Hook, Line and Sinker

Five Tips to Guarantee Success for Enthusiasts
Education may be more vital than water for a beginner to experience success in aquarium keeping. "You have to educate new hobbyists," says Jeff Black, manager of Jack's Aquarium and Pets in Cincinnati, Ohio. "I could talk for hours about this stuff."

Black shares what he counsels beginners to keep them in the hobby:
Take two trips. "Get the tank up and running first and then come back and buy the fish," he says.

Proceed with caution. "Go slow and don't put all the fish in at once," he says.

Keep size in mind. "You should only have 1 inch of fish per gallon of water," he says. "And keep in mind what size a full-grown fish will be."

Don't over feed. "A new person always feeds their fish too much," he says. "It's the most common mistake people make." Black advises customers to feed two pieces of food, the size of the fish's eye three times a day. No food should ever be on the bottom of the tank, he adds.

Be Picky. Choose a hardy fish that will be able to withstand the fluctuation in water chemistry. Black says, "If you like a more delicate fish, add that 30 days later after the aquarium has cycled, but don't mix them in with real predatory fish."

-S.S. & A.S.

(Published Dec. 2006)
Hook, Line and Sinker
How you can lure newcomers into a lifetime of aquarium keeping
By Scott and Ann Springer

The term beginner's luck implies that success comes randomly to only a select few. Beginner's luck doesn't apply in aquarium keeping. Education, not luck, is the key for success for the beginning aquarium hobbyist, says Brian Wyrostek, general manager of Rumford Pet Center in East Providence, R.I..

The key to unlock the door to return business and increased sales in the aquarium segment of the industry is to start beginners off on the right foot. You can have a large influence in determining whether they succeed or fail in their new aquarium hobby.

Sizing It Up
"The most important thing that a retailer can do to ensure the success of his or her customers is to make sure that the store personnel communicate with the customer," says Kenneth Oh, retail direct business unit manager for Tetra U.S. in Blackburg, Va.

As you speak to your customers, find out what size tank they intend to have to start out.

"Many people are under the mistaken impression that a smaller tank is easier to take care of," Oh says. "The reality is that the more water an aquarium holds, the better chance of success for the owner."

Oh says larger tanks are generally better for newcomers in the hobby for two reasons. First, the larger volume of water makes the water chemistry easier to control, and second, a larger aquarium "will always look more impressive than a smaller one," he says.

People should buy the biggest tank they can afford, says Chris Brightwell, the head of research and development for Kent Marine, an Acworth, Ga.-based manufacturer.

Brightwell says beginners shouldn't buy anything smaller than a 20-gallon tank, and he recommends they begin with a 30-gallon tank for even better chance for success.

The next step to helping your customers succeed as an aquarium hobbyist is to find out how many and what kinds of fish they plan to stock in their tank.

Cichilds, for example, will breed like crazy. Customers will need to invest in a new tank sooner than they think, Wyrostek says.

"People tend to overstock their tank because there are so many beautiful fish to pick from," Brightwell says. "If they have any success with it at all they will upgrade to a bigger tank."

Customers may be better off starting with a bigger tank so they won't have to upgrade all of their equipment later, Brightwell says. "Even with the bare minimum supplies they are still investing a decent amount of money," Brightwell says. "They think they can slap their old equipment onto the new tank but that leads to problems."

Essential Ingredients
Once you have established the size of the tank, you may want to offer your customer a pre-made or custom-made starter kit containing all of the essentials, says Jeff Black, manager of Jack's Aquarium and Pets in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Black gives his prospective hobbyists a list of must-haves that they can buy in a kit, including a filtration system, heater, thermometer, water conditioners, live bacteria, water test kits, gravel vacuum, and a hood light.

"That gives them all of the basics and after that it is just a matter of taste," Black says. Other items beginners will need that aren't included in most kits are decorative items such as gravel, plants, and backgrounds.

Kits are important to have in your store, whether you find them produced by a manufacturer that you trust or you assemble them yourself with items you stock.

"It's easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of stuff there is to pick from," Brightwell says. "For an inexperienced person, a kit is probably the best way to go and there are some good ones on the market now."

Hooking Them In
Now that you've sold your newcomer a tank and all of the goodies to get started, how can you guarantee the customer will return?

Customers who buy kits are typically beginners, a fact that should alert your staff that these persons may be in need of additional resources. Any customer that purchases a kit from Black gets an educational booklet about proper aquarium maintenance.

"If they read that booklet, the fish will be happy and they won't die and in turn the customer will be happy with their aquarium," Black says. "And you will be happy because they will come back in and buy more fish and more products from you."

Offering free water testing can also reel customers back into your store after their initial purchase, says Wyrostek "We do free water tests at the store and we sell a lot of kits that way," Wyrostek says.

Wyrostek cautions customers to abide by a regular maintenance schedule that includes changing out 20 percent of the water monthly.

"If you continue to educate them they will have success," Wyrostek says. "It's a general rule of thumb that if they have success they will want to have more fish, and move up to a bigger tank."

Scott and Ann Springer are frequent contributors to Pet Product News.