fish when shipped

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

One of the premises with an area of ​​30 square meters will be used for breeding aquarium fish. meters of own private house area. The room is heated, there is electricity and water supply. For breeding aquarium fish, you will need to purchase aquariums of various sizes for keeping various kinds, including baby and spawning tanks and related equipment. The cost of the necessary is given in Table. 4 of this business plan.

Table 4. List of equipment

	Name	Cost, rub.
	Aquariums, volume 250 l.
	Aquariums of medium and small volumes (for spawning, jigging of young animals)
	Compressors (for 200-300 liters)
	Compressors (up to 100 l.)
	External filters (up to 100l)
	External filters (for 200 liters and more)
	Temperature controllers
	Temperature controllers
	thermometers
	Pedestals, view 1 (metal frame)
	Pedestals, view 2 (metal frame)
Total:		347350

In addition to what is listed, you will need soil (25,200 rubles) and plants (15,900) necessary for the normal existence of the biosystem. Fish will be placed taking into account species characteristics and compatibility of species with each other. On fig. 1 is a compatibility chart for freshwater aquarium fish. More details about the financial component of the project are in paragraph 7 and Appendix 1 of the business plan.

Figure 1. Compatibility of freshwater aquarium fish

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

The activity of breeding aquarium fish will be a family business and a source of additional income. The main responsibilities will be assigned to the initiator of the project, registered as an individual entrepreneur. Ancillary work (cleaning aquariums, feeding, etc.) will be carried out by members of the initiator's family. As a result, there is no need to hire staff.

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The volume of investments in the project will amount to 468,950 rubles. Starting cost items are given in Table. 1. When making calculations in this business plan, it was decided to start from a pessimistic sales forecast: in a monthly volume of 40,000 rubles. during the first year of work (from 4 months), 50,000 rubles. - in the second year of work, 65,000 rubles. - in the third year of operation. Fixed costs are given in Table. 7. Variable costs will include selling expenses, including packaging, shipping, etc. Financial calculations are given in Appendix 1. The payback period in this case will be 23 months.

Table 7. Fixed costs of the enterprise

	NAME	Amount per month, rub.
	Electricity (with 12 hours of operation of devices with a total power of 2261 W and a price of 1 kW - 3.5 rubles)
	Rent of a trading place
Total:

8. RISKS AND WARRANTY

Possible risks of an aquarium fish breeding project are given in Table. 9 business plan.

Table 9. Possible risks and ways to prevent them or their consequences

risk factor	Probability of occurrence	The severity of the consequences	Events
Low profitability			Conducting this business as additional source income, social media management, website development, expansion of sales markets and product range
Financial losses due to high mortality of fish			Creation of all conditions for the stable life of the biosystem (temperature, water purity, oxygen level, etc.), the study of specialized literature, the correct selection of neighboring fish, accounting for the natural mortality of fry (above 20-30%)
Loss of fish during transportation			Compliance with transportation requirements, taking into account specific features

The business of breeding aquarium fish consists in the sale of their rare species and related materials, that is, food, plants and necessary equipment. You can also offer customers maintenance and cleaning of their aquariums - home or office.

Benefits of this business idea

• Little competition.
• Minimum costs, which allows you to start a business from scratch.
• Opportunity to breed fish at home.
• Ease of implementation.
• You don't need to have special education. There is a lot of literature on this topic, which is enough to study on your own.

How to choose the right aquarium fish?

1. Study supply and demand by visiting specialized stores.
2. Study photos, species names and breeding conditions for those fish that you are ready to breed at home.
3. It is almost impossible not to buy cheap and common fish, it is almost impossible to sell them, as people rent such fish even for free to get rid of them.
4. Do not buy fish about which there is little information.
5. Do not buy fish that are imported from India, Australia and Asia. They are not suitable for breeding, as they do not produce offspring.
6. For the aquarium business, fish such as cichlids, notopters, synodontis, barbs, and gold are suitable.

Breeding aquarium fish as a business

Like any business, a fish breeding business begins with the study of the necessary information. Having decided on the species, it is necessary to study everything related to its reproduction and care rules. Then buy equipment, namely:

• aquariums with a volume of 200 - 250 liters;
• compressors;
• filters for water;
• fluorescent lamps;
• thermostats for heating water;
• automatic feeders.

To begin with, you can get by with one aquarium, and then increase the number.

• The room in which the aquarium fish will live should be protected from sunlight, that is, shaded. They get the light they need from lamps.
• Do not place aquariums near heating devices.
• For safety reasons, arrange the aquariums in one row. A three or two-story structure can collapse, and it is also difficult to maintain it.

Aquariums are distributed in this way: if the entrepreneur has 12, then five aquariums for adult fish, for example, six females and two males in each. Seven aquariums for rearing fry.

Sale of aquarium fish

The first profit of the fish will be brought only after six months, if everything is done correctly, namely, teenagers began to produce offspring. Implementing fish is easy. There are three ways to sell aquarium fish. First. Meet the fish lovers. Over time, their number in the list will grow, thanks to the work of word of mouth. Second. Pet Shop. Although the price of fish is small, it is stable and reliable. You can even conclude a contract for the supply. The third. Submit information online. Most of the time, this option works very well. It happens that a person is looking for exactly the fish that is not in the store, and turns to private ads for help. This is how you can earn regular customers, however, a little. When selling fish, both age groups must be considered. Sell ​​both fry and teenagers. In addition to the main income, you can get additional revenue from the sale of live food, algae, and so on. A fish breeding business will bring a profit of about 44 thousand rubles a month if there are 12 aquariums and proper organization. The capital investment for starting your own business will be about 230 thousand rubles, which will pay off in six months.

Fish suppliers are ready to make special requirements for their maintenance, most often they are prescribed in the contract. Conventionally, the rules for trading ornamental fish can be divided into two categories: official - established by law, as well as informal ones - they are observed by associations of representatives of the pet business. The latter can be very different. If the suppliers specify in the contract special conditions to keep aquarium fish, you need to fulfill their requirements, otherwise you will have to pay a fine.

What legal acts to rely on during work

Trade in any pet must be based on regulations Civil Code, since, in accordance with its provisions, they are subject to general rules just like any other property. Accordingly, the following legislation applies to the aquarium fish trade:

1. Federal Law No. 381 - describing the basics of regulation trading activities. In particular, entrepreneurs need to familiarize themselves with article 2, paragraph 3, which describes the concept retail. Since the fish are used for domestic purposes, they can be sold individuals through retail outlets.
2. Government Decree No. 55 of 19.01.1998 establishes special rules for the sale of animals and aquarium fish. The tenth section is completely devoted to them. Its article 78 states that the seller is obliged to provide the buyer with the following information:
   • license number for catching certain types of fish;
   • information on permission to import exotic representatives into the country.

Article 79 states that it is necessary to keep animals and fish in accordance with their needs, to provide care. Be sure to give the buyer a sales receipt and confirmation of the health of the fish (this is stated in article 80).

In addition to the correct content, it is necessary to train the staff of the outlet. This obliges to make the law "On Protection of Consumer Rights". The buyer is obliged to obtain full information about the type of fish being purchased. He needs to provide information about the species of the future pet - the Russian and Latin name of the fish. The seller must be competent. He needs to be recommended to future aquarists specialized literature, to report on some features of the fish, for example, the possibility of their joint stay in the aquarium. It is also necessary to briefly talk about the content of the future pet.

The issuance of a sales receipt for the sale of ornamental fish means that the buyer has received information about:

• species of fish;
• features of keeping and breeding;
• responsibility for the further well-being of the aquarium dweller;
• health status of the fish.

It is best to add a brief explanation for buyers to the check, reminding them of the need to care for the fish, the procedure for challenging the transaction and the responsibility for further well-being. It is also worth adding a line according to which the buyer confirms with his signature that the seller fully consulted him and answered all questions. This will avoid claims in the future.

Trade rules regarding the return of goods

Due to gaps in the legislation regarding the return of aquarium fish, two mutually exclusive rules apply at once. On the one hand, they are included in the "List of goods of proper quality", which prohibits their return and exchange at the request of the buyer. At the same time, Article 18 of the Law "On the Protection of Consumer Rights" directly indicates the possibility of returning, exchanging or reducing the cost of goods if defects are found, if he did not report them to the seller.