What do you guys do with all your Apistos?

[douginsf]

Hey everyone,

First off I just wanted to introduce myself since I just discovered this forum a few days ago. Anyway, I'm Doug from San Francisco, CA and I've been keeping fish for about 10 years now. A few years into it I became obsessed with learning how to establish and keep a flourishing plant tank. After years of reading everything I could find on the subject along with plenty of trial and error I've finally got it down.

I've also bred many types of fish including A. macmasteri, bettas, croaking gourami's, paradise fish, Tanganikan shell dwellers, Badis badis, peacock gudgeons and most recently A. borelli.

I'm also a member of the SFAS (San Francisco Aquarium Society) which is a group of aquarium hobbiests who hold meetings on the first Friday of every month. We have a speaker come and give a talk on some sort of fish related subject and then we have an auction where members can auction off their fish, plants and dry goods.

About four or five months ago I bred Apistogramma borelli and succesfully raised about 100-125 fry with only a few fatalities. I've been selling them each month at our society's auctions and I've placed ads online (Craigslist) and had some individuals come to my house and buy some. The fish store I go to (Ocean Aquarium), and have a great relationship with the owner, didn't want to buy them or even trade them for store credit because they already had two tanks of them and weren't selling many. I went to another store and the owner said he didn't have much call for Apistos anymore, period.

I'm aware of Aquabid but I thought that shipping fish might be more trouble than it's worth but I still might give it a try. I'm just wondering how you all unload all the fish you breed as I'm sure most of you don't have enough tanks space to raise and keep them all. Just curious.

~Doug

 

[tjudy]

Two words... big dovii. Just kidding. Every place is different. Do not be afraid to ship. Your fish are pretty tough and I assume pretty healthy. You can get by with 2-day shipping and a heat pack. You can put six in a small box and ship just about anywhere for less than $15. If you post on aquabid, take a good picture. A picture says a thousand words. I rarely even consider bidding on anything that does not have a decent picture unless I already know the seller. Get creative in your packaging/pricing... and do not be greedy. Fish that I have bred myself get placed on AB at a low starting price... they usually sell for what they are worth. One way to encourage buyers is to charge a flat shipping fee that is a little less than what you would expect to pay, then pay for the difference. I charge $10 for 2-day and pay for the extra bit. The point is to move your fish right?

Next time you get a spawn of borelli or anything that might be hard to move, try to raise only 25 - 30 of them. Easier to get rid of, less space and you will not flood your market.

 

[apistobob]

Wholesale, that's how I get rid of most of my fish. I breed and raise quite a few Dwarfs and normally don't advertise or ship to individuals. I have found it too time consuming to deal with individuals so I have a couple of places where I send almost all of my fish. In a single box I can ship up to 300 sexable fish. Overnight freight runs about $80 but on 150 - 300 fish the price gets spread out a lot.

Of course, the true wholesale price of a fish is very much lower than the retail price so there is not a lot of profit. It can also be difficult to find an outlet if you don't have much selection. However, if you are willing to sell them cheap ask around and you might find a buyer for the full batch.

 

[Cichlid Junkie]

Tjudy,
Where do you find all of the shipping supplies (i.e heat/cold packs, fish bags, boxes, etc)? I just had about 40-50 free swimmers make their first appearance a few days ago and would like to be prepared when it comes time to send them off. Thanks.

 

[cdawson]

Tjudy,
Where do you find all of the shipping supplies (i.e heat/cold packs, fish bags, boxes, etc)? I just had about 40-50 free swimmers make their first appearance a few days ago and would like to be prepared when it comes time to send them off. Thanks.

Aquabid or Majesticbettas.com

 

[tjnelson44]

I have never tried this place but thought it would be worth a look.
http://www.theshippingbarn.com/
Trevor

 

[tjudy]

www.kensfish.com is my current favorite... others I have used in the past include:

www.jehmco.com

www.thebugfarm.com

 

[Cichlid Junkie]

Thanks. I have been to many of these places, but never noticed the shipping items! I guess I need to pay more attention! :tongue: