import of fish

Hi all.

Is it true that the aquarium trade is getting smaller and smaller?? and that only really cheap fish sell well?? I thought of importing fish as a sideline (+-10 to 15 boxes) from South America. The stock will mostly be catfishes, tetra and apistogramma species

 

i hope thats not the case.

 

Hi Nick, I think 90% of LPS sales are guppies,goldfish, neon tetras, angels and plecos. I think there is too little knowledge to appreciate and care for the more exotic stuff. Pricing might also be a factor.

 

I don't think the aquarium trade is getting smaller...just the tanks IMO. More and more people are moving into townhouse complex units...of which some dont allow pets in the form of dogs, cats and birds (noise/nuisance factor). So many of those end up buying aquariums or terrariums. Due to a lack of space tho...many opt for smaller planted tanks (2-4ft), compared to larger cichlid tanks you used to see in the past (4-8ft)

You will always get your guys keeping huge tanks (size and numbers), but I personally think the focus has shifted to smaller planted tanks. Oh...and thanks to Eishkom, coldwater fish are making a huge comeback as well...

 

I don't think that the trade has shrunk in size, but the trends have certainly changed. The fish are now less seldom wild caught and more often aqua farmed. The popularity has shifted away from tank busters to smaller species that live comfortably in 10, 20 and 30 gallon aquaria. There are species now available such as the small danios and boraras etc that nobody had heard of twenty years ago. At the same time, fancy varieties have replaced wild types almost completely in some cases, eg discus, most gouramies, tetras and danios, angels, you name it. Some of that has to do with accessibility to natural resources (conservation efforts, political instability etc.) and some purely with cost. I have no problem with farmed fish, but I sometimes wish I could buy something like a natural-looking honey gourami - no matter how hard I try to find one, they seem to be no longer imported. The intensively farmed line-bred varieties are genetically impoverished, and it remains to be seen how long such lines can be maintained before collapsing. At least, if the wild populations are healthy and secure, then an interim inconvenience is not something to worry too much about. We are blessed with a wide variety of choice, and we should exercise and enjoy our hobby in a responsible and sustainable manner, also thinking of other nations and their conservation priorities.

 

I should add that there will always be people interested in apistos and other small cichlids, loricarids and also some tetras (among other things). Do you plan on breeding some of these, or is it simply an import and resale that you had in mind?

 

Hi Dorff

the idea is importing and reselling

 

I think 10 to 15 boxes is a huge layout. Just gathering info from us and going on our opinion may not be a good idea. People already have tanks / fish. we just want to add a few fish to our current tanks. And those people who want new tanks will almost always buy their fish where they get their tanks. So consider a box or 2 to test the waters.

 

Hi guys all of you make very good and interesting points. I also don’t think the aquarium trade is getting smaller. We are seeing on a monthly bases more and more brands of aquariums and products coming out. I think it is becoming more competitive. It’s a pity that our local rand is not playing the game with us as things are so much cheaper in the US and UK.

If you want to import fish then you can get in touch with some one like @Marko who has done it before and if I remember correctly, he is in the process of doing it again. Like the previous posts said, most new guys that join our hobby often will buy the fish from the shops they got the tanks. Gold fish, guppies, angels and a few others are the big sellers.

 

In addition to above comments, I think the general trade has become lazy, and are staffed by poorly trained staff that will only sell locally sourced cheapies. The guys that specialize have more and better quality on offer, but as with all specialization, there will be fewer around.
i also feel that the Internet has played a role in that we are on forums such as this, and thus have direct access to breeders and importers from whom we buy directly. Could you have imagined buying aquatic plants over the Internet 10 years ago?
So to answer the OP, you may well be successful if you import quality, reasonably priced stock and can distribute directly.

 

From my experience in the pet store trade is customer knowledge and dedication. Moat people want colourful and super low maintenance. And again people want everything for nothing. So when stunning specimens are avalible people can't justify price. There is always the what if my R5000 zebra pleco dies, that's 5k in toilet. I agree there is shops with poor knowledge which further exactibates the issue. Hence why more people and shops don't want "expensive" fish or equipment to keep them

 

if you decide to import let me know for sure, might make half your order

 

On the topic of importing, does anyone know where I can get " pure " Betta Imbellis ?

 

i think there is definitely a market for the exotic and more unavailable species,just need someone to take a chance and import a few and try locally breeding them.can it really be that hard?

 

I'm keen on at least 3 pairs of Apisto Trifasciatas...getting no responses on the "Germany Import" thread...not sure if that's even still in the pipeline