Thinking about going into business making tank inserts.

[steph22976]

Hi, I have been thinking about going into business making tank inserts like the river tank. Not just like it of coarse but different kinds of inserts, fresh water, salt water, black light, and reg light tank inserts. I thought some of them could have water falls or planetary scenes. I can make them easily enough, but would anyone buy them? I would but that is just me and I think it is kinda cool, but could I make a living out of it, selling them on the internet do you think? What would you pay for something like this. I remember I paid upwards of 1000 dollars for my river tank almost 20yrs ago. It was ridiculous then as it is now, but what would you pay? hit me up

[Carl]

Can you provide some pictures for members to look at?

Carl

[steph22976]

Not at this time, I only have drawing, but if they would like to see kinda of what I am talking about there are the River tanks inserts that are already on the market just not easy to purchase. There are many pictures and video of the river tanks in motion. Mine would be inserts in like it but of different environments. I hope to go so far as personalize them with pictures others might make in a couple years time. So if you would like an erupting volcano in black light I could do it with running water. Or if you would like I could make a replica of the moon landing. The River Tank is as close as I have to a model right now for show and it is not mine nor will I have one exactly like it either due to copy write and such. But the inserts I make will have all kinds of different environs. Some ppl like Mario fish tanks, some ppl like natural ones. I can make them for reg light and black light.

[devonjohnsgard]

Welcome to the group!

I'm not a 100% sure what these would look like. Can you provide a link to what you think some of these would look like or can we see your drawing?

There's another person here who makes DIY backgrounds for aquariums. Are these the same? Would you like a link to an article put together about the backgrounds? She just makes them for her self. I have no idea how they would sell and if you could live off the sales.

[steph22976]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spi8vhDaLNY#t=30


kind of a long link but copy and paste it into your search bar. It will take you to a youtube video of a running river tank. I will have the same concept but with different environments. or just click it. which ever works best
.

[Carl]

I am not sure what value you can put on this.
This concept has been around a while and is similar to that of a Vivarian which instead of the water running side to side, it goes from back to front

Carl

[devonjohnsgard]

I like the idea. I would start it as a hobby and if it turned into a business, good deal. It would be cool for different and different regions they come from.

[steph22976]

Yeah, I was thinking because my brother does spray paint art, I could work with black lights and really be able to bring some exotic scenes into the aquarium environment. I have a possible backer in the idea from Colorado vocational rehab. They like the idea as well, but they want me to do some surveys. Supposed to cold call out of the phone book. Gonna hate that I am sure. Still waiting on the list of questions from them they are supposed to send me. I have been to different places looking for the River tank to purchase myself and the lack of inserts really bummed me out. I got mad actually. So I decided to see what it would take to make one. Then I decided I could make them and maybe sell them. So I threw the idea at them (CO Voc Rehab)when my turn came up for help and now here I am. Wondering what other ppl think of the idea. Its a huge step for me to take as a single mother. So of coarse I am gonna look to my aquatic lover friends to see if they feel the same about my idea as I me and the ppl at the rehab place. I love my tanks (have four of them) and couldn't think of a better job then to work with them in a creative way. Still, its a big risk until I can get the surveys done and figure out what the reality of the situation might be. I really would like to see my shrimp in a cool black light tank that has volcano with flowing water over painted and lighted surface to appear like real flowing lava. So even if I don't turn it into a business, it would make a really awesome hobby for sure.

[devonjohnsgard]

Feb 13, 2015 21:47:11 GMT -5 steph22976 said:

Yeah, I was thinking because my brother does spray paint art, I could work with black lights and really be able to bring some exotic scenes into the aquarium environment. I have a possible backer in the idea from Colorado vocational rehab. They like the idea as well, but they want me to do some surveys. Supposed to cold call out of the phone book. Gonna hate that I am sure. Still waiting on the list of questions from them they are supposed to send me. I have been to different places looking for the River tank to purchase myself and the lack of inserts really bummed me out. I got mad actually. So I decided to see what it would take to make one. Then I decided I could make them and maybe sell them. So I threw the idea at them (CO Voc Rehab)when my turn came up for help and now here I am. Wondering what other ppl think of the idea. Its a huge step for me to take as a single mother. So of coarse I am gonna look to my aquatic lover friends to see if they feel the same about my idea as I me and the ppl at the rehab place. I love my tanks (have four of them) and couldn't think of a better job then to work with them in a creative way. Still, its a big risk until I can get the surveys done and figure out what the reality of the situation might be. I really would like to see my shrimp in a cool black light tank that has volcano with flowing water over painted and lighted surface to appear like real flowing lava. So even if I don't turn it into a business, it would make a really awesome hobby for sure.

Ok, quote me for a river insert for my 40 gal fresh water. How much could you sell me one for. That will give me a better idea of this could make you some money. It's has to be balanced on price for the general consumer or people who are willing to pay for something customized.

[angelminx]

If I had the money to spend (and housing would let me have more tanks), I would definitely want one (or 2...).  I remember wanting one when they 1st came out.  I've been going thru my old aquarium magazines, and there is an ad for the "completely redesigned" New River Tank System (US Patent No. 5038528) on page 17 of the Nov. 1999 Aquarium Fish Magazine.  I don't know if the addresses are still current (and I haven't checked the internet yet) but they are listed in the ad as:

Perfecto Manufacturing, Inc.
20975 Creek Road
Noblesville, Indiana 46060

http:/www.perfectomfg.com/rivertank/newriver.htm

I don't know if this will be of any help to you or not, but they may be able to give you some kind of information.  I think your idea is great!  Good luck.

Angelminx

[steph22976]

I was thinking for a 40 gal tank like $150. I was also thinking I could make smaller pieces that attach to the back of the aquarium and go with a background I design to make it look third dimensional, maybe with some pumps attached for some waterfall effects. But also I could sell them as a set or individually for even more customization. I have like 50 billion ideas for this kind of stuff.

And yeah, the new design really kinda sucks, not like the old one at all. I read some threads when I was looking for them from ppl who bought the new design. They complain about how artificial it looks. Almost like the color was printed on it somehow. Don't know, most did not like it but a couple did. I saw the way it was designed and it is way different from the first design, I think they were trying to trim the cost of manufacturing by removing large supporting structures that originally were needed in order for it to be more river cross section like. Took a lot away from it when they did as far as the product is concerned. I am determined however to bring something similar to my own tanks, and I really want a black light tank as well. They are just kind of boring as is and I want to design something totally cool for black light tanks as well. I guess I already have, but what I mean is I want to make them. I am really kind of excited about the idea.

[angelminx]

The black light tank would be cool with Glo-fish! Another idea to consider is one I thought of 30 years ago, and could never figure out how to do, and that would be a Cave Habitat for both Blind Cave Tetras, etc., and "neon" fish (there were no Glo-fish back then). What I did for the neon-style fish (neons, glowlights, etc.), and glass catfish I put in with them, was to use black gravel with a small amount of "fluorescent" gravel (orange, yellow, turquoise, etc--what A friend of Mike Wickham's called Clown Vomit) mixed in. I kept the lighting low, along with some floating plastic plants (I took the leaves off of the Tetra Second Nature Water Sprite and just let those float on the surface), and added some "rainbow rock" throughout the tank.

[steph22976]

I got the surveys this morning in my email and went about trying to cold call out of the phone book and as I suspected it was horrible. I got like three done. But I did have better luck on World of Warcraft lmao! I got four surveys on there! (figured I only had a couple hours left before my time ran out so why not give it a shot) So my total for today is seven surveys out of countless ppl and I need 30. Called local pet stores and all but petsmart said I could conduct surveys in front of their stores. Figures, petsmart is corp and the others are local business. They liked my idea as well (local business)! Said they might be interested in buying some of the products I create providing they are safe. So over all good and bad day. Spent some time trying to come up with a design for my own personal 40 gal. I still love the idea of the river tank, but I want something a lil different, I am thinking of a way to compartmentalize it somehow... A large tank like that gives lots of room for creativity. Right now I have some ghost shrimp in there and assassin snails and tons of live plants. I kind of want to make two compartments toward the top with plants, snails, and shrimp in each that overflow out to the bottom with more plants, snails, and shrimp. Have some larger structures the water can fall on to break the overflow so it doesn't come plummeting to hard when it hits the water, maybe some fake rocks or branches.

[devonjohnsgard]

At $150, you would get custom orders, but I can't see it be a general consumer product. Maybe like $50. I would still consider it, but I would really have to want it.

Keep us updated on your progress!

[steph22976]

Allowing ppl to name the price in these surveys is an interesting roller coaster ride. Some ppl put the price as low as $20 for a 20gal waterfall insert while others had it up to $350. I now have 11 surveys out of 30. Got three more today in my email after asking FB friends to give ppl they know with tanks the survey. I am not going back to cold calling out of the phone book. It was horrible and brought back flashbacks of being a telemarketer or collection agent. Worst thing ever! Thinking of maybe doing the door to door thing after the pet stores. Will see if I need to by then. Loved being a census taker, that was fun so door to door isn't so bad. Except surveys are not fun.

what do yall think of my idea for the 40 gal tank being split up top to bottom like in my previous post. I am just not sure if it would work. I was thinking maybe sealing glass in the top to create a tank with in a tank so the top part will fill with water and cascade down onto some rocks or branches with water at the bottom. I could put some of my plants in the top with the shrimp and snails and have some more shrimp, snails,and plants at the bottom. I could rig it so the water filter pulls water from the bottom and dumps it into the newly created second inner tank on top. The upper tank would be kinda in the middle so the water could flow out to either side.

[steph22976]

I am having trouble with the surveys. I am getting them, but mostly from ppl who do not own fish tanks. I need some fish tank owner input because it is for the fish tank owner I am making these for. If anyone would like to take my survey that has a fish tank pls email me @ [e-mail] ty so much.

[devonjohnsgard]

Feb 23, 2015 22:41:16 GMT -5 steph22976 said:

I am having trouble with the surveys. I am getting them, but mostly from ppl who do not own fish tanks. I need some fish tank owner input because it is for the fish tank owner I am making these for. If anyone would like to take my survey that has a fish tank pls email me @ [e-mail] ty so much.

emailed you.

[steph22976]

Thank you so much again! I could still use a couple more surveys from fish tank owners if anyone still would like to take one. I will be excepting them until this Thursday 3/12/15. After that I just have to deal with what I have got. I am currently at 26 out of the 30 I need. Most of them are non fish tank owners. I have a few I still need to pick up from the small business center where I live.

Still, I have an over all good response. It's very promising and I really hope those ppl will work with me to get this idea off the ground. I really think it would be really cool.

Again thank you for those who fill/ed out a survey. Man, you don't know how much it means to me. Can't wait for y'all to see my first one! Gonna stick it in my tank and take pic and show you.

[Carl]

Mar 10, 2015 21:20:35 GMT -5 steph22976 said:

Thank you so much again! I could still use a couple more surveys from fish tank owners if anyone still would like to take one. I will be excepting them until this Thursday 3/12/15. After that I just have to deal with what I have got. I am currently at 26 out of the 30 I need. Most of them are non fish tank owners. I have a few I still need to pick up from the small business center where I live.

Still, I have an over all good response. It's very promising and I really hope those ppl will work with me to get this idea off the ground. I really think it would be really cool.

Again thank you for those who fill/ed out a survey. Man, you don't know how much it means to me. Can't wait for y'all to see my first one! Gonna stick it in my tank and take pic and show you.

My suggestion is to make a new thread the General Discussion Section, this will allow you to create a poll that is quick and easy for members to participate in

Further Poll Tutorial
www.proboards.com/user-guide/posting/poll

Carl