# Is breeding shrimp profitable?



## jstare

Hey everyone, to start with I don't want this to seem like I am expecting to get rich off of breeding shrimp. I am setting up a shrimp tank though and would like breed a shrimp colony of CRS or some other more valuable shrimp. I would like to know is there any money to be made in this? I don't expect to make thousands or anything but after a few months and getting a big colony setup, like 100 or more can I make a bit of extra money each month? I am not solely doing this for money, I think shrimp are great but if there is money to be made at all on more valuable shrimp then I might go that route instead of just filling my tank with red cherries or something cheap.


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## arowana_keeper

Just when I thought this forum was for the dedicated hobbyist, we get posts like this....here's what I think.

There probably is money to be made; on *really* high quality shrimps but that would only be possible if you were breeding shrimps that came from pure lines and have been selectively bred for years. There are many top shrimp breeders who have been doing this for years now. Also you gotta take a look at the market you're selling to. You probably won't be able to convince your neighbor in purchasing a 1/2 inch shrimp for $20 a piece especially in this economy. If you want an example of how lucrative the local shrimp market is or any livestock for that matter, just take a look at the livestock classifieds section, there isn't much action happening, even for the lowest grade of cherry shrimps. It's just a fact that the majority of people here in America aren't willing to spend top dollar on shrimps or fish (and I think there was a discussion about that as well), not because they don't want to but because they don't understand why certain shrimps are worth that much. If you're really keen on making a profit, you're looking at exporting some really high quality shrimps to the Asian market. Sorry to break it to you but if you were looking to make a few extra bucks selling shrimps here, it's gonna be a long tough road.


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## April

There's one high end shrimp breeder on here.but a very lucrative elite market. 
I'd say no. Do it for fun..and if you get extras trade or sell off.
It's the same with breeding most fish or animals .if you wanna get rich..start out rich.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275087,-122.835524


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## josephl

Or marry someone rich?


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## April

Thatd work..lol.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275029,-122.835452


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## Tarobot

anyone know anyone rich and single? ahahahahaha


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## jstare

arowana_keeper said:


> Just when I thought this forum was for the dedicated hobbyist, we get posts like this....here's what I think.
> 
> There probably is money to be made; on *really* high quality shrimps but that would only be possible if you were breeding shrimps that came from pure lines and have been selectively bred for years. There are many top shrimp breeders who have been doing this for years now. Also you gotta take a look at the market you're selling to. You probably won't be able to convince your neighbor in purchasing a 1/2 inch shrimp for $20 a piece especially in this economy. If you want an example of how lucrative the local shrimp market is or any livestock for that matter, just take a look at the livestock classifieds section, there isn't much action happening, even for the lowest grade of cherry shrimps. It's just a fact that the majority of people here in America aren't willing to spend top dollar on shrimps or fish (and I think there was a discussion about that as well), not because they don't want to but because they don't understand why certain shrimps are worth that much. If you're really keen on making a profit, you're looking at exporting some really high quality shrimps to the Asian market. Sorry to break it to you but if you were looking to make a few extra bucks selling shrimps here, it's gonna be a long tough road.


You know it really isn't that I am not a dedicated hobbyist, I have had a fish tank for a couple years now and that is how I started out in this hobby. I have had interest in starting up a shrimp tank for probably a few months now and I have finally got a few good deals getting a tank and the stuff to set one up. I am not setting one up for the purpose of making money but it would be nice if the tank could pay for itself eventually. And by that I mean that I could sell some of my shrimp after a while and make back the money I have put into the tank and my initial investment of the shrimp I choose to put in there. It would be nice to make a couple hundred extra dollars here and there but that is sort of a side note to the whole thing. I was more wondering if it was possible and I am not solely doing it for money it would just be a nice perk. I have a lot of extra time on my hands right now and I need something to fill that hole


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## gklaw

"Possible" or not is relative. Pretty well everything is possible if you are determined and believe the effort is worthwhile for fun and for a small return. To generate a positive cash flow for the hobby definitely need more research, investment and effort.

If you are like Jiang604, you could breed shrimps that sells at $400+ each while studying full time at UBC. Huge upfront investment though. 

If you are like me, I cannot even keep cherries alive  nor breed guppies because it is not worth my effort.

To me, it is a hobby, not work, so if it breeds it breed, if they don't they don't. I do have a pair of Pleco which are kind enough to subsidize my hobby without too much work


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## theinnkeeper

Pocket change more than anything.


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## gklaw

April said:


> Thatd work..lol.
> ---
> I am here: Google Maps


:lol: Not so sure. Just like breeding shrimp. Marrying someone to get rich is a wrong start. The person being rich is just a nice bonus - I mean very very nice


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## WrasseMan

I was thinking a similar thing right when I saw this thread! Lol!
Arowana_keeper, not to be confrontational, but I think that "dedicated hobbyist" remark was just a tiny but unnecessarily rude. You'd have to be crazy to think you could get rich selling shrimp, but what is wrong with wondering out loud if it would be possible to make a small profit off of them without sacrificing the shrimps' well-being and your own sanity ? Personally I'd get lower-grade shrimp and breed them if you were planning on it as they're cheaper and the average person finds them just as attractive as the higher-grade ones.


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## onefishtwofish

or maybe a person with lots of high end shrimp for a dowry??


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## Arcteryx

I'd be happy just to breed shrimp that get big enough to eat. Looking at them, I just get hungry and get this mad craving for something breaded, deep-fried and served with a nice spicy dipping sauce. Oi!

Now if you'll excuse me, I hear a midnight snack calling my name...


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## neven

the market here stinks for shrimp, while there are people who go for the high end shrimp here, its such a niche that there is little to no demand left. Just think of how you would feel if you bought a $300 shrimp to breed, and it dies on you before getting the deed done. Not to mention the knowledge you learn from making mistakes is invaluable, but you dont want to use pricey stock to learn. Frank, he is a breeder here who's made a name for himself, and he's part of a group of North American high end shrimp breeders (i think). What i am getting at is you need partners to make this worth your time, reducing the competition by selling different breeds or products, but promoting the same brand. We have a few home breeders here who regularly sell their fish to shops, because they found the odd ball fish that people still buy (in small numbers), however it is only worth their time doing so because they are a hobbyist. Its simply not a viable business unless you go big and have innovative ways to compete with the Asian breeding markets. So start small with the shrimp, if you find yourself addicted to small shrimp tanks, to the point where you ditch fully scaped planted tanks and fert regimes, and love having bare tanks with just substrate and a sponge filter everywhere, then maybe think about it again


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## neven

Arcteryx said:


> I'd be happy just to breed shrimp that get big enough to eat. Looking at them, I just get hungry and get this mad craving for something breaded, deep-fried and served with a nice spicy dipping sauce. Oi!
> 
> Now if you'll excuse me, I hear a midnight snack calling my name...


you want something deep fried and bread like, you should try one of my panzerotti baresi.  you wont need a spicy dipping sauce


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## jstare

My initial purpose of this thread seems to have gotten lost and a lot of people are assuming I expect to get rich off of this. That is not the case. I don't even plan on trying to breed $300 shrimp. I was thinking of having something like crystal red or blacks or something similar that are mid-low price range but still worth more than just basic cherry red shrimp. These I think seem to be regularly popular and inexpensive enough that I could make some of my money back on my initial investment. I have a full time job that already pays decent and will pay well in the near future. I am not looking to turn this into a career or job, I just don't have unlimited funds to throw into this and would be nice to see some of my money come back down the road, that's all.


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## liquid_krystale

To answer your question, I think yes, you would get be able to get a return on investment. The question is, how much? Since the market on high end shrimp is already cornered, and you said you wanted to do the lower end ones like CRSs, you are not going to be making 100s of $ IMO. With aggressive marketing and a lot of hassle (deliveries, pick up scheduling and no shows, etc), as well as aggressive pricing, below LFS and your already established competitors, you'll be making pocket change. Is it worth all that trouble? Up to you to answer that question, but for me the expectation of making money from the get go and the added stress/hassle would suck some of the enjoyment I would get out of keeping shrimp as a hobby.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Yes, I think your "intentions" have been misinterpreted. I understand what you're getting at. I used to grow a lot of coral frags and lower grade CRS shrimp to sell or trade to help offset all the money I dump into this addiction. I think that doing so is very possible. I will never make back all the money I spend but every little bit helps. I just set my "fish/frag/shrimp" revenues into my daughters' university fund. There is a decent market for mid-range priced nice shrimp like CRS and CBS. Not for the really high end shrimp and the really low end like Cherries is also pretty much saturated.


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## stonedaquarium

If you really want to get into shrimp keeping as what others said... try focusing on the art of shrimp keeping first... keeping CRS and CBS is not that hard, but they are more picky than RCS. keeping CRS and CBS alive is one thing... keeping them at ideal parameters to ensure they are breeding like crazy is another thing... If you want to start out breeding shrimp you can get a good size tank... start off with some newer neocardina species like Red rilis, PFRS, or some not so common shrimps. they are hardier and more prolific than CRS or CBS. once you master shrimp keeping you can always progress to keeping more high end shrimps like BKKS, aura blues, OEBTs, Wine reds, or blue bolts. 

+1 to what neven said... you start off with some lower grade shrimps and work your way up. Also you need good partners and a good mentor to provide solid and sound advice on shrimp keeping. We are fortunate here at BCA to have jiang604, the shrimp guru and one of top shrimp breeders in North America, as a source of good quality shrimps at great prices.


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## jstare

Thanks guys for your input into all of this, I am going to start cycling my tank as soon as I get a chance to go pickup the substrate and plants from one of the members on here who is helping me out with that. I think I will leave Crystal's alone and go the route stonedaquarium suggested and go with one of the less common but hardier species to start. And if I manage to make that work out well then I can go up from there. Starting out simple and with something not too expensive does seem like the smartest and most logical route.


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## MananaP

If you are hobbyist and loves shrimps like me, i'm telling you straight forward now that you will not make what you will spend on this hobby if you are doing to high quality/Taiwan bee rout just a heads up.


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