What to breed
- Thread starter russ
- Start date
By the time you have factored in either buying proven pairs or the time and cost of growing them I don't think you can rely on anything to cover any bill, see it as a bonus rather than a guarantee.
That said maybe
- Ancistrus
- Corys
- Angels
- Apistos
Something along those lines, although it does depends how big your breeder tanks are, what your local water parameters are etc etc
That said maybe
- Ancistrus
- Corys
- Angels
- Apistos
Something along those lines, although it does depends how big your breeder tanks are, what your local water parameters are etc etc
J
jamous91
Guest
I would say discus or a type of expensive plec the more you pay for a fish the more money you will get for the fry
for example 12 neons would cost you around £12 - £15 and you would only get 5p maybe a bit more but not mmuch for the fry because they are so easy to get hold of but if you bred somthing like common whiptails like i did i spent £16 on a pair and i get around £4 each fry depending on the size and age
for example 12 neons would cost you around £12 - £15 and you would only get 5p maybe a bit more but not mmuch for the fry because they are so easy to get hold of but if you bred somthing like common whiptails like i did i spent £16 on a pair and i get around £4 each fry depending on the size and age
Obviously all this is UK info, not sure how it'd translate to the other side of the globe..
Was yapping to the chap in my lfs about breeding a few bits (if I get the fish house set up)..
Tetras he'd want in the hundreds, requiring a large operation.. not practical.
L46 he'd pay £80 each.. not sure the investment and work is worth it (and I'd rather work with others in some kind of conservation program with 46's and others that are likely to be affected by the dams than trade them to shops)..
He was interested in cory's and Apisto's.. maybe Angels..
Was yapping to the chap in my lfs about breeding a few bits (if I get the fish house set up)..
Tetras he'd want in the hundreds, requiring a large operation.. not practical.
L46 he'd pay £80 each.. not sure the investment and work is worth it (and I'd rather work with others in some kind of conservation program with 46's and others that are likely to be affected by the dams than trade them to shops)..
He was interested in cory's and Apisto's.. maybe Angels..
Disagree, speak to anyone who breeds L46 as an example, low clutches and slow growing young when compared to say common BN's mean it is not a way of making more money.
Also do you have any idea what a breeding pair of L46 costs?
More expensive plecs also limit your potential buyer numbers, how many people do you know that will pay 80 quid for a young plec when all most people are interested in is something that will clean algae in their tank.
Give me and you a breeding pair of Ancistrus and L46 respectively, I will make more money then you, I'll stake money on that.
Neons, great example, don't know anybody who breeds them, do you? Guess you must do if you know that trade price for fry is circa 5p.
Last edited by a moderator:
As already suggested I really think you will struggle to cover any costs initially and certainly won't really be making any money in breeding. I would say go for something you really like but is popular so should you have success at least you will be able to find an outlet for them and not get over run like you can with ancistrus :fr:
I've so far spent over £3000 on building up my collection of zebra plecs in 3.5 years and so far I have 4 fry from it so even choosing a rare and wanted fish isn't guaranteed monetary success :whistle: good job I keep them because they are pretty
I've so far spent over £3000 on building up my collection of zebra plecs in 3.5 years and so far I have 4 fry from it so even choosing a rare and wanted fish isn't guaranteed monetary success :whistle: good job I keep them because they are pretty
J
jamous91
Guest
i have not bred neons
i have bred :
common whiptails
julie
neolamprologus brevis
sleeper goby
But fish shops buy Neons for around 20p each
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi russ...There is a huge variety of plecos you can buy to make abit of money, I'd start looking into getting these pleco's for starters L-134 (leopard frog pleco) L-168 (butterfly Pleco) L-002 (tiger pleco) and there are plenty more to choose from, the decision is really up to you and there is alot of people here on plecoplanet to help you out along the way,just feel free to ask any questions,good luck and hope it all goes well for you...thats if you are considering breeding pleco's...cheers :thumbup:
Last edited:
Russ, SA is a hard place to find a good variety of L's and BNs. Good things is that if you get a hold of some and manage to breed them, there should be some good local demand.
Depending on experience, I'd definitely start with BN as they are hardy and you can learn a lot from starting with them - plus they have huge amounts of fry compared to other L's. You won't get much for each of them but the numbers will make up for the low price.
Hopefully Doug will throw in his two cents as he is an Adelaide breeder (and lab geek with a lot of useful info :yes and has the local knowledge in regards to demand if you aren't looking to ship fish across the country for sales.
HTH - good luck with your breeding.
Depending on experience, I'd definitely start with BN as they are hardy and you can learn a lot from starting with them - plus they have huge amounts of fry compared to other L's. You won't get much for each of them but the numbers will make up for the low price.
Hopefully Doug will throw in his two cents as he is an Adelaide breeder (and lab geek with a lot of useful info :yes
and has the local knowledge in regards to demand if you aren't looking to ship fish across the country for sales.HTH - good luck with your breeding.
The high current required by some L's would cost in terms of electricity costs.
You could just run a big airpump and either undergravel filters or sponge filters and try your hand at breeding peppermint bristlenose.
I had mine breed in just ugf. I hadnt even added a powerhead yet.
They are not too expensive for a lfs to buy and they clear fairly fast in sales.
The fish really couldnt care less about lighting much so there is a power saving there too.
If you are a bit of a gardener, you could grow your own cucumbers and zucchini to feed them on as well.
You could just run a big airpump and either undergravel filters or sponge filters and try your hand at breeding peppermint bristlenose.
I had mine breed in just ugf. I hadnt even added a powerhead yet.
They are not too expensive for a lfs to buy and they clear fairly fast in sales.
The fish really couldnt care less about lighting much so there is a power saving there too.
If you are a bit of a gardener, you could grow your own cucumbers and zucchini to feed them on as well.
Hi Russ,
first things first...
What's your level of fish keeping experience?
how many tanks and tank sizes are you going to be looking at setting up?
What kind of money are you looking at spending to get the right fish?
and lastly are you wanting L's or are you after general tropical fish (considering this IS in the general freshwater section).
Once you can answer those we can help you narrow the list down a bit more.
first things first...
What's your level of fish keeping experience?
how many tanks and tank sizes are you going to be looking at setting up?
What kind of money are you looking at spending to get the right fish?
and lastly are you wanting L's or are you after general tropical fish (considering this IS in the general freshwater section).
Once you can answer those we can help you narrow the list down a bit more.
I agree with Bre. it really depends on how much money you wish to outlay and then also how large or how much space you have available. I would also ask at the LFS first if they are willing to buy or store credit your fish. I found breeding Corys much easier and a good return. With Ls the start up costs etc are very expensive for a possible nil return if they do not lay eggs etc. let us know your thoughts. cheers jk :thumbup:
Sorry i didn't realise this was the non-pleco related discussions.I've got a one track mind of anything pleco,so if my replies are inappropriate for being in the wrong thread,my apologies and feel free to remove them...i should read before i post. :wb:
Thanks for all the replies everyone.I am no longer working due to health problems
and want to spend my days breeding fish.I am about to build a fully insulated shed with Solar Panels.The shed will be about 5m by 8 or 9 meters.I would like to cover most of my power costs any maybe make a few bucks selling back to the local LFS in my area.I am currently looking at Peppermints and possibly Discus.One of my LFS told me to breed L catfish because i could make a lot of money very quickly.Im not sure if this is true or not.Someone else also suggested Crystal Shrimp.I currently breed Cherry Shrimp and know nothing about these yet.
russ.
and want to spend my days breeding fish.I am about to build a fully insulated shed with Solar Panels.The shed will be about 5m by 8 or 9 meters.I would like to cover most of my power costs any maybe make a few bucks selling back to the local LFS in my area.I am currently looking at Peppermints and possibly Discus.One of my LFS told me to breed L catfish because i could make a lot of money very quickly.Im not sure if this is true or not.Someone else also suggested Crystal Shrimp.I currently breed Cherry Shrimp and know nothing about these yet.
russ.
As I have learnt through experience, in any breeding venture you need to invest money with no guarantee of any profit in the long term. The comment from your LFS that you can breed Ls and make a lot of money very quickly, shows that they do not understand the L breeding and make it sound like it is so easy.. In Australia buying Ls is an expensive venture. Some breeders wait years for the fish to lay eggs and then raising the fry is another issue. Sometimes they only lay 10 eggs and 4 survive etc. With you huge shed, you surely can build an impressive breeding set up/rack system. Have you considered rain water tanks to collect the water from the shed ? I would suggest using heavy duty steal shelving system. As others have stated in this post, maybe breed BN or peppermints, they seem to be what LFS want. Also with your health problems consider if you start selling fish that you would most probably have to ship and send fish interstate. My further questions to you
1. Do you have any fish experience at all ?
2. Have to spoken to your LFS and will they buy your fish/shrimp ?
3. It depends on your finance how big you wish to go, so have you done a budget of sorts already IE Tanks costs, filters, food etc ?
With Shrimp, they are wonderful as they breed prolific if the conditions are right. My motto is, we are keepers of water. Give any fish the correct water conditions and requirements, then anything will happen naturally. i have breed shrimp, they need clean water, a little movement. When you do water changes, be wary to introduce new water slowly. I used to use a drip hose to add the water, thus the changes are not so dramatic. If water is clean and do not overfeed, they will thrive.
cheers jk :thumbup:
1. Do you have any fish experience at all ?
2. Have to spoken to your LFS and will they buy your fish/shrimp ?
3. It depends on your finance how big you wish to go, so have you done a budget of sorts already IE Tanks costs, filters, food etc ?
With Shrimp, they are wonderful as they breed prolific if the conditions are right. My motto is, we are keepers of water. Give any fish the correct water conditions and requirements, then anything will happen naturally. i have breed shrimp, they need clean water, a little movement. When you do water changes, be wary to introduce new water slowly. I used to use a drip hose to add the water, thus the changes are not so dramatic. If water is clean and do not overfeed, they will thrive.
cheers jk :thumbup: