Looking to setup a reef store in Lima Ohio, any interest?

[todd_k]

Well this hobby is more then addicting, a couple of my friends and I joked about setting up our own fish store seeing how there is basically nothing in Lima. Pet Supplies Plus is growing but I don't know how much I trust their tanks and they don't have the best selection of corals. Well it is more then a joke now, and we are really serious about doing it.
What we were thinking is the store would be a private or members only store (in my basement). Your membership fee would help pay for the initial cost of all the equipment and also the electric bill. But the great thing is that the markup would be very very minimal. We're not looking to make money off the store but a way to get wholesale goods. Typically the markup on fish and corals is 100%-400% so think how cheap everything will be.
My firends dad has a bait shop in Spencerville so I think that will allow us to order through a fish supplier. We are still looking for a couple of good suppliers, if anyone knows of any please let me know.
We plan on putting up a pond type setup similar to that in the Findlay Pet Supplies Store, and also are trying to round up cheap/free display tanks that will make it easier to see the fish.
Would anyone be interested in a setup like this? If I can get a couple of more people interested I will definatly go ahead with the idea. Also if anyone has any comments or ideas I would love to hear from you. email me todd (at) videomemoriesinc.com
Thanks,
Todd

 

[steve24]

IMHO there isn`t a big enough intrest in salt water in lima. others have tried and failed. phen`s aquaria-closed, hawks-also closed. pet supply plus is a joke. i do know of a guy trying to sell from his house also, and not doing very well. but he is sell some on flea-bay....

 

[todd_k]

I'm not looking to make a profit, I just want to find out if there are a few people that would be interested in buying from me instead of from online stores or other fish stores.
Do you have a contact of the guy who is selling out of his house is he in Lima, I would like to talk with him? I wouldn't be opposed of buying from him, and helping him out, I'm just looking for a way to get around a 200-300% markup.
Thanks,
Todd

 

[psbrent2]

I would be interested in corals....

 

[todd_k]

Thanks psbrent2. If I can just get a few more I will be out to buy all the supplies for the pond. We already had donated 2 20 gal long and a 55gal.
Anyone else let me know.
Thanks,
Todd

 

[torno]

I would be intersted in visiting. We have a very limited selection here in NE Ohio...

 

[steve24]

todd,
yes, i talk to him almost every week just to see what he`s got. he has his vendors license and gets things fairly cheap...

 

[todd_k]

Still hoping I can get a few more people interested, I should be setting up the pond in the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post pictures.
If anyone else is interested just let me know.

 

[krazekajin]

I live in Toledo, depending on what you might have or can get, I could make a trip

 

[murph145]

luckily i live by the wholesalers out in Los angeles.... there are about 7 of them at LAX airport where all the corals com into from fiji,tonga,marshall islands and such they come here and fish stores buy from them then they ship the fish and corals across the country....
i got a retail liscense so i can buy there instead of the fish stores....
the markup at fish stores is crazy but they have alot of overhead and have to account for mortaility rates
u can make it work if u have enough people willing to buy from u
do a lil marketing research and see what u come up with

 

[todd_k]

A few shots of the pond, lights are on the way.

 

[todd_k]

 

[murph145]

what are u lookin to keep in that pond?
if ur lookin to keep corals i woulda gone with a fragtank style system something shallow and larger like a 4'X4' cube 12" deep made of acrylic with a filtration system help below the tank.....
the pond style wont allow u to hold many corals and ur guna waste light compared to a shallw holding tank
i go to the wholesalers all the time and lots of LFS out here have styles like the shallow frag tanks easier to see from the top and lot more room for corals and less lighting wattage to get deep into the water
just a lil constructive FYI

 

[murph145]

other wise its an interesting system but looks functional lets see how it does

 

[maxalmon]

Hey Murph, drop me a line at harrybarkers@aol.com I have a question for you.
.
I agree with murph, the depth of the pond is both a plus and minus, good water volume, but bad for light penetration. I have a 75g plexi show tank 36x36x12, I plan on sealing the top with another sheet of plexi and then laying it on its back and cutting the front out, then I'll have a 36"sq frag tank thats 12 deep and I can plumb it just about anyway I want (used tank that only cost $75)

 

[todd_k]

The big pond is going to be completely packed full of live rock which is going to be the main part of my filtration. This will bring the corals in the big pond closer to the surface, it will also have some fish in it. I'm not looking to really keep a ton of corals, I want to fill it up, but not looking to stock a lot of corals. And I did want a good amount of water volume into the system.
There's a lfs in Findlay that has a setup like this and I love the fact that everything can be viewed from the top.
The big pond is 110 gallons, and the little ones are 24 gal each. If I would need the room in the future I could add another 110 into the system. Heck the 110 gal is only $55.

 

[todd_k]

Should I go with a 250w mh or 400w mh over the 110?