How much for a fish store?

[terry24]

Now that I getting into saltwater tanks, and eventually going to want a big tank with a mini-reef, with all the filtration that goes on for the big ones (skimmer, sump, canister, etc...) How much do store owners have to invest to have all of the tanks (fresh and saltwater), fish, inverts, rock, filtration (which I would personally like to go back and see at a store), and inventory to sell products. Give a ballpark figure on how much you think it costs. Do stores start out small and build up? And I'm not talking about like Petco and stores like that, just your basic local fish store.*BOUNCINGS

 

[wayne]

Well my lfs spent about 10000 dollars trade on their display tank. I am guessing you can't do much for a store for less than 150,000 USD

 

[S.Reef]

I work at a fish store, its pretty small about 2,000 square feet. Rent and bills a month is about $3000. TO stock the store and get tanks etc...your lookin at about $25,000 bare minimum.

 

[Lotus]

I'm not sure how much our LFS spent, but I know they had to do a lot of electrical work (for all the equipment) as well as plumbing. Of course, the electricity bills are huge. As far as I can tell, it's no gold mine, but you can make a decent living if you work really hard (like 12 hours a day, 7 days a week).

 

[Mushroomman]

Consider it alot of money to start up. I work at an lfs and you have to consider what the above people mentioned, on top of paying employees and some way of getting your name advertised so people would actually know and stop by. Alot of small lfs's go under quickly.

My manager makes a good wage, he just comes in certain days to work.

The full timers work nearly all day everyday just to make an allright wage, that certainly isnt the way to go.