Info on selling cichlids

[Sharkluver]

I am thinking of breeding convict cichlids for a school assignment but was wondering since the aquarium is costly to set up if anyone knows if they sell well and where to sell them. I am hoping to cover the cost and upkeep of the tank not make a profit. I only have a Petsmart and Petco near me, no small pet shops, and I doubt they'd buy the offspring. I also can't have any fish that aren't available at Petsmart because I don't want to ship and we have a really good PetSmart near us that takes good care of their fish.

 

[Hendre]

Many people struggle to sell their convict cichlids since they're like rabbits and not particularly expensive. You may make a little bit back but don't ever expect much, hope this helps

 

[Sharkluver]

Thanks for the info, any ideas of what I could do instead?

 

[Hendre]

Well what exactly does your school project entail?

 

[Sharkluver]

It's for an animal companions class and we have to choose any project that is related to the topic. I chose to breed fish as my educational project and need some fish that can breed before the school year's over.

 

[Hendre]

Guppies. You can easily give them away and they breed super easily, best bet there I think

 

[Gourami Swami]

I would agree, guppies or other livebearers like platies would be easiest. You probably won't make any money selling any fish that you can get at petsmart however- fish like these are usually bought in bulk from huge distributors. But you could get credit for your project and give the baby fish away.

I will say that in my opinion, breeding convicts is much more interesting than livebearers. The convicts have more breeding behavior, they lay eggs then raise them to wigglers and fry, and eventually raise them to young fish or eat them to make room for a new clutch. Because in the wild, babies that cling to the parents for too long, are seen as being sick or disabled. All you really need to breed convicts is a 20 or 30 gallon tank, and a male and female.

Since you seem to be young and money is an issue, I'd recommend craigslist for your setup. You can get lucky and find a good deal.

 

[Sharkluver]

I have a 40 gallon setup from a garage sale at a relatives house with a filter and lights but I'm not sure how I'm going to get the aquarium to my house, scratch together the money for supplies, cycle it, grow the fish, and breed them in time. I've bred guppies before but none survived so I could do that as an option.

 

[Jexnell]

Try Jewel cichlids they may sell better than cons.

 

[Sharkluver]

I do love the jewel cichlid's color. Since I plan on keeping them long term do you think that through selective breeding I could create really beautiful fish that could be worth a little more? I'm not very educated about selling fish and strains of fish.