Who earns a living from our hobby?

Why 6 tanks? Surely you can breed and keep all those in one

 

haha i would have very happy convicts if i do that.

3 course meel

 

Sorry, you're right, I wasn't clear, I wanted to know who on the forum was making money in the tropical fish keeping industry. So you're right, that's not as a hobbyist per se, because it's a job then rather than a hobby.

My intention was to get a very rough indication of the tiny percentage of serious hobbyists that turn their passion into a full time job.. What is the likelihood that someone who loves keeping tropical fish and has a desire to be their own boss or part of a small business can combine the two?

As a secondary point of interest, how many serious hobbyists have a head for business but are unable/unwilling to make a living out of the tropical fish keeping industry? This would give a very rough indication of how difficult it is to really make it your day job, and hopefully they could shed light on their reasons and difficulties.

Basically I've been working for the same corporate since I left varsity 6 years ago, and I'm feeling disillusioned.. I feel like I want to build something of my own, I don't know what yet, but I know I need to start with something I know..

I also think there's a few of us who think it would be the 'dream job', and I just wanted to discuss the harsh reality..

 

@RoGe ... It's a passion for many of us, not just a hobby. Ideally, I'd love to have it as my "day job" and make a living out of it.

With my breeding, I'm already spending at LEAST 3 hours a day after work and almost my entire weekends working in the fishroom...and I still love it, which to me says I'd enjoy doing that more than my current day job

Unfortunately, the hobby just isn't big enough in South Africa at the moment that it can sustain X-amount of shops (even though you see them pop up everywhere). A community that's so big, can only carry so many shops.

Personally I think pet stores/fish stores should be regulated like it is in certain states in the US, meaning...you can only have 1 store for X-amount of people in an area. Should the population be big enough...there can be another store...or another 2 stores. As an example, where I'm staying...there's LITERALLY 11 stores in a 7...maybe 8km radius (and I feel like I'm forgetting 1 or 2 stores)

 

fewer stores higher prices...

Which gives the shop owner a better chance to be successfull.

but its the atatude, quality of fish, products and customer care.

you have to try and be tops in all those catagorys in order to be successfull.

Any business is hard, but ja, your mind set has to be right.

And comitment.

 

And you must be able to spell, unlike me lol

 

Not necessarily...even if you sell at the same markup...your volume would increase as there are only X-amount of stores.

Dont get me wrong...I dont like the idea of a monopoly, but surely 10 shops in 1 area is a bit extreme, specially if they all provide the same products and the same service. At least specialize in something...like Dorry's in Centurion for example. There are a few other marine stores in the area, but Dorry's is the only dedicated planted tank store here, so it sets them apart. They draw a certain freshwater clientele. Any LFS can sell a few plants and say it caters for the "planted market"...but do they sell a variety of ADA, Seachem and Scape products aimed at the specific market. Variety of CO2 items, etc. etc

Most LFS sells your basic fish, with basic equipment...so you can walk in...buy a tank, 4 guppies, 3 plastic plants, a filter, heater and canopy with light. For the average guy that just wants a few fish to look at...that's fine...but what sets that store apart from all the others?

 

i agree. one lfs by me offers free water tests and that draws his customers, but i cant wait to get my water tested if something does go wrong...

,,,,busy with a tank now. 100% wc also gana change to very fine gravel, like sand, want to see if my plants will root in it. Will be shrimp only

 

''Personally I think pet stores/fish stores should be regulated like it is in certain states in the US, meaning...you can only have 1 store for X-amount of people in an area. Should the population be big enough...there can be another store...or another 2 stores. As an example, where I'm staying...there's LITERALLY 11 stores in a 7...maybe 8km radius (and I feel like I'm forgetting 1 or 2 stores)''

Yes I have 9 petshops around me but only procure from two of them on a regular basis, why?, because of choice. If for instance I fancy a particular fish I have the freedom to drive to another swop with relative ease.
It is a narrow minded mindset that wants to restrict free trade and the capitalist method, Smurf Man, when you open your LFS in North Korea feel free to let me know.

 

Think you got capitalism and communism mixed up when referring to North Korea...but thanks for the smile :blink1:

With that being said...and your strong views on it, I'd LOVE to hear how you feel about the pet trade in Germany...where you actually have to go study and complete certain courses to open a LFS???

Basically...it's because of no governance that we fell into this situation where if we evaluate the quality of 10 LFS in an area, only 2 or 3 are half decent. Where there aren't 20 oscars in a 2 foot tank, or 20 dead neons decaying somewhere on the base of their bare bottom tank. With the vast amount of LFS popping up...not having enough feet to sustain ALL of them...standards go down as they are trying to cut corners to merely keep the doors open. THAT's my point...

It's not being narrow minded...it's about thinking what's best for the animals and the hobby as a whole. If there are only 500 hobbyists in an area, explain how they will sustain 20 shops? It's basic economics...that's the point I wanted to make, specially with the thread title in mind.

You yourself said, you basically only buy from 2 of the 9 shops in your immediate vicinity. So...what's the lesser of two evils...having the other 7 shops close down because of a lack of business and leaving the owners in massive debt or even being liquidated. OR...even before they opened, local government telling the owner that the community can not sustain another pet store. BUT that he can apply again in 6 months for reevaluation when the community has grown...?

 

If I recall correctly capitalism in the Austrian sense of economics is mostly devoid of regulations, whereas marxist ideologies and left wing propaganda prefers to enforce regulations, mostly without proper consultation. as can be seen with the proposition that the government tried to attempt to install permits for people buying and keeping aquarium fish, if this was to have passed it might meant applying for a permit for every fish you wish to keep in your tank. (I understand that legislation is still under review)

Yes deregulation of an industry would mean as you mentioned that some shops will fail and others will prosper, think of Darwinism adapt or die, the onus should be on the business owner to promote his shop in a way as to attract multiple and if possible clients outside his natural domain. Case in point, look at the area near Petmasters in Boksburg, here we have at least three large pet stores, each seems to be doing rather well from a shoppers perspective. Do you propose that regulations must be enforced to close two of them down and limiting our choice of where we might shop?

Also I think you might be similar to myself that if we were to walk into a pet store and see abuse of animals or Betta fish in wine glasses, like me you probably won't buy anything from said store, this will entail in the eventual closure of the store due to bad management.

Regulation can be good, I understand that we have regulation that for every 10 000 people we need 1 ambulance. However trying to infringe peoples liberties by forcing them to procure from selected regulated stores is what I would expect to happen in the people's republic of North Korea.

I believe that if a hobbyist is passionate about fishkeeping and opend a store his passion will shine through like a beacon in the night and thus attracting fellow hobbyist like yourself and I to frequent at his store.

PS all my tanks are bare bottom...

 

Will never support petmasters in my life again or sit foot there untill they clean up theyre act.

Will rather go to Wazeer, or to Benoni, or Kempton.

Did take my problem up with a manager at petmasters and nothing done about it untill today, and R400 down the drain.

Thats why i say, a happy customer is a regular customer, and a regular customer is a happy customer.

even the old lady in Primrose with the red long nails fish are better and cheaper than petmasters.

Just my 5 cents

 

Interesting discussion, I would argue for regulation only as far as the wellbeing of fish go.
I would further suggest that more lfs' are better than fewer lfs, and if the industry was clever they would all be in the same location, that offers customers maximum choice, concentrate customers in a single location, and give customers a reason to visit.
I live in Pta, but mainly shop in the east rand, offers the highest concentration of traders, the widest choice, the lowest prices and the least travel between them.
i would ideally want something like Aquarium Fish Market in Bangkok Thailand. WOW!!! - YouTube

 

That Fish Market in Bangkok is awesome, got some rather beautiful goldfish, would not know where to start...

 

I think you are both right, hence the strong opinions in this thread..
@RoGe even I have thought about making it a business, but in order to make it work long term, I think the initial outlay will be rather substantial.. It's not like before where you can have just a little corner shop and make it work.. You have to go big and sell to online markets to keep head above water, OR I agree with whomever said it either has to be a speciality shop that focuses on one section of the market..

Hope you find the answers you are looking for..

Kali

 

The shop around the corner makes a decent living from me owning fish? Lol

 

@ronelrat. HAHAHA that is so true! especially if they are the only one in a wide area, it isn't always possible for me to drive 70 to the next one.

 

Although I have various LFS close by I have driven over 160km there and back again, only if I know said store has the fish required. The problem with this scenario is that one tends drive fast to get to the store but once your little fish is safely in a cooler box in the boot You drive ultra cautious like my great-great-gran does...

 

years ago we took my grannys car keys away, she was a danger to herself and to others on the road hahaha

 

I would also travel that far for fish species, and we do often...it's just hard driving all that way for fish food or a random necessity if it's not something urgent. It ends up costing 3 times as much with the petrol included and thanks to our wonderful economy, petrol just went up again.