Some numbers

After working for a fish store, you have to consider how much more saltwater fish and equipment cost as compared to freshwater. At my store the cheapest SW fish one could purchase were damsels starting at $7.99 as opposed to $1 guppies. Also a nice large E. 'kleiner bar' would sell for $22 whereas a nice sized ritteri anemone would cost ~$100.

Another thing to consider is the difficulty in keeping saltwater tanks. For instance someone would purchase that $100 ritteri, which we would tell them is very difficult to maintain, and it would stop eating and waste away within 2 weeks in their tank.

Overall I found more people beginning in the freshwater hobby and then later moving on to saltwater.

However, the $1500 shown for freshwater sales is low for an individual store. Where I worked we were easily making over $2k a week in freshwater sales. It definately did not represent the amount of inventory leaving the store, which we would replenish weekly (including plants) and at times the weekly shipment would not last us throughout the week.

Unless it would be wrong to do so, which store gave you those numbers? It might be even more skewed especially if its a saltwater oriented store.

David

niko said:

The other day I was talking with the owner of a Dallas fish store and he told me that last month they sold saltwater animals/goods for $18,000 and only $1,500 in freshwater.

That was somewhat of an eye opening experience to me because APC seems to make me feel like the planted tank hobby is growing with tremendous speed.

I guess plants and planted tank goods where a tiny portion of those $1,500. Such sales may be particular for that store only, or due to the season, or whatever.

I have hopes that the ADA products will bring something refreshing to this hobby in the US. But as always it's up to us to make things fun, enjoyable, and attract more interest to planted tanks.

--Nikolay

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