First off I would ditch the bubble wall thing...that thing will outgas any co2 you have in the water column.
Welcome to PT.
Welcome to PT.
Fish Store Owner Starting First Planted Tank
4
Hi everyone!
I really do have some specific questions, but first I'd like to give you a little background
I am currently opening a fish store in Florida. We are specializing in Saltwater/Reef items and fish, because 2 of 3 of us running the store have no interest in freshwater aquaria. However we have received MANY inquiries as to whether or not we would carry freshwater plants. Being the only game in town, I feel we really need to try and meet the needs of those aquarists; not in just selling them random plants; but really being able to help them with them. In other words, I want to be able to know what I'm talking about as well as I do for reef aquaria and freshwater fish. Since I am the only one of us with any real freshwater experience, (I've had fresh tanks since I was a kid, but never any with real plants, my mom always said it was too hard
) I decided to take it upon myself to learn as much as I could about aquatic plants to determine if it would even be feasible to have them. Since embarking on my journey, I have determined that it would be possible, if I can find the space to set up a tank dedicated to plants.
Now that I have read some books and looked at countless websites, I am HOOKED! I have become an aquatic plant lover, I'm obsessed. I love terrestrial plants and have a large collection of them, this is a way to continue my plant obsession under the guise of learning for the sake of the store I have in an effort to learn more set up a 55g at home for plants. (and a little goldfish -yes I know that goldies aren't the ideal candidates for planted tanks. But I promised him that if he lived I would take him home and this is my only freshwater tank at home, so I'm willing to work with what's applicable for him, and I don't mind if he nibbles, well not TOO much lol)
So here finally are my tank specifics:
-55g
-2x32w 48in. FloraSun NO flourescents, + 1 40W 48in. Coralife NutriGrow NO Bulb
-80lbs of Caribsea Eco Complete
-Millenium 285gph backfilter (no biowheel, bio media is a plastic sort of 'stretched out' bio ball)
-Jager 150W heater, set to 75
-Sponge filter that I used to start the tank up with, will probably remove soon.
-48 in. airstone (I have turned this off since taking the pictures, realizing that it is most likely driving off CO2 and that the plants give off plenty of O2)
-2 2in. fancy goldfish (1 Ryukin, 1 calico telescope eye, the tank will eventually be home to a total of 3 goldfish. The last being the aforementioned calico Oranda. These will be the only fish in the tank, besides clean up crew and I may eventually remove 1 or both of the other goldies if bioload gets too high, I have'nt made any promises to them )
-5 or so Oto cats, 9 Cory cats, a handful of Mystery snails, 6 Orange Bee Shrimp (any one ever hear of these? They look like Cherry shrimp to me)
Tank parameters are:
Ammo: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 5ppm
pH: 7.2-7.3
Gh and Kh were at 3ppm last time I tested.
(I have'nt really tested for other things yet, not sure if I need to do so, since this a low-med. tech set up)
Tank has been running approx. 5-6wks.
I add Seachem Flourish 1x a week and Seachem Flourish Excel 2x a week.
I use RO/DI water (reconstituted with Kent RO right) for water change once every 2 weeks, I do about a 30%, sometimes a little more change.
Plants that I currently have are:
-Java Fern
-Water Sprite
-Anacharis
-Hornwort
-Asst. Aponogeton -Not sure of the types, but I know one is Madagascar Lace.
-Vall. Corkscrew
-Dwarf Water Onion
-Crypt. Wendtii Green, Bronze, and Red
-Dwarf Hairgrass
-Pennywort
-Moneywort
-Sag. Dwarf Subulata
-Rosette Sword
- Asst. Anubias, I know one is a frazeri
-Melon Sword
-Amazon Sword
-Narrowleaf Chain Sword
-Oriental Sword
-Brazilian Sword
So here a few of my starter questions:
1. I am still learning about plants and I think that some of these may not work in my setup, like the Madagascar Lace, possibly the dwarf Hairgrass, and I don't really know about the Oriental and Brazilian Swords. Please tell me any of the above plants that you think might not work. I have really tried to stick with plants that I think will work for this setup, I know different people have different experiences with what the goldies will eat, what I'm asking about specifically is what will work with the other conditions I have minus the fish.
2. Is it possible to have TOO many plants? I know this is a frequently asked question. I have about 80% if not a little more of my substrate covered. I know you are supposed to plant heavily from the start, so I have lol. Since I am not adding CO2 continuously, I thought I may have some issues with this heavily a stocked tank.
3. How often should I be dosing the Flourish and the Flourish Excel? Is there anything else I should be dosing? I don't really have the time to make up my own ferts, so I prefer using the already put together ones.
4. I have well water, should I attempt to use this or mix it with the RO/DI water for changes or topoff? I'm assuming it's very hard and laden with minerals, it's smells very sulfur-y out of the tap. I have not tested it yet though.
5. I have one plant in particular that has some leaves turning yellow. Do I proceed as I would with a houseplant and remove the yellowing leaves and hope for the best or should I remove the whole plant? I think it is some type of sword, you can see it in the third and fourth pictures down, to the right of the driftwood. I don't know if it has too high of a light requirement, or something in my water it's not getting that it needs. It has been in the tank for about 4 weeks, and the rest of my plants seem to be doing fine.
6.This one has to do with my store, I don't know if maybe I should start another thread for this or not but: What advice do you have for a fish store in regards to plants? What would you like to see done differently? Since I know alot about terrestrial plants, I won't be selling any of those as aquatic plants. BUT it is a problem getting labelled plants from distributors. The only ones that are labelled are the potted ones,and even then they only come with common names. Anything you buy in bunches is unlabelled. I know people want to see employees who know what they are talking about. However, I must confess it is a challenge to be able to identify some things just by looking. My hope is that as I become more involved with aquatic plants that I will become more efficient at eyeballing more types of plants than I can right now.
And lastly, I would really appreciate any suggestions, or advice about my setup or for me in general, advice about fancy goldies in planted tanks(I have some knowledge about them, but I'm always looking for more)advice on how to better aquascape my tank lol, links to sites, excellent books, suggestions on how to set up a planted tank for the store etc.
I would really like to work closely with you guys to help me get the best planted tank (but stay in the low/med tech. range, I can't handle any more tanks as complicated as an all SPS reef setup right now lol) as I can at home so I can then have one at the store to help better the hobby for all of us plant-a-holics. I appreciate any and all advice/suggestions, whether positive or negative.
I apologize for the length of this post. But I am about to make it a little longer, here are a few pics of my tank so far (aquascaping is an evolutionary process mind you ) I hope this does'nt stretch out the board, I will try to edit it if it does.
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I really do have some specific questions, but first I'd like to give you a little background
I am currently opening a fish store in Florida. We are specializing in Saltwater/Reef items and fish, because 2 of 3 of us running the store have no interest in freshwater aquaria. However we have received MANY inquiries as to whether or not we would carry freshwater plants. Being the only game in town, I feel we really need to try and meet the needs of those aquarists; not in just selling them random plants; but really being able to help them with them. In other words, I want to be able to know what I'm talking about as well as I do for reef aquaria and freshwater fish. Since I am the only one of us with any real freshwater experience, (I've had fresh tanks since I was a kid, but never any with real plants, my mom always said it was too hard
) I decided to take it upon myself to learn as much as I could about aquatic plants to determine if it would even be feasible to have them. Since embarking on my journey, I have determined that it would be possible, if I can find the space to set up a tank dedicated to plants. Now that I have read some books and looked at countless websites, I am HOOKED! I have become an aquatic plant lover, I'm obsessed. I love terrestrial plants and have a large collection of them, this is a way to continue my plant obsession under the guise of learning for the sake of the store
I have in an effort to learn more set up a 55g at home for plants. (and a little goldfish -yes I know that goldies aren't the ideal candidates for planted tanks. But I promised him that if he lived I would take him home and this is my only freshwater tank at home, so I'm willing to work with what's applicable for him, and I don't mind if he nibbles, well not TOO much lol)So here finally are my tank specifics:
-55g
-2x32w 48in. FloraSun NO flourescents, + 1 40W 48in. Coralife NutriGrow NO Bulb
-80lbs of Caribsea Eco Complete
-Millenium 285gph backfilter (no biowheel, bio media is a plastic sort of 'stretched out' bio ball)
-Jager 150W heater, set to 75
-Sponge filter that I used to start the tank up with, will probably remove soon.
-48 in. airstone (I have turned this off since taking the pictures, realizing that it is most likely driving off CO2 and that the plants give off plenty of O2)
-2 2in. fancy goldfish (1 Ryukin, 1 calico telescope eye, the tank will eventually be home to a total of 3 goldfish. The last being the aforementioned calico Oranda. These will be the only fish in the tank, besides clean up crew and I may eventually remove 1 or both of the other goldies if bioload gets too high, I have'nt made any promises to them
)-5 or so Oto cats, 9 Cory cats, a handful of Mystery snails, 6 Orange Bee Shrimp (any one ever hear of these? They look like Cherry shrimp to me)
Tank parameters are:
Ammo: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 5ppm
pH: 7.2-7.3
Gh and Kh were at 3ppm last time I tested.
(I have'nt really tested for other things yet, not sure if I need to do so, since this a low-med. tech set up)
Tank has been running approx. 5-6wks.
I add Seachem Flourish 1x a week and Seachem Flourish Excel 2x a week.
I use RO/DI water (reconstituted with Kent RO right) for water change once every 2 weeks, I do about a 30%, sometimes a little more change.
Plants that I currently have are:
-Java Fern
-Water Sprite
-Anacharis
-Hornwort
-Asst. Aponogeton -Not sure of the types, but I know one is Madagascar Lace.
-Vall. Corkscrew
-Dwarf Water Onion
-Crypt. Wendtii Green, Bronze, and Red
-Dwarf Hairgrass
-Pennywort
-Moneywort
-Sag. Dwarf Subulata
-Rosette Sword
- Asst. Anubias, I know one is a frazeri
-Melon Sword
-Amazon Sword
-Narrowleaf Chain Sword
-Oriental Sword
-Brazilian Sword
So here a few of my starter questions:
1. I am still learning about plants and I think that some of these may not work in my setup, like the Madagascar Lace, possibly the dwarf Hairgrass, and I don't really know about the Oriental and Brazilian Swords. Please tell me any of the above plants that you think might not work. I have really tried to stick with plants that I think will work for this setup, I know different people have different experiences with what the goldies will eat, what I'm asking about specifically is what will work with the other conditions I have minus the fish.
2. Is it possible to have TOO many plants? I know this is a frequently asked question. I have about 80% if not a little more of my substrate covered. I know you are supposed to plant heavily from the start, so I have lol. Since I am not adding CO2 continuously, I thought I may have some issues with this heavily a stocked tank.
3. How often should I be dosing the Flourish and the Flourish Excel? Is there anything else I should be dosing? I don't really have the time to make up my own ferts, so I prefer using the already put together ones.
4. I have well water, should I attempt to use this or mix it with the RO/DI water for changes or topoff? I'm assuming it's very hard and laden with minerals, it's smells very sulfur-y out of the tap. I have not tested it yet though.
5. I have one plant in particular that has some leaves turning yellow. Do I proceed as I would with a houseplant and remove the yellowing leaves and hope for the best or should I remove the whole plant? I think it is some type of sword, you can see it in the third and fourth pictures down, to the right of the driftwood. I don't know if it has too high of a light requirement, or something in my water it's not getting that it needs. It has been in the tank for about 4 weeks, and the rest of my plants seem to be doing fine.
6.This one has to do with my store, I don't know if maybe I should start another thread for this or not but: What advice do you have for a fish store in regards to plants? What would you like to see done differently? Since I know alot about terrestrial plants, I won't be selling any of those as aquatic plants. BUT it is a problem getting labelled plants from distributors. The only ones that are labelled are the potted ones,and even then they only come with common names. Anything you buy in bunches is unlabelled. I know people want to see employees who know what they are talking about. However, I must confess it is a challenge to be able to identify some things just by looking. My hope is that as I become more involved with aquatic plants that I will become more efficient at eyeballing more types of plants than I can right now.
And lastly, I would really appreciate any suggestions, or advice about my setup or for me in general, advice about fancy goldies in planted tanks(I have some knowledge about them, but I'm always looking for more)advice on how to better aquascape my tank lol, links to sites, excellent books, suggestions on how to set up a planted tank for the store etc.
I would really like to work closely with you guys to help me get the best planted tank (but stay in the low/med tech. range, I can't handle any more tanks as complicated as an all SPS reef setup right now lol) as I can at home so I can then have one at the store to help better the hobby for all of us plant-a-holics. I appreciate any and all advice/suggestions, whether positive or negative.
I apologize for the length of this post. But I am about to make it a little longer, here are a few pics of my tank so far (aquascaping is an evolutionary process mind you
) I hope this does'nt stretch out the board, I will try to edit it if it does.
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
Welcome to PT
Big post, I'll try to add what I can to add what was already said.
And I like to hear a retailer looking into new thingsroud:
First off, bad news:
your Brazilian sword is not a true aquatic, and will die eventually This ties into what you said about distributors in #6.
Second, good news:
I'm fairly sure that the yellowing plant is your Brazil sword. :icon_cool
I personally would like to see some more faster growing stems in the begining (in addition to your hornwort, anacharis, and water sprite) to help until your tank gets settled, and you "dial in". With the amount of light you have I would avoid floaters at this point.
Now as far as #3, if you do go the powder route, I used to sit down sunday night, and spoon out the ferts into little canisters (like 35mm film cans) for the week.
Lastly, IMO long term success is from balance. Lights, nutrients, plant load.
Best of luck
Walter
Big post, I'll try to add what I can to add what was already said.
And I like to hear a retailer looking into new things
roud: First off, bad news:
your Brazilian sword is not a true aquatic, and will die eventually This ties into what you said about distributors in #6.
Second, good news:
I'm fairly sure that the yellowing plant is your Brazil sword. :icon_cool
I personally would like to see some more faster growing stems in the begining (in addition to your hornwort, anacharis, and water sprite) to help until your tank gets settled, and you "dial in". With the amount of light you have I would avoid floaters at this point.
Now as far as #3, if you do go the powder route, I used to sit down sunday night, and spoon out the ferts into little canisters (like 35mm film cans) for the week.
Lastly, IMO long term success is from balance. Lights, nutrients, plant load.
Best of luck
Walter
Suggestion: Print out the url of this site (and others you like) on cards or sturdy paper and offer them to customers if they need advice you can't (yet) give them.
Hello there,
I have worked in a Large pet store for over 3 years and I know that we ordered plants from Malaysia and down there, it's one BIG company that does most of the import... i forget the name now... but I remember that they would put very small number codes on the plastic bags that IDed the plants.
If you want to supply high quality plants, i would recommend you go and talk to these guys : www.tropica.com .The quality is really there, they dont sell (to my knowledge) emmersed grown plants unlike most cheap wholesales who import from malaysia...They will be Much more expensive, but you will reduce CONSIDERABLY your losses... Since plants who are grown emmersed once submerged in water often melt (or die). We used to have about 20-30% losses... We did not do business with Tropica since the owners didnt want to pay the premium.
My last comment would be to not buy too many types of red plants, these are usualy harder to keep (to my knowledge) and I used to have alot more losses with these guys...
Make sure people know that you not only carry salt water....but also have a section for freshwater... I do not know how big of a store you are openning, so I cannot comment on what type of fish you would like to hold.
I would stay away from african cichlids, they are expensive to keep and dont sell fast. If you or your partners want to have goldfish, make sure they are on a seperate system, they can carry all sorts of nasty stuff which they are immune to. Goldfish sell well, but people cant keep them. I would recommend selling tetras and other south-american fish(dwarfs, discus and plecos in very very small quantity like a show tank with fish for sale works really well)... Nothing fancy to start with.
Can you post some pictures of the store if it is open or opening?
I do not know a petstore that was specialized in ONLY saltwater that survived for more than two years, I highly encourage you to go forward with this idea! Variety is the key.
Good luck,
-Bruno
I have worked in a Large pet store for over 3 years and I know that we ordered plants from Malaysia and down there, it's one BIG company that does most of the import... i forget the name now... but I remember that they would put very small number codes on the plastic bags that IDed the plants.
If you want to supply high quality plants, i would recommend you go and talk to these guys : www.tropica.com .The quality is really there, they dont sell (to my knowledge) emmersed grown plants unlike most cheap wholesales who import from malaysia...They will be Much more expensive, but you will reduce CONSIDERABLY your losses... Since plants who are grown emmersed once submerged in water often melt (or die). We used to have about 20-30% losses... We did not do business with Tropica since the owners didnt want to pay the premium.
My last comment would be to not buy too many types of red plants, these are usualy harder to keep (to my knowledge) and I used to have alot more losses with these guys...
Make sure people know that you not only carry salt water....but also have a section for freshwater... I do not know how big of a store you are openning, so I cannot comment on what type of fish you would like to hold.
I would stay away from african cichlids, they are expensive to keep and dont sell fast. If you or your partners want to have goldfish, make sure they are on a seperate system, they can carry all sorts of nasty stuff which they are immune to. Goldfish sell well, but people cant keep them. I would recommend selling tetras and other south-american fish(dwarfs, discus and plecos in very very small quantity like a show tank with fish for sale works really well)... Nothing fancy to start with.
Can you post some pictures of the store if it is open or opening?
I do not know a petstore that was specialized in ONLY saltwater that survived for more than two years, I highly encourage you to go forward with this idea! Variety is the key.
Good luck,
-Bruno
Man!!! I wish I had a LFS near me with an owner like you!!
I think that would be MORE than worth your while. And would be extremely helpful to the consumer ~ ferting seems like such a daunting subject, but there's really not that much to it. If you set it up this way, they almost can't fail. Once they grasp the concept, they can buy bulk ferts from you instead of the "no brainer packs". Read up on the dosing strategies figured out by other planted tank owners (EI, PMDD, etc.) and offer those no-brainer packs of ferts for each strategy so they can pick which one works best for them. Be sure to print a link to the info on the 'net about these strategies so their originators will get due credit and the consumer can get more info.
What I'd like to see in a fish store ~ planted tanks! Loads of them! LOL! That would let me know that the owner really knew what he was talking about, which would make me feel more comfortable giving him my money for something he told me would work in my tank.
I've long kicked around the idea of opening a plant nursery (terrestrials mostly along with some pond plants) and over the years the best thing I've come up with to make sure customers know what a plant's name is to learn them myself. I've come up with all manner of schemes to make sure the names are on the pots, posted in front of each type of plant, etc., but in each scheme there's always the thought of "what if the label falls off", "what if they don't see the signs", etc. That makes me know I need to learn their names. Again, a lot of people won't care since they just want something to stick in a pot by their front porch or behind the bubble-boat in their tank. But the ones who do care will be your repeat customers AND sources of word-of-mouth advertising.
By the way, we may be "low men on the totem pole", but I like goldfish, too. Just LOVE them! (There! I've said it! My dirty little secret is out. :hihi
And welcome to the forum!
I'm still learning about plants myself, but so far I've found it's easier to learn about them by just growing them yourself. If you ask about a particular plant, your replies may well be as varied as their number, with some saying it'll grow in that and others saying it won't since everyone's tank conditions are so different (water is different wherever you go of course, plus there are so many variables in a planted tank such as type of substrate, type of fertilizer schedule, amount of light, etc. that it'd be hard to find someone out there growing them exactly as you are in your tank). I just figured most plants are cheap on the Swap & Shop forum, so I'll just give them all a go and see what I can grow in my specific tank. I've gotten most of the easier to grow ones (look in the Plant Database linked at the top of every page here and you'll find info on each plant including how easy it is to grow) and a few of the harder. Overall I've learned a LOT! And it's been loads of fun, too.
Not until your fish are plastered against the glass. :hihi:
You might think about finding the time to learn about fertilizing with dry ferts since you could sell them in your store with a nice markup and they'd still be cheap. If I were to open a fish store, I'd buy dry ferts in bulk (EXTREMELY CHEAP ~ like twenty bucks for a 50 lb bag for one of the "Big Three", aka NPK ~ and that's enough for YEARS of fertilizing), portion them out in easy to use containers, learn about all labeling laws concerning fertilizer sales so I could follow them (from what I understand they're not that restrictive ~ mainly just listing what the ingredients are and how much of each), print up loads of info on exactly how to use them, and sell that as a package. You can offer a year's worth of ferts without breaking the customer's bank, but still making plenty of money yourself.
I think that would be MORE than worth your while. And would be extremely helpful to the consumer ~ ferting seems like such a daunting subject, but there's really not that much to it. If you set it up this way, they almost can't fail. Once they grasp the concept, they can buy bulk ferts from you instead of the "no brainer packs". Read up on the dosing strategies figured out by other planted tank owners (EI, PMDD, etc.) and offer those no-brainer packs of ferts for each strategy so they can pick which one works best for them. Be sure to print a link to the info on the 'net about these strategies so their originators will get due credit and the consumer can get more info.
Most tap water is just fine to use in freshwater planted tanks. Having well water is a bonus since you don't have to use any dechlors. I have well water as well and had concerns about the same thing, thinking surely my water was WAY too hard to use. I tried it anyway and it works excellently! My red cherry shrimp LOVE it.
I'm a terrestrial gardener, too, and treat my aquarium plants just like their land-based brethren. They're not THAT much different really. I'd remove that yellow leaf just like you would a houseplant and just watch it for a while. If more leaves start to yellow, then you can look for other causes, again just like you would a houseplant.
You are thinking right ~ people want to know what they're getting. Atleast people who will stick with a planted tank do, and those are the ones you'll get repeat business from.
What I'd like to see in a fish store ~ planted tanks! Loads of them! LOL! That would let me know that the owner really knew what he was talking about, which would make me feel more comfortable giving him my money for something he told me would work in my tank.
I've long kicked around the idea of opening a plant nursery (terrestrials mostly along with some pond plants) and over the years the best thing I've come up with to make sure customers know what a plant's name is to learn them myself. I've come up with all manner of schemes to make sure the names are on the pots, posted in front of each type of plant, etc., but in each scheme there's always the thought of "what if the label falls off", "what if they don't see the signs", etc. That makes me know I need to learn their names. Again, a lot of people won't care since they just want something to stick in a pot by their front porch or behind the bubble-boat in their tank. But the ones who do care will be your repeat customers AND sources of word-of-mouth advertising.
The best advice I can give you on this would be to read this forum and visit any links you come across in threads. The Low Tech forum is a good place to start imho ~ they talk about tanks with low light, no or little CO2 and little or no "standard" fertilizing. That's mostly what I have at the moment ~ low tech ~ and I plan to work my way up to maybe having a high tech tank or two later (I have five ten gallons to play with).
By the way, we may be "low men on the totem pole", but I like goldfish, too. Just LOVE them! (There! I've said it! My dirty little secret is out. :hihi
And welcome to the forum!
Thank you all so much for your input, I really appreciate it!
You've given me some great ideas for the store. I had'nt previously thought of setting up 2 seperate tanks, but that would be a great indicator of co2 vs. non-co2 looks/growth. As far as labelling the plants goes, I believe I can order a price channel labelling system like the ones I have for my fish, but nothing will compare to me knowing what I have. The dry fert in bulk idea is an excellent one as well that I will look into as I have time. I will also inquire with Tropica about wholesale plants. I have been getting mine from Segrest Farms here in Florida because they are local and although I can't handpick them, I can at least see what kinds of condition they are in before I order. I will also get more types of smaller school type fish to have on hand, like White Clouds, Rasboras, maybe some Rainbows, and plenty of Oto's. I'm hoping to have lots more customer inquiries to the other 2 guys about plants so they can be easier convinced about the need to have them.
Brunog- my water at the store is fairly hard and alkaline, so african cichlids tend to do the best for me, lol. Unfortunately my freshwater system is 3 8ft acrylic runs, about 600 gallons, all connected. I do have separate quarantine tanks in the back. So unfortunately, I can't really keep on hand Angels and Discus and some of the South American Cichlids who prefer softer water. (although I can get them with a few days notice and hold them in the back for anyone who wants them) Unless I can figure out a way to set up a separate system for them. For now my 2 partners want to keep the majority of the store saltwater; however after we open if we are moving more fresh than salt, I will be able to turn at least 2 more 8ft runs into a softer water fresh system. After all, from a business standpoint, the profit margin on fresh is a million percent better than on salt. I do believe fresh will be our meat and potatoes, it's just convincing the other 2 guys who are saltwater geeks of the same. I do think that you have some very good points and I will show your post to my partners.
I think I will turn my airstone back on, although I rather like the look of the tank without it, lol. I will also probably start using my well water and see how that goes. I also think for ease of use I will stick with the Seachem line of ferts for now (for my personal use in the tank I have at home) and once I have the time to look into dry ferts will possibly convert over to them.
I thank you all again for your replies and if you have any thing else you'd like to add please feel free to post here or contact me. Also if you live in Florida and are interested in checking the store out, please let me know. Although we are not quite open yet (expect to be anytime, but my husband -one of the other 2 people opening the store with me has been diagnosed with cancer so that's slowing us down somewhat.) But we love to give tours to anyone who is interested and who knows, maybe you could help figure out where to set up those 2 planted tanks at and talk to the guys about the need for aquatic plants
I will continue on my journey to id and learn about plants, I also think I will print out plant profiles with pictures on them and links to great websites like this one for customers to see and possibly take home with them.
P.S. Rex Grigg's website was a great find, thanks for the link!
You've given me some great ideas for the store. I had'nt previously thought of setting up 2 seperate tanks, but that would be a great indicator of co2 vs. non-co2 looks/growth. As far as labelling the plants goes, I believe I can order a price channel labelling system like the ones I have for my fish, but nothing will compare to me knowing what I have. The dry fert in bulk idea is an excellent one as well that I will look into as I have time. I will also inquire with Tropica about wholesale plants. I have been getting mine from Segrest Farms here in Florida because they are local and although I can't handpick them, I can at least see what kinds of condition they are in before I order. I will also get more types of smaller school type fish to have on hand, like White Clouds, Rasboras, maybe some Rainbows, and plenty of Oto's. I'm hoping to have lots more customer inquiries to the other 2 guys about plants so they can be easier convinced about the need to have them.
Brunog- my water at the store is fairly hard and alkaline, so african cichlids tend to do the best for me, lol. Unfortunately my freshwater system is 3 8ft acrylic runs, about 600 gallons, all connected. I do have separate quarantine tanks in the back. So unfortunately, I can't really keep on hand Angels and Discus and some of the South American Cichlids who prefer softer water. (although I can get them with a few days notice and hold them in the back for anyone who wants them) Unless I can figure out a way to set up a separate system for them. For now my 2 partners want to keep the majority of the store saltwater; however after we open if we are moving more fresh than salt, I will be able to turn at least 2 more 8ft runs into a softer water fresh system. After all, from a business standpoint, the profit margin on fresh is a million percent better than on salt. I do believe fresh will be our meat and potatoes, it's just convincing the other 2 guys who are saltwater geeks of the same. I do think that you have some very good points and I will show your post to my partners.
I think I will turn my airstone back on, although I rather like the look of the tank without it, lol. I will also probably start using my well water and see how that goes. I also think for ease of use I will stick with the Seachem line of ferts for now (for my personal use in the tank I have at home) and once I have the time to look into dry ferts will possibly convert over to them.
I thank you all again for your replies and if you have any thing else you'd like to add please feel free to post here or contact me. Also if you live in Florida and are interested in checking the store out, please let me know. Although we are not quite open yet (expect to be anytime, but my husband -one of the other 2 people opening the store with me has been diagnosed with cancer so that's slowing us down somewhat.) But we love to give tours to anyone who is interested and who knows, maybe you could help figure out where to set up those 2 planted tanks at and talk to the guys about the need for aquatic plants
I will continue on my journey to id and learn about plants, I also think I will print out plant profiles with pictures on them and links to great websites like this one for customers to see and possibly take home with them.
P.S. Rex Grigg's website was a great find, thanks for the link!
I don't know if you can get Tropica plants, Lost Reef. From what I understand, they don't ship to the US ~ too much paperwork I think. But do check it out to see for yourself! I've heard raves about their plants, so if you can work with them to get the appropriate phytosanitary certs and such, you could then even sell them online if you wanted and make a bundle since "everyone" wants them (me included) but nobody sells them here. And wouldn't that be a hoot ~ holding them over in tanks in your backyard greenhouse or something and outselling the SW with online sales alone! :icon_lol:
I second Rex's site ~ excellent info given in a no-BS manner. I'm one who likes to know "why" something works, so I had to read more than just his site. But his info certainly got me well started.
I wonder if you can do a similar thing by IDing all the plants at your Florida distributor? I mean, you can see them in person there, so once you attach the correct name to the correct plant, you can see the variations in growth and learn to ID them quickly. Would they allow you to take a camera in there to take pics? Maybe you can explain it's only so you can learn their names, which will allow you to sell more plants which would allow you to buy more from them. You could take a small notepad to write down whatever you know about them, or a number, and put that notepad in the picture frame when you snap those pics. That's what I did when I had more than just two or three plants in my greenhouse I needed to learn. Having that notation in the corner of the picture helped me keep them all straight once I started getting answers and comparing those answers to the actual plants.
with freshwater, I can easily see me getting into SW in the coming years, atleast with a small tank. Those seahorses and sea slugs and Christmas Tree worms and zoanthids and bubble coral and ... well, they're all just so tempting! I'd love to have them in a tank in my living room where I could watch them all day.
I, too, am sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. I am now and will continue to send him healing thoughts. May he be one of the MANY lucky ones who sail through this without a hiccup!
I second Rex's site ~ excellent info given in a no-BS manner. I'm one who likes to know "why" something works, so I had to read more than just his site. But his info certainly got me well started.
You will. You definitely will. That's where growing them myself has also come in handy for me. Plants look different in different growing conditions, lighting, etc., and they just plain look different in person than in pictures, so having them in front of me helped tremendously with me learning which is which and how to ID them.
I wonder if you can do a similar thing by IDing all the plants at your Florida distributor? I mean, you can see them in person there, so once you attach the correct name to the correct plant, you can see the variations in growth and learn to ID them quickly. Would they allow you to take a camera in there to take pics? Maybe you can explain it's only so you can learn their names, which will allow you to sell more plants which would allow you to buy more from them.
You could take a small notepad to write down whatever you know about them, or a number, and put that notepad in the picture frame when you snap those pics. That's what I did when I had more than just two or three plants in my greenhouse I needed to learn. Having that notation in the corner of the picture helped me keep them all straight once I started getting answers and comparing those answers to the actual plants. Ukrainetz made an excellent point here imho, one that's very true. My two oldest sons are living proof. I started with bettas, then moved on to planted tanks, and after seeing the fun I was having they started thinking it'd be nice to have an aquarium ~ it would make for great "Daddy and me" time with their kids. Every time they'd come up I'd send them home with plants or shrimp or clams or something. It's only taken a few months and the guys are already starting to go SW ~ both have nano SW tanks now and are actively planning larger tanks, even sourcing and budgeting in the supplies. And man are they excited! They showed me the site they'll be ordering their live rock from (it's grown somewhere along the coast of Florida and the sellers dive to pick it for packaging right after you order it). The site listed all the possible "hitchhikers" that might be in their rocks and it was incredibly interesting to see the variety! Made me even think about getting a small SW tank. I've thought about it before and have wanted one for years, but couldn't justify the cost. Now that I've gotten my feet wet (pun intended :hihi
with freshwater, I can easily see me getting into SW in the coming years, atleast with a small tank. Those seahorses and sea slugs and Christmas Tree worms and zoanthids and bubble coral and ... well, they're all just so tempting! I'd love to have them in a tank in my living room where I could watch them all day. I, too, am sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. I am now and will continue to send him healing thoughts. May he be one of the MANY lucky ones who sail through this without a hiccup!
I am certain you have a reverse osmosis system to help you bring that PH down.
We had a PH of 7.4. the fish were alright, we had some losses, but who doesnt... and I would'nt attribute there death to the PH since we did'nt keep any of the more fragile species, more like overstocking and illnesses.
Would'nt worry too much about discus, they are not big sellers and require lots of attention and space.
small tetras/rasboras/danios will sell the best. Most people dont have anything bigger than a 20gallon, so keep that in mind.
These were my personnal best sellers (people will buy what you show them...)
blue neons and cardinals
german and gold blue ram
plecos
otocinclus (would sell more when we had some then the plecos)
gouramis
black and red phantom tetra
Serpei tetra
corydora (whatever we had)
angels
BETA is a MUST.
the famous fantail and the comet goldfish (i hated selling these fish... but people want them...)
If you have a PH between 7.2-7.4 you can hold most fish. That's what most wholesalers keep it at anyway.
I would learn on how to keep these fish appropriatly FIRST before starting to sell them, it will help you with your customer service and will also reduce your losses. A tank full of sick fish wont be good for business, your rep will go down. Try finding someone who is experienced in keeping freshwater fish. Some wholesalers will offer there service to maintain your aquariums, you might want to look into that. There is also alot of people offering there services on the internet for that. Look if they have references from wholesalers.
We would sell about 5 boxes of fish a week, fish were in 250 aquariums. The tanks would get overstock on thursday/friday, about 50% would be sold during the week-end...I think we would lose 7-10% of the fish.
Sorry to hear about your husband, I wish him the best.
We had a PH of 7.4. the fish were alright, we had some losses, but who doesnt... and I would'nt attribute there death to the PH since we did'nt keep any of the more fragile species, more like overstocking and illnesses.
Would'nt worry too much about discus, they are not big sellers and require lots of attention and space.
small tetras/rasboras/danios will sell the best. Most people dont have anything bigger than a 20gallon, so keep that in mind.
These were my personnal best sellers (people will buy what you show them...
)blue neons and cardinals
german and gold blue ram
plecos
otocinclus (would sell more when we had some then the plecos)
gouramis
black and red phantom tetra
Serpei tetra
corydora (whatever we had)
angels
BETA is a MUST.
the famous fantail and the comet goldfish (i hated selling these fish... but people want them...)
If you have a PH between 7.2-7.4 you can hold most fish. That's what most wholesalers keep it at anyway.
I would learn on how to keep these fish appropriatly FIRST before starting to sell them, it will help you with your customer service and will also reduce your losses. A tank full of sick fish wont be good for business, your rep will go down. Try finding someone who is experienced in keeping freshwater fish. Some wholesalers will offer there service to maintain your aquariums, you might want to look into that. There is also alot of people offering there services on the internet for that. Look if they have references from wholesalers.
We would sell about 5 boxes of fish a week, fish were in 250 aquariums. The tanks would get overstock on thursday/friday, about 50% would be sold during the week-end...I think we would lose 7-10% of the fish.
Sorry to hear about your husband, I wish him the best.
My favorite petstore (Clark's in Albuquerque) has a wall of about 12-15 tanks of "easy beginner fish", mostly tetras, which can be quite charming. Interestingly, the neons & cardinals are in bigger tanks on another wall, indicating they're not so easy. Just a thought on layout
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