What are your best tips for someone wanting to build a business with coral

[PinkSango]

As the title asks, what are your best tips for someone wanting to build a business propagating coral? I'm new to the hobby and it's always been my dream to have my own coral farm. (Even possibly help researchers and scientists with building back our natural reefs in some way??)

 

[Jbell370]

Lots of tanks, time and patience. Picking up coral orders can be a task, you absorb the death and any losses, don't always get what you asked for or ordered.

The joys of acclimation

The reward can be good.

 

[ForTheLoveOfCoral21]

I would personally take a frag of everything you ever order wholesale, and place it in a grow out tank. And don't touch it!

This will help you eventually have your own aquacultured section and maintain some stock without always buying. Yes, this will take a while, but worth it in the long run.

 

[xcountryx]

GIVE US ALL YOUR ADDRESS!!!

 

[PinkSango]

GIVE US ALL YOUR ADDRESS!!!

what

 

[Woodyman]

As the title asks, what are your best tips for someone wanting to build a business propagating coral? I'm new to the hobby and it's always been my dream to have my own coral farm. (Even possibly help researchers and scientists with building back our natural reefs in some way??)

Don't take this the wrong way, I know you are new here, and I don't know any of your background with aquariums, fish, coral, etc. So I do truthfully mean this next bit in the nicest possible way, so please don't take it the wrong way.

I also don't know what your end goal here is, small scale hobby sales only or full business/farming operation.

I would say continue on the path you are on currently with your tank. Startup another tank or better yet a large frag tank. Make sure you can manage that and get successful growth and everything in a small scale home operation. There are plenty of us always looking for healthy corals so if you can successfully grow out pieces you shouldn't have a problem selling them as long as your pricing is reasonable. After all that if your still interested take the next step into a more traditional business model.

You have some good advice above, frag all your orders for grow out and be patient.

Keep your parameters stable and well monitored.

 

[Woodyman]

Don't take this the wrong way, I know you are new here, and I don't know any of your background with aquariums, fish, coral, etc. So I do truthfully mean this next bit in the nicest possible way, so please don't take it the wrong way.

I also don't know what your end goal here is, small scale hobby sales only or full business/farming operation.

I would say continue on the path you are on currently with your tank. Startup another tank or better yet a large frag tank. Make sure you can manage that and get successful growth and everything in a small scale home operation. There are plenty of us always looking for healthy corals so if you can successfully grow out pieces you shouldn't have a problem selling them as long as your pricing is reasonable. After all that if your still interested take the next step into a more traditional business model.

You have some good advice above, frag all your orders for grow out and be patient.

Keep your parameters stable and well monitored.

 

[GarrettT]

Give the buyer a reason to purchase frags from you rather than a local frag swap. Make your QT practices known, but more importantly deliver on those expectations of receiving pest free corals.

 

[PinkSango]

Don't take this the wrong way, I know you are new here, and I don't know any of your background with aquariums, fish, coral, etc. So I do truthfully mean this next bit in the nicest possible way, so please don't take it the wrong way.

I also don't know what your end goal here is, small scale hobby sales only or full business/farming operation.

I would say continue on the path you are on currently with your tank. Startup another tank or better yet a large frag tank. Make sure you can manage that and get successful growth and everything in a small scale home operation. There are plenty of us always looking for healthy corals so if you can successfully grow out pieces you shouldn't have a problem selling them as long as your pricing is reasonable. After all that if your still interested take the next step into a more traditional business model.

You have some good advice above, frag all your orders for grow out and be patient.

Keep your parameters stable and well monitored.

Thanks so much omg! This helps a lot. I honestly was thinking of using one of my 5 gallons I have lying around as a coral frag tank. I think I'll try to frag my leather first and see how I do with that, that way I'm not spending a ton of money on coral just to have them die outright.

 

[Woodyman]

Thanks so much omg! This helps a lot. I honestly was thinking of using one of my 5 gallons I have lying around as a coral frag tank. I think I'll try to frag my leather first and see how I do with that, that way I'm not spending a ton of money on coral just to have them die outright.

Pickup a 20gallon long on the next $/gallon sale. They make for cheap frag tanks with a decent amount of space.

Larger size (to an extent) is easier to manage from a parameter stability perspective as well.

You will get away with more on softies vs hard corals (SPS/LPS) typically.

 

[Woodyman]

Thanks so much omg! This helps a lot. I honestly was thinking of using one of my 5 gallons I have lying around as a coral frag tank. I think I'll try to frag my leather first and see how I do with that, that way I'm not spending a ton of money on coral just to have them die outright.

Get some fragging gear and remember to disinfect your blade prior to use.

Clean blades make for clean cuts. The cleaner the cut the easier and faster recovery can be. Disinfect to reduce any bacterial infections.

 

[Peace River]

Become a water gardener first - meaning really understand water quality. Although not required, measuring and tracking water, lighting, and flow parameters over time can be helpful. Realize that nothing happens in a straight line, be prepared for the process to be much better and much worse that it currently is so that you can mitigate the risk, adapt to new situations, and react to whatever challenges come your way. Don't overlook marketing, supply chain, and other basic business skills. Stay curious and always be learning. Good luck on your adventure wherever it leads!

 

[xcountryx]

I was trying to be funny. Meaning so we could buy all your coral.

Had a few beers in me already lol

 

[MartinM]

As the owner of a (non-aquarium related) enterprise level company, I will tell you that it’s a business. That means it’s no longer a hobby it will (probably) be no longer nearly as fun, and your main thoughts about everything will be related to P&L, cash flow, CLV, CPA, overhead, margin, banking, legal - all on top of your operations, staffing (you’ll need staff to reach any kind of decent size), shipping, vendor relations (this hobby is very ‘clique-y’ especially at the vendor level, who you know and how much you spend especially) etc.

And this is all assuming you’re already advanced enough to maintain/grow the species you’re interested in selling and have the business experience as well. Like anything, it usually takes about 10 years to go from a ‘Joe’ to a ‘Pro’, it was the same in my case.

You can never earn as much money as an employee as you can owning the company, but it’s not for the faint of heart, take it from me. You really have to want it. Also, it’s normally not a good idea to turn a hobby into a business. It usually detrimentally affects both aspects. I believe in the states they say “don’t do your own product”

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Some really solid advice in here.

 

[john her]

Some really solid advice in here.

That's the reason I don't drink!!

 

[MartinM]

That's the reason I don't drink!!

It’s the reason I do!

 

[Nicerreefs]

Hi all, fellow hobbyist here turned business. I can tell you, it’s a lot of work. From P/L, inventory, overhead, with keeping water -it can be stressful! Be patient. Have patience. Don’t cut corners.

 

[JannGrew ⭐️]

To use SEO to increase sales for your coral farming business, you could focus on optimizing your website for relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and building backlinks from reputable sources. It's also important to ensure your website is user-friendly and has a clear call-to-action.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

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