# Supporting your hobby articles



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

I for one have a few working ideas on how to make a little money from your hobby. Basically offset the expenses.

It would be a good idea if we all share ideas like that.

What do you think would be the best way to do that? 

I'm thinking more along the lines of articles on the website. But they should start with a discussion here on the forum.

Once again - it's all about making the hobby interactive and more enjoyable.

--Nikolay


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

How would they return you money? I really think a little booklet like Ben's articles on our website is sorely needed. It could go in LFS as a beginners guide to planted tanks. It would have to be under $5 to make it appealing as an impluse purchase. Maybe the stores would sell it strictly to help market their plants and not take a cut. Or maybe do this on your site as a download. I see this as a store thing as there aren't people who know out there. People buy what they see.


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## foreverknight (Jul 8, 2010)

we really need more than just planted information out there. i have gone numerous times to chain stores and heard people giveing verry bad advise too. i think a real guide to aquatic husbandry is what is needed at local stores more than anything. IMO


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

What constitutes good aquatic husbandry is still a can of worms in this hobby, though. 

For instance, as I read through Aquarium Fish International or Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazines each month, I find so much myth and speculation given out as advice that people new to the hobby won't find any reason to question. These so called experts will contradict one another in the same issue! Someone as prominent as Paul Speice even, claiming phosphorus causes algae blooms and that surface turbulence is a bad thing (I don't guess he asked his fish for an opinion on that; the plants thought it was cool so he went with it. Maybe he should be locked in a little room with a potted plant and thin O2 levels to rethink his position). 

That being said, the methods I use I have adopted from the advice of others as they seemed reasonable initially and proved to be successful in practice. Are they necessarily the right way? I bet I can find a dozen people in no time that will say no, I'm full of it. And I can find people easily enough who do things differently and successfully. I'm sure even Paul Speice has some beautiful tanks, with no phosphorus and a surface you could see your pores in. I still think he's living in the past, but if it works for him, is he wrong?

Good aquatic husbandry is a dicey subject is my point. Even within our club, the concept of good aquatic husbandry will not be easy to bring to a consensus. Example: De-chlorinate the water--we can all agree on this; feed the fish once ... opps. Do water changes every ... opps. We run into differing opinions immediately. And this is the simple stuff.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

There are lots of ways to get from point a to point b. As long as it's not hurtful I think it's fine to do. It's like, "if it's not broken, don't fix it". A good pamphlet with good starting place would be great, I think. I love Ben's articles on beginner basics on our website.


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## foreverknight (Jul 8, 2010)

i totally agree with that but at the same time there are things that are good for plants that are horrable for fish and vis versa. people should also be aware what places that sell fish use in their tanks as additives to water. not that everything is nessecarly a bad thing but there needs to be more education so people can make an informed decision. that is truely what i'm getting at. i meen before the setup with the little "tags" at the fish store most customers had no idea how big or what would get along with what besides asking. those tags arn't always right either. we all know this. what most of us know and how we induvudaly do things could fill a wall of books. most people learn from trial and error and they get frustrated and quit the hobby. i believe these are the things we need to change. and need to inform about.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

I apologize. I didn't mean for us to try to charge for advice. 

I meant making money from your hobby for yourself. Like breeding certain fish. Or growing HC. Stuff like that. Sell these fish or plants to other hobbyists.

But since we started talking about articles - I can come up with very comprehensive articles. Things that I've only hinted here. But I think it's more important to keep things simple and enjoyable for both new and more experienced club members. Articles about flow rates through filter media, heterotrophic bacteria, and how some German foam is the best thing under the sun are not what we really, really need. We need articles like Ben's - clear and useful. A starting point, a canvas.

Which somehow I associate with a discusson about making a few bucks from growing plants or raising fish 

--Nikolay


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Breeding amano shrimp and/or nerite snails are two obvious ones that come to mind. Both require similar conditions so they would work well together to maximize resources/gains. Both are pretty popular, so there is a ready market for them. Would require a few small tanks, minimal, low-cost filtration, some veggies for food. I imagine both breed in high numbers so would be fairly profitable.

Staurogyne is another. In a CO2 setup, it will grow very rapidly and it is only available in the US from hobbyists to my knowledge. Ships well; can last several days in wet paper towels. I don't run pressurized CO2, so it's not practical for me to sell it, but I can provide a starting stock to anyone who is set up for it.


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