(Published Feb. 2005)
Aquarium Plants Pack A Punch
Get More Bang For Your Buck
By Scott and Ann Springer

Unless you are a plant enthusiast, you may be a bit wary when fielding customer questions about your freshwater and saltwater inventory. Or you may have chosen not to stock aquarium plants at all because your fish department isn't your main focus and you haven't found the time to educate yourself on plants.

If you've shied away from aquarium plants in the past, you may want to reconsider. Freshwater plants can be some of the most profitable products you sell.

"Freshwater plants should be the highest markup items in the store," says Gene Sanchez, manager of Jermack Cultivated Plants Inc. in Hendersonville, N.C. "The plant is more specialized and won't be found everywhere, and a customer will be willing to spend $3.99 on a thing of beauty. You can create a market where the hobbyist will come, regardless of price."

In comparison, fish are a competitively priced purchase and will sell closer to their wholesale price, Sanchez says.

Freshwater v. Saltwater
Freshwater plants tend to make up the majority of the market. They are typically known to be easier to work with than saltwater plants and have a host of benefits.

"They naturally oxygenate the water," Sanchez says. "They add a beauty and appearance to the aquarium that can't be duplicated."

In a freshwater tank, plants are often used to pull out nutrients. "The tank will be beautiful and it reduces undesirable algae," says Richard Preuss, store manager for Preuss Animal House in Haslett, Mich.

Freshwater plants offer a greater abundance of variety and potential for growth than their saltwater counterparts, according to Marilyn Cameron, owner of Denizens of the Deep in Fort Collins, Colo. "Everyone likes color, and with live plants you have more diversity and growth," she says.

Aquarium plants also may be appetizing to the fish that call the tank home. "The downside of freshwater plants is that your purchase can sometimes become a meal," Sanchez says.

Saltwater plants, in contrast, are a lot less popular than freshwater plants because of recent environmental concerns. It has been discovered that some saltwater plants similar to those used in aquariums have overpopulated certain waterways.

"We've stayed away from them lately because of all of the controversy right now," says Louie Ortiz, CEO of West Coast Aquarium Industries in San Diego, Calif.

Cameron says saltwater plants are also less popular for other reasons, too. "Saltwater plants are relativity rubbery in texture and they take different nutrients to survive," Cameron says.

Saltwater plants, in particular, can overwhelm a tank. "In most cases, if you have a reef tank, the animal life is the focal point," Cameron says. "In some cases, the plants can smother the corals."

Steering clear of fish that like to snack on expensive plants will help customers increase the longevity of their plant purchases. "The most common two offenders are silver dollars and red-eyed tetras," Preuss says.

Tangs have also been known to eliminate plants from an ecosystem. "Tangs will eat the plants many times because that is their natural food," Ortiz says. On the flip side, "if you have a lot of plants growing, tangs can help maintain the plants as they graze on them."

Tetras, on the other hand, make great companions to live plants. "Tetras look great schooling about through live plants," Sanchez says.

Killie fish also do well in tanks with live plants, Ortiz says. He also recommends butterflies and certain types of angel fish in saltwater tanks.

Sales and Education
Plants will sell best when customers can see them in use. "Have a tank set up so they can see how it will look," Ortiz says. "They can have a better representation of how it will look with fish and plants in it."

With a visual image of the tank before a customer's eyes, your staff can explain what they will need to purchase to successfully maintain plants at home.

Sanchez recommends devoting 8 to 10 tanks to showing off live plants, with the majority of these being freshwater plants because they constitute a larger market.

In pricing products appropriately, it can be difficult to know what the local market can bear, and you don't want to shortchange yourself, either. According to Sanchez, the average retail price for freshwater plants is $3.99 and is $7.99 for saltwater plants.

As customers come in to purchase aquarium plants, it is the perfect opportunity to upsell and coax customers to add products that they may not have realized they need.

Items to add to the cart may include high-intensity lighting to enhance plants, variable spectrum bulbs to promote growth, and fertilizer for plants, Sanchez says.

Before your staff members can execute sales, they must first be educated on the ins and outs of plant maintenance.

Aquarium know-how is one area of expertise, but plant knowledge is a world of its own. "Aquarium plants is the area where most retailers' knowledge is the poorest," Sanchez says. "Most people got into this because it was their hobby. They weren't really captivated by aquarium plants, but this is our area of expertise."

Good sources of information are plant suppliers, Ortiz says. "They know best how to take care of them, how to display them, and the potential problems that may arise."

Companies, like Jermack, freely offer advice to retailers who carry their products. They are available by telephone to answer questions and also offer identification posters to retail shops to post.

Formal education is always helpful. "I've drawn on years of college, practical experience, lots of great books, and life experiences," says Cameron, who has a background in biology. "I have always had a love of plants. You just grow with it."

Allow your passion for the hobby to be expressed to your employees and then in turn onto your customers. "I think you can allow your enthusiasm as a retailer and the enthusiasm of your staff to help you sell appropriate plants," Preuss says.

Preuss recommends taking on the responsibility of being the information gatherer or delegating it to someone on staff. "Good information and willingness to learn is key," Preuss says.

Education is unarguably one of the best weapons to arm yourself against your competition. "An educated store owner will sell plants better and it is a win-win situation for everybody," Sanchez says.

Trends For The Future
Keeping up to date on the latest and greatest trends will also help keep your customers coming back to you as they update their aquariums.

"There are some beautiful hybrids originating in Europe right now," Sanchez says. Depending on their size, these hybrids retail anywhere from $12.99 to $24.99.

In the saltwater category, kelp is growing in popularity. "I have seen people sell it, but it needs certain light and water conditions for it to grow," Ortiz says.

Putting some flair into your inventory will keep your customers coming back to see what's new. "It adds a great addition to your inventory and you can carry something the other guy doesn't," Sanchez says.

"Some plants become more or less fashionable based on Internet chatter, publications, and as options rise and fall," Preuss says. According to Preuss, as people become more educated about how to care for aquarium plants properly, the more choices will be available.

"The biggest limitation for growth is in the hobby itself," Preuss says. "The more unusual plants will be out there when people will do it right."

Scott and Ann Springer are free-lance writers living in Southern California and are frequent contributors to Pet Product News.