What are some problems/issues with your tanks? That you have had as a consumer.

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

I am a high school student who started this hobby about a year ago vigorously consuming the vast amount of knowledge this hobby contains. I am looking to increase my career through entrepreneurship as a source of income since I am very passionate about marine life and aquariums, so I was wandering if there are any problems you (The consumers) have or may faced in all your years of experience in reef keeping. Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated since I am new and serious about creating a small business.

 

[KrisReef]

Lots of problems arise from misunderstanding chemistry, physics, and biological sciences, from my experience. Anybody can set up a marine system and keep stuff alive long enough to sell at a profit but long term care is a bit more challenging, and can be learned from master reef keepers and is better understood or grasped with a rigorous education in natural sciences.

The educated don't get fooled as easily with every new gimmick or recycled scam that comes through the hobby. If you are passionate about the hobby get chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and physics educated to better understand the reefs and oceans that somehow function without a water change or without a non-profit outplanting or manipulation for a million years before SCUBA and Jacq came along to imperile them with explotation.

A course in accounting and business management can fill in the ugly aspects of life that you will have to deal with, and psychology and JEDi courses will round out an education in dealing with difficult customers, the entitled, and the poor who need free frags for their home tanks.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

Lots of problems arise from misunderstanding chemistry, physics, and biological sciences, from my experience. Anybody can set up a marine system and keep stuff alive long enough to sell at a profit but long term care is a bit more challenging, and can be learned from master reef keepers and is better understood or grasped with a rigorous education in natural sciences.

The educated don't get fooled as easily with every new gimmick or recycled scam that comes through the hobby. If you are passionate about the hobby get chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and physics educated to better understand the reefs and oceans that somehow function without a water change or without a non-profit outplanting or manipulation for a million years before SCUBA and Jacq came along to imperile them with explotation.

A course in accounting and business management can fill in the ugly aspects of life that you will have to deal with, and psychology and JEDi courses will round out an education in dealing with difficult customers, the entitled, and the poor who need free frags for their home tanks.

Thanks for the information. I'm looking for just starting a small business for now. Something to help me afford reefing equipment and develop financial skills early, so I will be prepared once I leave high school.

 

[Cell]

Very open ended question. Tank testing and general maintenance and livestock disease QT and treatment are good bets, but with only a year in the hobby I'm not sure the expertise is there. Aquascaping/rockscaping is an option that doesn't require great or deep hobby knowledge. Or 3D printing.

 

[randomfishdude]

I'm also a high school kid who started bout a year ago too.
About 4 months ago I started working on a frozen food autofeeder. I haven't worked much since I've been saving for my project car.

But you can find plenty of small things. Loom at what you're doing in your tank and wish something you had but can't seem to find cheap or at all.

If you've got a 3d printer there are plenty of things you can 3d print
.

 

[twentyleagues]

Thanks for the information. I'm looking for just starting a small business for now. Something to help me afford reefing equipment and develop financial skills early, so I will be prepared once I leave high school.

Yeah really not sure what kind of business you are looking at. Maybe a little more info from you. @Cell had some good ideas if you have a 3d printer lots of stuff can be printed if you can design it. Rock scapes are pretty hot now to if you are artistically inclined and know how to build them. Coral fragging, fish breeding and or tank maintenance would require you to know about those things in depth.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

Yeah really not sure what kind of business you are looking at. Maybe a little more info from you. @Cell had some good ideas if you have a 3d printer lots of stuff can be printed if you can design it. Rock scapes are pretty hot now to if you are artistically inclined and know how to build them. Coral fragging, fish breeding and or tank maintenance would require you to know about those things in depth.

I'm not sure on what kind of business I wanted to do yet. I was looking for ideas with a demanding market.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

Very open ended question. Tank testing and general maintenance and livestock disease QT and treatment are good bets, but with only a year in the hobby I'm not sure the expertise is there. Aquascaping/rockscaping is an option that doesn't require great or deep hobby knowledge. Or 3D printing.

Thanks, I will keep this in mind. I was thinking about phytoplankton or copepods. Do you know anything about the market on them?

 

[Cell]

Some people swear by those products, others find no real benefit. It takes a bit of expertise and know how to sustain cultures as well as capital for equipment if you want to scale up. Do some research and try making some small batches and go from there. But there isn't some insatiable demand for phyto or pods within the hobby that would make the business foolproof.

 

[flashsmith]

Yea.... There's not a coral vendor out there who can sell clean frags without aiptasia. Figure that out and you'll be rich..

 

[Starbuxxx]

Do you have time? Been in it a year. 150g. Very stable now but I've seen a lot. (Problem - Solution)
Green hair algae - algae scrubber, refugium with chaeto and caulerpa, sea hare, snails, crabs. Solved
Aiptasia - File fish and peppermint shrimp. Solved.
Dying euphyllia and burnt tip sps - raised nutrients and lowered alk. solved.
Low Ph - crack a window, add gyre for surface agitation on both sides, supplement kalkwasser last. solved
High Alk - carefully implemented muriatic acid to water changes and changed RODI filters.

 

[Cell]

It seems to me you would be best off continuing to maintain your current reef or even upsize and start selling/trading frags as you continue to learn and master the hobby as opposed to trying to start a new business in a hobby you still are new to.

 

[Starbuxxx]

It seems to me you would be best off continuing to maintain your current reef or even upsize and start selling/trading frags as you continue to learn and master the hobby as opposed to trying to start a new business in a hobby you still are new to.

Yes. It would not be wise to offer expertise in an area where you are no expert, respectfully. When customers approach you with a problem, you want to be confident and experienced. This takes time.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

It seems to me you would be best off continuing to maintain your current reef or even upsize and start selling/trading frags as you continue to learn and master the hobby as opposed to trying to start a new business in a hobby you still are new to.

Okay, I will try to take things slower but I will keep this information in mind for when im more "experienced".

 

[twentyleagues]

I can tell you from experience selling frags out of your reef isnt going to pay the bills. Breeding fish isnt going to pay the bills. You need a job also. I have done it. It helped pay for my extensive system and I even put some away for vacation. But I was working 60-70hrs a week and probably spending 20-30hrs on reef stuff. I had very little time for much else.

One would need the capital to import corals, space to store corals, space to grow out corals, and a "retail" space to make sales to "make" any money. Even then you dont make that much really and you can probably forget about any schooling once into that it will consume most of your time.

 

[Cell]

I daresay most small businesses start as hobbies or supplemental work and if successful enough, grow into full time work.

 

[Paul B]

The educated don't get fooled as easily with every new gimmick or recycled scam that comes through the hobby.

This is true. My tank is running almost 53 years and I don't have any gimmicks or recycled scams. As a matter of fact, I don't really use anything except food and some salt. Almost anything else you can make if you really need it but there is very little in this hobby that you really need as most of it is just marketing.

This is a very easy hobby, but we insist on making it hard. I am not sure why. I think most of the problems we make ourselves. The fish know how to take care of themselves if we just leave them alone and don't reach for some chemical, poison or device every time we see a spot or torn fin.

 

[twentyleagues]

Thanks, I will keep this in mind. I was thinking about phytoplankton or copepods. Do you know anything about the market on them?

There is at least one of our sponsors/hobbyists that has gone down that route. @Reef By Steele I dont know if hes open to helping out the competition or not......, but he may be able to point you in the right direction to at least get your feet wet and see if its something you are into.
I have done green water and daphnia in fresh water cultures. I have never cultured phyto seems a bit more involved. I have cultured rotifers also. That is quite a bit of work but once you get going its not terrible until it crashes.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

There is at least one of our sponsors/hobbyists that has gone down that route. @Reef By Steele I dont know if hes open to helping out the competition or not......, but he may be able to point you in the right direction to at least get your feet wet and see if its something you are into.
I have done green water and daphnia in fresh water cultures. I have never cultured phyto seems a bit more involved. I have cultured rotifers also. That is quite a bit of work but once you get going its not terrible until it crashes.

Alright, thanks.

 

[Reef By Steele]

There is at least one of our sponsors/hobbyists that has gone down that route. @Reef By Steele I dont know if hes open to helping out the competition or not......, but he may be able to point you in the right direction to at least get your feet wet and see if its something you are into.
I have done green water and daphnia in fresh water cultures. I have never cultured phyto seems a bit more involved. I have cultured rotifers also. That is quite a bit of work but once you get going its not terrible until it crashes.

Thanks for the shout out.