whats the average profit for you guys per month

[gemini aquarius(t)]

just like the title says what do u make on avereage per month of your frag tank

please post
average(including electricity and waterchanges and other upkeep and all)
and you frag tank specs

thank
you
very
much
~
xavier

[Kaiden]

Were Do I Start?

First You need To Think, Are You In It For The Money?

Second Are you going to be shipping, if so stop doing what you are doing. Go to the store and buy a goldfish tank, and forget you ever thought of this idea.

Most People that have frag tanks do not make that much unless they ship. I am assuming they don't make anything at all due to the cost of running the system in the first place as well as the shipping boxes (we won't even start there).

If you are doing it for fun, keep your head up. If you are doing it just to make money so you can buy other things, get a part time job over the summer. You will not make money with a small frag tank it takes a while to grow stuff and by that time you have spent so much time and money into it, you don't come out even. Most of the time you are in the red.

[gemini aquarius(t)]

well in that case i guess i will ship whats the deal with shipping?

[Kaiden]

The deal is on every item you are going to expect at least a cost of about 10.00 per package just the box, styrofoam, heat or cold packs, material to soak up anything that leaks, multi bags etc. As for the grand part, the shipping cost, in order to get a low shipping cost to offer you have to do a lot I mean a lot of sales through Fedex or UPS. The average cost for you to ship anything over night is going to be well over 50.00 just for the shipping. Nobody wants to pay 15.00 for a frag and on top of that 50.00 for the shipping, not including what you paid in box fees which I assume you don't want to eat. That would put the total at 75.00 for a 15.00 piece of coral. Does not sound good does it. You would have to invest a lot to get any return and even then the summer months are coming up so that means sales are going to be down. Anyhow good luck..

[cwegescheide]

-400 / month?? sounds about right to me

[gemini aquarius(t)]

-400 dollars,how?
it would only cost like 20 bux for electricity so i dont have to sell much per month to break even

[cwegescheide]

I'm joking... :)

But seriously, It will take A WHILE to get to the point that you can sell frags consistantly...

[tekknoschtev]

Interestingly enough, I had (key word, had) a spreadsheet setup to monitor costs (borrowed the kill-a-watt from work to get baseline electricity usage), the cost of mother colonies (or more often than not, the "cost" assumed in electricity and such to take frags from my tank at home and grow them out to "mother colony" status to begin the fragging in the frag system). I also monitored things such as the cost of salt, and everything up to and including the dual gang electric boxes used to wire the thing. Freebies and things I had laying around not counted in the setup, and JUST the setup of my system alone cost nearly $500. Thats 2x 30gal breeder frag tanks, 2x 25gal sump/fuges, and 1x 30gal sump. The pumps and lights and stand required to run it etc. Keep in mind that things such as water were "free" but I had to lug water from home in gallon jugs. What a PITA.

I'd be in the negative if it werent for the fact that school got in the way and I had to shut it down. Now that summer is rolling in, I should have more time to work on it and get it running.

I figured out that the best way to make a return on my money wasnt with the cool corals, it was with the weed corals; things such a xenia and green star polyps sell like mad, grow quickly, and are easy to frag - which makes up for the fact that $5 frags doesnt make a ton of money quickly. When I get it running again, I'll be dedicating one tank to growing out xenia frags, and the other for green star polyps and some cooler zoanthids.

As said above, if you're looking to do this for profit, you need to read though soem of the other threads (I'd get some but search isnt working and I'm lazy tonite :p) concerning profit making techniques such as air lifts for flow, stock tanks for grow out tanks, and massive systems.

At home, the 40gal frag tank is enough to allow us to buy a new coral or fish every so often, but all things considered, its a negative investment as well, because we arent using it to pay for the cost of electricty to run it or the salt and such for water changes.

[hamburglar]

I'm at a pretty good -100 per month. Not too bad....it was -200 per month during the winter :)

[cwegescheide]

Air lift? Whats an air lift? You mean like the old UG filters with the air stones???

[tekknoschtev]

Sort of. I'm not 100% versed on them, but I know if/when I consider large scale propagation, that airlifts are going to be used instead of powerheads due to the cost of electricity and the simplicity of it.

[gemini aquarius(t)]

yeah but you have a huge electricity bill all io have to do is sell like 4 frags of 5 dollar xenia or zoos or gsp

[tekknoschtev]

You also have to factor in the cost of equipment upkeep, any chemicals you may dose/use (kalk, calcium, etc), salt, etc. I'm just playing devil's advocate, but there are other costs to consider before you can officially 'turn a profit'. My parents likely would have helped fund my frag system (which would have only served as a way for me to rush things, paying for it myself, I had to think things through and bargain shop a lot more).

Also note that while certain corals grow fast, you also have to have the market. Where I am, there is always someone looking for a frag of xenia, or some macro algae, gsp or zoas, so they go fast. Also consider that corals tend to not grow as fast as you need them too :p It just seems to go that way.

What kind of setup are you considering? I realize you are 13, so there may be costs covered that you dont need to necessarily factor in. Just curious :D

[gemini aquarius(t)]

well i was thinking a 24x24x12 tank with a 150 175 or a 250 halide(i already have a 250) for a skimmer a aqua c remora witha maxi jet 1200 and 2 maxi-jet 1200 in the frag tank a 20 gallon sump with a custom made stand and a simple canopy(or hanging pendant)about 20 pounds of live rock in the sump and eggcrate a heater and a rio 1700 return pump

how does this sound

btw;i have to pay for EVERYTHING by myself

[tekknoschtev]

Sounds like a plan to me - I just dont know how realistic $20/month in costs is. I'm not sure on the power consumption of your light's ballast (though if you have a 250, I say keep it, it'd cost more/be trading down to find anything more or less respectively).

Like I said above, not criticizing you/your setup, just mostly curious. There were a lot of costs I didnt realize when I set mine up. $10 each GFCIs, the stand - despite being a cheap stand, still ran me $50 in supplies. Things just added up quicker than I expected, and while I was able to make due because I have a decent paying job, I think its best to be realistic than optimistic. If you have a tank running (or have in the past) you likely know what it costs to maintain the setup.

If you're handy or have family that's handy (or in my case both) then it helps shave a few bucks here and there. I know by the end of my setup, the $10 1.5" bulkheads were hurting my wallet to the point where it bled :p

[gemini aquarius(t)]

ohh yeah the light,i was told that by putting the tank by the window in sunlight you only have to turn on the halides like 3 hours per day!and i think i will only need like 3 bulkheads!!!,im not handy ut ill make it work

[gh0st]

The window thing only works if you have a window with good exposure, and even then you're ussually not going to see the growth you would under some Halides, VHO's etc. Most windows only have a very short amount of time when the sun will be blasting through and hitting the prop system.

[tekknoschtev]

I agree, I think that method is more effective in a greenhouse where the light hits the tank more often. Not saying it cant work, just that I believe its more effective when the tank gets more direct sunlight.

Just some actual numbers, after about 3 months of not having sold a single thing from our 40gal frag system at home, I have about $50 in corals sold. So add in the cost of electricity and salt for water changes and carbon for the canister filter, were only about -$250 :p

[gemini aquarius(t)]

well if i sold 50 bux of coral(i will be shipping)so probly more,i would only be about -30 bux after 3 months and hopefully by then the zoo thing will be growing and the xenias will grow and the gsp will grow so i can sell more

i dont know even if im in -30 a month alteast i will like doing it and its not a bussiness completely its a hobby:)

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7374453#post7374453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gemini aquarius(t)
well i was thinking a 24x24x12 tank with a 150 175 or a 250 halide(i already have a 250) for a skimmer a aqua c remora witha maxi jet 1200 and 2 maxi-jet 1200 in the frag tank a 20 gallon sump with a custom made stand and a simple canopy(or hanging pendant)about 20 pounds of live rock in the sump and eggcrate a heater and a rio 1700 return pump

how does this sound

btw;i have to pay for EVERYTHING by myself
250w (e ballasts run at about 250, mags 300) @ 8 hours = 2000whrs
3 mj1200@20w=60w@24h=1440whrs

rio 1700? not sure what wattage draw is

so 3440whrs per day, or 3.44 kwh@$.15/kwh, you're looking about $0.50 a day to run this thing in power, so yeah, $20 a month is totally reasonable.

Get mj900s instead if you havent already bought them.

[RichConley]

Also, people keep mentioning chemicals.

I spent $20 on a 5 gallon bucket full of calcium hydroxide (Kalkwasser). I spent $5 on a 1 gallon bag of MgCl.

That much will last FOREVER on that tank. Theres no reason for silly expensive hobby additives.

[hamburglar]

Throw in bulb replacement cost, frag rocks if you are buying them, and packing supplies. You will need to buy your shipping bags in large quqntities (like 1000 packs from uline as an example) to get a good deal on them. Styrofoam boxes can be purchased reasonably in moderate quantities.

[SaveOurReefs]

LOL, I thought I warned you about this in your other thread?

[gemini aquarius(t)]

yes u did and i thought about it, and i do want to waste my money on it and if i make one dallar a month im happy

[SaveOurReefs]

I would look at getting a real job first imo maybe at a lfs or something? But good luck, the more people farming, means the less being taken out of the ocean.

[gemini aquarius(t)]

i do work at a lfs!

[Serioussnaps]

Get a job, u have a hobby.

[gemini aquarius(t)]

read the above reply!

[ahenson]

I think the small amount you will make is not worth the hassle. It wasn't for me, zoanthids are by far the most popular if you are shipping. For me it took the fun out of a fun hobby. If you are in it for the money, long term I don't think you will enjoy your time.

[organism]

unless you make it large, oh so large scale, you can expect to not turn much of a profit at all. the best way to pull it off would be to have a revolving stock of frags so that there's always some ready at all times, but the only way to compensate for the even relatively slow growth of xenia is to have massive stock on hand at a time. I generally have anywhere for 300-500 frags readily growing out, and I'd say maybe 40-50 are ready at any given point in time, that's a lot of real estate just sitting there! I'd say that after factoring in lighting, water, and all of the above mentioned costs, I clear mmmmaybe enough to pay my bills and half of my rent from frags, and we're talking a tank the size of a honda civic here. Also, you've got to think about market, even though you work at a fish store, are they willing to take that many gsp frags? Are people willing to buy that many gsp and xenia (which doesn't ship well at all) frags online? If so, how will you go about it? growing them out is only half the issue, moving them can actually prove to be much more difficult, I'd say you've got a good plan going with minimal power usage though, do keep us posted if you decide to go on through with it

[zapata41]

i run a little frag system and it keeps me in the red all the time. pge alone just went from 140$ to 210$ since it is now summer time and the rates have gone up. with the amount of frags i have going, between 20-50 sps and 10 or so zoas i couldnt sell enough of them each month to cover the pge alone. dont factor in water changes or bulb replacement cuz that will just make the red number larger. i am thinking about trippling the frag tank size but need to find a way to do it with the same lighting i currently have, dont need to add another light purchase and higher pge bill to the red numbers.

the other major factor is trying to get rid of the frags. ppl arent always looking for what you have and the lfs will only take soo much. also selling to the lfs yields about 1/2 to 1/4 of what you get selling to pther ppl. shipping cost is the biggest factor, ppl dont wanna pay 75$ to ship from the west coast to the east coast, last box i shipped of 10 frags cost me almost a 100$ to ship, and i only charged the guy 70$ so i took a big loss there.

so in short, keep a frag tank for yourself, a place to put new corals in to watch them prior to adding them to a display and also a place to store accidental frags, not a place to turn a profit from.

organsim hit it pretty spot on with the size needed to turn a profit, and that size is pretty hard to put under your stand.

Tim

[gemini aquarius(t)]

ok thx

[colby]

All I can say is rock on man.

Colby

[Krypticol]

AQUACULTURE IS THE ONLY FUTURE FOR THIS HOBBY...IT IS RESPECTABLE, AND IF WE CAN EVEN HELP OUR HOBBY SUPPORT ITSELF WHILE PROVIDING HEALTHY STABLE TANK RAISED SPECIMENS FOR A DECENT PRICE. THEN WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING GOOD AND WORTH DOING.

To be truly profitable, one must go very large, use naturaL SEAWATER most likely, and ship wholesale to retailers.
these nitches are there, and will become more neccessary as the hobby keeps grwoing like it does,

Start small, deliver to local LFS and reefers and grow as your $$$, skill, and demands allow!!!

job or a hobby??? The frag tanks are an exension of my hobby...
It won't be a job, unless I get a boss and a timeclock,

[Pazazz]

I agree it really is not for profit it for me it is the love of the ocean and its beautiful colorful creatures and I dont have to drive 15 hour to see it !!!! I have a very stressful job and this hobby allows me to really relax, I often just watch my tank and not the tv...:cool:

[MiddletonMark]

Once adding up:
salt, bulb replacement, chemicals, etc ... even with my cheap 60g tub setup [MH, 2 ph, heater] it was never going to make much money. [setup cost under $100, as most everything I already had].

Do it because you love it, because you have success with propagation.

Honestly, the vast majority of folks never make a dime [once setup costs, LR, etc factored in]. Realize that, and only spend what you can afford to lose, and only do it if that's how you really want to spend your time.

For your setup - I'd DIY all you can, very strongly consider power use, equipment cost, the like.

And while there is no timeclock ... my free time is worth a lot to me. That evening every few weeks when I change water, keep up on maintenance, etc ... on top of my display tank's required time ... that time is valuable to me [for doing other things in life].

[ladyfsu]

Take pictures and monitor EVERYTHING. Research why aquaculture is so good. Learn ways to cheaply grow things at home and show what works and doesn't work. Find a way that works making own live rock and growing corals. Enter it in the science fair. 99% of the stuff entered is crap! WIN A BIG SCHOLARSHIP! Go to a great college for free and keep working on the stuff. Make a lot of money from your education doing what you love!

[silversnake]

Ive spent over 4gs on my tank and I havent sold a frag yet.

[gemini aquarius(t)]

geez 4000 bux i would spend like 1.3 max!

[smp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7650384#post7650384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ladyfsu
Take pictures and monitor EVERYTHING. Research why aquaculture is so good. Learn ways to cheaply grow things at home and show what works and doesn't work. Find a way that works making own live rock and growing corals. Enter it in the science fair. 99% of the stuff entered is crap! WIN A BIG SCHOLARSHIP! Go to a great college for free and keep working on the stuff. Make a lot of money from your education doing what you love!

That's the best advice so far.
You can make 20 bucks a month now on a shoestring budget cutting corners everywhere or you can put all that effort into education and work as a marine biologist or something down the road.
I know it's hard to think that way when you're 13 (or however old you are) and I'm not telling you not to do it, in fact, I think you should do it, just don't expect to make any money. You're more than likely going to spend more than you bring in. That's not altogether bad though, as returns on investments aren't necessarily quantified in dollar value .. but education as the above poster said.
I'm starting a frag tank too, same dimensions and I just want to do it because I like to grow things. It'll give me something else to tinker with and frags to trade in the local community. I'm plumbing mine into a shared sump with my display however.
I also have some experimenting in mind ;)

[ScotchMaster]

smp - How are you going to tie the tank into your main display? Im going to be adding a prop tank to my display and want to know hw to do it

[goda]

10 k in the hole from setup of my display / prop tank. selling a few frags here and there id say so far i only got 50 bucks from the frags... not gonna make anything till my frag tank is compleatly set up and i get a few more going ( gonna try to do large scale ricordia. and small prodution of sps

just remember. if you have somthing nice and you just sold another thing just like it to an lfs. wait a while to sell them it again. makes it a lil rarer. ( guy at the lfs i work at was bringing in xenia once a week and getting 30 bucks store credit. the amount he is getting is slowly dropping)

[smp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8051028#post8051028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ScotchMaster
smp - How are you going to tie the tank into your main display? Im going to be adding a prop tank to my display and want to know hw to do it

The frag tank will sit next to the display, but lower.
I will probably tee off my return line, half to the frag tank, half to the display. I'll just put a little overflow in the frag tank and ball valves on the returns to control flow. Both tanks will drain into the sump.

[D-Rod]

Oh come on now! i met this guy who does for a living and you are all very low-balling your income and i understand why...these walls have ears. :D
And if they found your true $ you would be banned here for doing this for profit. but then again they let some get away with it!

I asked this guy and his # are no where as low as you guys have "reported" here.
Give him a PM or email him with the real $$$ let him in on the action. Theres enough room for him also, he wont take away all your business.

[goda]

where do alot of you sell to? cause i have a few lfs who will pay for frags but in no way will they ever be able to take the 5 a day that i should be getting per frag tank


seems to me the main problom is selling the frags not growing them
for example. i GAVE some hydnophora ( really nice 1 inch frag) to the lfs and priced it at 20 bucks. its still there.

i am selling some slightly larger pieces on this fourm for 30 ( well worth it considering how much i paid) several people intrested but several hundred views and no takers

[yetti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7394221#post7394221 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gemini aquarius(t)
i do work at a lfs!

Why don't you try talking to the LFS owner to set something up at the LFS instead of your home? Kinda of a partnership of sorts? You guys could sell and ship plus sell out of the LFS, where you would be able to sell for more since its retail.

Put the numbers together, a plan and go to him/her. If the numbers clearly show the amount to get it started and the return on investment then they could make an informed decision.

If you are in good standing with the owner, show that you have initiative to do this and show how they can make a profit......there you go.

[jay24k]

I think a little otherwise.

It costs me about 65 dollars a month in electricity for my tank. I do 2 water changes a month if I'm not busy but usually 1 at 20 gallons.

I sold about 11 frags of SPS on ebay that I accidently broke off. I made about 375 dollars AFTER shipping which they paid. The boxes were free since I get them free at my job (City gets alot of stuff). Bags are cheap as dirt. IF you get the right size box and fill it up right, then you don't need to add too much filler. I get that free from all the boxes coming in.

That was just one weeks worth of frags and you can't tell any difference in my tank. I'm not looking to do a business but I want to use every summer to trim down my tank and let it grow back during the winter. Is it great money? Not really but it is extra.

The key imo is having great growth and good FAST growing colorful corals. The more colorful, the more it sells for. I'd love to do it as a business but honestly, it would be tough. If you are looking for an extra 100 to 200 a week, it is definetly feasible but you better have a fully stocked tank to trim from. My average growth is about 1/2 to 1" of growth on every stalk in my tank per month. Take my blue tort for example. It has probably 20 to 30 stalks. At even 1/2" a month that is 15 inches a month. My slimer grows faster then I can frag it for locals.

Softies don't sell as well although mushrooms do well for some reason. Hope this helps

[organism]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8051028#post8051028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ScotchMaster
smp - How are you going to tie the tank into your main display? Im going to be adding a prop tank to my display and want to know hw to do it


that can end up as a very risky proposition, a long time ago I had my frag tank plumbed into my display, somehow monti nudis got into the display, possibly hitchhiked on live rock, and next thing I knew my frag tank was totalled, now I keep the farm tank a completely separate system, with anything going into it massively cleaned, and I'm still paranoid...

[jay24k]

Organism makes an excellent point. All new additions should go in the prop tank. If you need to intercept or add some dangerous chemical that isn't fish safe, you do not run the risk of killing your main tank.

[k87staff]

I've been a successful business owner for ten years. I'm 34 years old. Try your absolute best to make it work if you don't have too much to risk. I'm new to this hobby, so I couldn't advise you on anything in this area, but the wealth of knowledge, people skills, business techniques, marketing, attitudes, etc. will benefit you forever. There are so many skills and ways of thinking that you will develop that will never be taught in any other classroom. Just don't let other areas of your life slip any( like grades).

Make sure you filter everything that you hear or read. Sometimes it is good solid advise and many times not.

ps. I just read an article in a famous business magazine about a young billionaire in the pond landscape business. He got started with a turtle when he was 13.

Something to think about.

[dragonforce]

IMO setup small 10g aga aquarium with a heater, a mj1200, 10lbs of LR and then eggcrete on top of that with a DIY metal halide setup using your old bulbs, in my case i use old 175w metal halide bulbs. For water changes you can use the water from your reef it will work just fine. And as stated grow xenia, gsp, and rare zoas. This setup makes my coral purchases for my 37g mixed reef basically free

[billr]

You really have to do it BIG TIME if you want to make a living out of it. I don't know anybody out there that can actually say that they have made enough money PROFIT over the years to retire on. Do it for the love of it and let everyone else go broke.........

[redox]

If anything Im going broke over it. It is all about love of the hobby to me , billr couldnt be more right

[kathainbowen]

Yeah, on a small scale, I'd do it for the love of corals, a backup for my display collection, and a bid to take a large role in responsible reef ownership. I'd like to join in on a larger scale, but I do not have the money to really do it (although, I've been eyeing a plot with three greenhouses that have been out of use for 10 years!).

There are also a ton of things you need to take into account before getting really into it that don't fall under the costs department. Like, you need to stay on top of what is generally good sellers consistently, as well as what is the new, hot rage. If you're not shipping, you need to stay on top of the hot rage items, otherwise, you'll flood your market and have the prices drop over time to nothing. If you ship, then you should stay on top of both. You'll have to compete with larger distributers like ERI and larger aquaculturalists like ORA for prices. And, after all that, you have to compete with the internet dealers for livestock guarantees.

All in all, it was fun to pick up store credit every now and again by fragging out of my display tank, but it wasn't really worth it as per turning a profit when it came to doing it on a small scale.

If you really want to make quick, easy cash in the aquarium field, go into tank maintenance. You've already got the hookup working for an LFS, so it should be easy for you to pick-up clients! Especially when you end up with newbs starting their first tank, or business professionals who don't have the time. Just don't commit to anything you can't handle.

pm me, and I'll give you the scoop. ;)

[Frankysreef]

u need a bigger tank, and about a year to grow the corals out to fragging size.

I hit all local frag swaps, and have people come by every soo often.

All in all after costs.. I can make 2-400 a mo, maybe... So it is just a little extra spending money for me.

I havent attempted shipping yet. It seems like a PIA.

I let my tank grow out for at least a year before I started selling...

And then you will make costly mistakes, and there is the corals that will die on you too no matter what you do... So more money out of your pocket..

Sit back enjoy your tank, and if it gets big enough to frag go for it...but don't rely on it for income.

Maintenance is a bigger money maker I think.

F

[kathainbowen]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9500444#post9500444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Frankysreef
Maintenance is a bigger money maker I think.

There is money to be made with aquaculture. Look at ORA, or even Proaquatix (before their unscheduled changed of location...). However, it's just too expensive of a profession to really make it worth it unless you are truly business and reef savvy. Even then, there's just too much competition. However, when done right, with an excellent bank throughout the entire process and with extensive knowledge of propagation techniques.

My experience, with both having attempted to "turn a trick" with my reef tank, and having done maintenance, is that, between the two, maintenance is a far surer bet. Yeah, you might not make as much as you could over a longer time period with an aquaculture company. However, as long as you know how to take care of a tank, you can't really lose.

G'luck to anyone who does get into aquaculture. I would like to go back to school for marine biology, and I've been starting to put together research paperwork studying the feasibility of aquaculture as a business over wild capture.

[RedEyeElf]

no no no, don't do maintenance, just makes it harder for me to find customers:)

Maintenance is a sure thing compared to the serious risks of aquaculturing
Yes ORA and abunch of others do it, but it took them years to get there

You get a person with a 40-60g tank, you show them the pictures and explain to them the ease of a larger system, you then sell them the larger reef system (with mark-up) the larger reef tanks (generally LPS, Softy tanks) are faster to clean than a FO tank, the livestock bring a better profit than fish (especially when you are selling them YOUR frags) the salt you sell them, the food you sell them, the medications you sell them, the decorations you sell them, the RO system you sell them for their garage, ect.

just an example, but myself, and people i know make a living doing this

best tip, Do it on your own

[msuzuki126]

Hey man I'm in the same boat as you. I'm in high school too and trying to get some money out of frags eventually. :lol:

[RCS]

The most important things you'll put into a business venture in this hobby are experience, knowledge and time. Forget the money part of it. This isn't a store where you can "shut down" for the weekend and get back to it on Monday. This isn't shipping out models, or paint, or electronics. One small mistake anywhere along the way can spell disaster. Not replacing a $50 MP3 player damaged in shipping disaster, I'm talking tank-crashed-and-everything-died disaster. Starting in this business, successfully, will take 4-6 months MINIMUM. Very few corals show any growth until a tank is mature and they're properly settled in. There are some that will grow like wildfire after they hit that point, but it will take time. I do some stuff on the side here in addition to my "day job", and moving twice in that time, it's taken a LONG time to get things up and running, waiting for systems to mature and getting any sort of coral growth.

It can (and definitely should, with the future of our hobby at stake!) be done successfully, but if you're asking lots of questions on "how" to do it, I'd venture that you're nowhere near the point that you need to be to fully understand and appreciate the demands of various species of corals and various species of customer in order to truly make a living doing this. I've been sort-of doing this for going on 4 years now...and I sold my first corals today to a LFS after a 10-month hiatus re-establishing a couple tanks.

You can do it cheaply...heck, you can do it simply and be successful. The problem is, you CAN'T do it quickly.

[spankey]

I am not in this hobby to sell, however there is nothing wrong with selling frags to other reefers to help keep the hits down on natural reefs.

If you can make a few bucks to throw back at your tank, you are only doing good. It helps with costs of maintaining the tanks you have.

I hate to admitt it, but I fragged one weekend and made well over $400 in frags. Mind you I don't do this all the time, maybe every other month. Its not good to frag, frag and frag quickly. Its better to allow the coral to heal, then do some more fragging later in a month or two....

Clip away :)