Calgary Saltwater Market: Your thoughts?

[BMW Rider]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Everyone should have peppermints in a month or so. I know I'll have like 200+ or so. It's a seasonal item.

Can you put me down for 6 when you get them. I need some for both tanks.

[kwirky]

ok, then how bout moving the subject away from the stores, and moving the subject to "cottage" folk?? Anyone out there grow frags for profit, or at least to cover the costs of their hobby? I know various people take part in the frag swaps, but who out there has dedicated tanks for growing frags, and what do they generally do with these frags? Swaps/trades only? Sell to LFS? Sell to fellow reefers? Sell to a larger market, shipping them off?

Any saltwater fish breeders who are able to make up the costs of breeding the fish in the first place?

Or is there anyone who makes coraline/macro rock, fake liverock, out of coral chunks? Or anyone who's contemplated starting up something similar to this?

I've seen there are various people who will DIY good quality items for a charge sometimes. Is there anyone in Calgary who's been doing this for a long while, or did do it for a long while? Why do some people "get out of" building things like calk reactors, or protein skimmers for others? Lack of time? Lack of money the believe they should get for their time? New products that can be bought for cheaper than one could make them?

What about local, home based distributers? Any of those here, and what's their market?

Anyone have things to say about the "cottage industry" that can come from this hobby? Is there anyone out there that covers their hobby's costs, or even makes a profit off of it? Are there any large costs that detract from doing it in the first place? ie: electricity for grow out tanks, time involved with DIY'ing things for people, etc, etc.