Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
How to price tank bred fish?
- Melander (Andreas Melander)
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What’s reasonable to expect to pay/sell tank bred fish for? Are there some general guidelines such as a certain percentage of what a fish would be in a LFS?
I’m not looking for an ultimate profit/supply & demand model only what’s reasonable. It’s a hobby after all.
Also, I have not seen that many tank bred fish for sale here on the forum, is there allot of trading going on within the clubs on meetings and such?
Melander
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- anglecichlid (ciaran hogan)
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I sold 100 blues for €1.50 each to one shop which wasn't half bad!
Works out it covered my electric bill for the tanks for a couple of months,
And keeps the OH happy!
Anyone with a aquarium can keep fish,
But it takes real skill to be a fish keeper,
And it's spongeBob,
SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea
BLANCHARDSTOWN
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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edit... also i don't mind being generous to generous buyers

Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- Melander (Andreas Melander)
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I have very little experience of this myself. Having sold to LFS alright but they seem to know themselves what to pay so there has not been much thinking from my part there, especially when you need to free up space.
Usually I would have gotten around 2 euro from a LFS for fish sold for 6-8 euro. Perhaps not much but it's always nice to get some "free" food or some money for the electricity bill as said before.
When it comes to selling privately i really don't know, perhaps it has allot to do with how fast you need to get rid of the fish.
Melander
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- JohnH (John)
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Unless someone is trying to breed to make a profit (very unlikely in these times) then anywhere around half the shop price would seem to be pretty close (unless they're for me - then the advice would be to give them for free).




But, seriously now, I think that, whatever price is being asked for tank-bred fish the looked (hoped) for price should be left to PMs for disclosure. But that's only my view, others may disagree.
John
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N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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- BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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I myself and breed a good few fish and maybe sometimes i move off some but most off the time they go to the LSF for free
Depends on the fish as the lads say but myself i think have only ever asked about 2 or 3 euro max for tank breed but again this would change for many breeders and for different fish
Sean
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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i would start with that though and see if they move quick enough, if not you can lower if your happy to or just pass them on to lfs. although i personaly wouldn't use an lfs an my 1st point of call but thats just me, i'd pass the deals onto fellow fishkeepers instead

Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- Melander (Andreas Melander)
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@Dave I agree with you about trying to sell to fishkeepers first. It's must however be much easier in urban areas and driving to one LFS saves on the petrol compared to driving to 10-20 individual keepers.
Melander
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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i wouldn't go delivering fish unless you were traveling their way... i'm in kildare and i find people often don't venture out of their county... must be too use to having things handed to them on a plate


1 more thing, if i don't see a price i don't bother asking so bare in mind, i'm sure i'm not the only 1 so your best to show a price and people do what they want with it unless of course if your open to offers

Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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I find it hard as im in Navan also so people driving her for 1 or 2 fish at 2 euro a pop in not going to happy
Sure just there a few weeks ago i had kribs up for 1 euro i think at one stage and couldnt move them so some went to LFS and other went to a member from here for free
Davey tell me about it ha
But its crazy we cant sell fish on here most off the time but sure most lads go to there LFS and spend 4 times the price for the same fish i dont under stand this but have to say im happy in a way as it keep the LSF going and we need as many off them that we can get
Sean
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- Melander (Andreas Melander)
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It’s probably always gonna be the same for us mud skippers anyway unless we breed something really rare.
Melander
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- sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
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Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild
currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick
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- joemc (joe mc)
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the price of anything is really what another is willing to pay.
shops in my experience will generally offer about a quarter the retail value of the fish, which to me is a pretty fair deal. selling on to other fish keepers, well that is between the two doing the deal, but it is really about sharing and spreading the hobby and not about making a big profit.
on the selling on of something you got for free davey-c well I could not agree with you more on that one, only a miserable selfish scavenging good for nothing would do a thing like that, I have in the past given fish away to people free only to see them offered for sale on forums and in shops in the past...... truly bad form and leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but then again what others do often says more about them than another could do if they wrote a book
FOR SALE
Catappa Leaves
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- joemc (joe mc)
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FOR SALE
Catappa Leaves
PM FOR DETAILS
Ebay Fish Foods Click here!
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- bonzo (alistair mcareavey)
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- Acara (Dave Walters)
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I sold some fish to a lfs awhile ago for 5 and they sold them for 50. It amazes me that I can advertise fish for pittance and people will bypass them to buy the same fish in their lfs for 10 times more
This is something I see a lot, people getting onto forums and complaining about the price of the lfs, yet guys are advertising great quality fry for a fraction of the price, and can't shift them, meanwhile all this Czech and Asian muck is flying out of the shops for several times the price. I don't have any experience running a lfs, but can imagine overheads would be quite high. I've also heard a bit from guys who've sold to shops, then seen their fish for 4-5 times the price in the shop,what did you expect, this is business, these guys have bills to pay. I would love to see a situation where shops could buy a lot more locally bred stock, as something that hasn't been mentioned is the huge carbon footprint involved in flying in stock all the time. The more of this foreign muck we buy, the more it will need to be produced, and the worse the production process will become.
Joe, I hear you on that front, I know of a keeper or 2 who is known for this sort of carry on. I have a few fish for sale currently(most(actually all) I will actually be giving for free), but won't advertise, as I know the same few names will be pm'ing me. But hey, that's just my thoughts, we're all different.
always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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i hadn't a quarantine tank so luckily enough an lfs agree'd to dose them under the conditions i accepted healthier specimens as an exchange.... i mean these were that badly deformed that ye couldn't give them away... the sad thing is i'm sure i'm not the only 1 this happened to but luckily enough all other members were honest enough

Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- joemc (joe mc)
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FOR SALE
Catappa Leaves
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Ebay Fish Foods Click here!
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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maybe people are cautious when offered free fish so most end up in lfs anyways so OP take it as it comes because as said they'll only be worth what people are willing to pay for them

Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- arabu1973 (. .)
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- most of the people complain about the quality/diversity/prices of the fish in LFS but when you try to sale, in my case rare or hard to breed fish, for very little money they complain that they are to expensive even if they sale for 5-6 times the price in LFS, they would like them for free and delivered too.
And thats me done
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- Acara (Dave Walters)
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can't recall what type to be honest as its been quite a while since that incident but supose we all live and learn!!
maybe people are cautious when offered free fish so most end up in lfs anyways so OP take it as it comes because as said they'll only be worth what people are willing to pay for them
Depends really, I know many keepers I'd happily buy off, and a good few of them have offered to give me free fish. I would give them a few bob at least, I wouldn't just take them. Although I have in the past! What goes around comes around I reckon. Just like buying from a shop, have a look at them first, study them a bit, we should know what to look for, and not just be the first to write 'pm sent' on a 'free fish' thread. That way we've only ourselves to blame should we find a problem.
I have bought fish from all the main sponsors and have had problems with them.
always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!
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- davey_c (dave clarke)
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things like that can give buyers a bad vibe towards buying from honest to god breeders so supose could be seen as another contributing factor...
Below tank is for sale
my plywood tank build.
www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...k-build-diary#137768
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- Sean OC (Sean OConnell)
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I sold some fish to a lfs awhile ago for 5 and they sold them for 50. It amazes me that I can advertise fish for pittance and people will bypass them to buy the same fish in their lfs for 10 times more
I've also heard a bit from guys who've sold to shops, then seen their fish for 4-5 times the price in the shop,what did you expect, this is business, these guys have bills to pay. I would love to see a situation where shops could buy a lot more locally bred stock, as something that hasn't been mentioned is the huge carbon footprint involved in flying in stock all the time. The more of this foreign muck we buy, the more it will need to be produced, and the worse the production process will become.
We generally sell on local breeders fish for twice what we pay plus vat.
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- ghart (Greg Hart)
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You never get or should expect to get a decent price for you fish for a LFS as they have overheads and large stocks to move. I assume the tropical fish business is very competative and the profit margins are tight.
Though some are smarter at the business that others.
Some time ago I had a Discus fish that cost me 180 euro but was only offered 25 euro from a LFS.
We care for an look after our pets and I have no problem selling fish a greatly reduced prices to other members on the forum as you know they are going to a good home and you will usualy get a better return than from a LFS.
Greg
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- Melander (Andreas Melander)
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Personally I would have assumed that most breeders would produce a high quality of fish. Having selected the parents, reared the young and probably being in it for the interest rather than making money compared to the mass produced fish often imported.
I would gladly buy fish from a good breeder, knowing that it for instance had not travelled; in theory should have a lesser chance of having pests, perhaps even having a chance of seeing the parent fish before purchase etc.
Also, would not a breeder selling low quality stock put him/herself open for critique by doing just that, especially on a forum.
I too would travel for the right fish (and have plenty of times) and it really is a shame hearing that reputable breeders can’t sell their stock but LFS’s can. Maybe there are plenty of people visiting the shops that just don’t have access to the ads for these fish (this forum).
It’s sad to hear what happened to both Joe and Davey, I hope that both those instances were one off events but unfortunately there will always be some ****** out there.
Melander
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