[Samper]

As a few of you know I am in the military. I was in special warfare training group for a little over a year and have been in the 82nd airborne division for about 2 years now. During that time I proceeded to mess my knees up pretty good. I have been in and out of physical therapy for a while now and Friday I got the word that I was going to be seperated from the military within 3-6 months. When I signed up I got a $20,000 bonus. About a year ago I got the first half of it and have put it away for a rainy day. All in all for the bonus I will receive about $16,000 after taxes. When I get out I will get the other half of that check. I also signed up for the GI Bill. That is the government basically giving me $50,000 for college. A few months ago I gave them a $500 dollar check and they added another $10,000 to my GI Bill. Since I will be getting out soon and I will definately have more than 30% disability the government will pay for my college and books for any disability over the 30%. I Basically get my GI bill and disability which is going to be between 40 and 50 percent of my base pay to live on for the rest of my life. My base pay now is close to $1500 a month. I also qualify for a $200,000 small business loan through the VA hospital. I'm thinking about taking everything that's coming to me and doing something serious for my future. If I can figure out what I'm doing well enough I will either try to open up a shop or start up a pretty serious green house. Do any of you have any contacts who could help me compile a list of what I might need for one of these ideas or both. All In all I figure I will have about $230,000 to invest. This business I plan on living off of for the rest of my life at the same time helping out with environmental issues as well as helping to further this hobby in any way I can. Please point me in the right directions guys.

[Brian35]

thats amazing! You can make it happen!

[Samper]

I just want to add that I plan on talking to Rocky and Rick. I have also been back and fourth through email with Mr. Borneman trying to find the right school + location for me to accomplish this goal. Any advice will be greatly appreciated guys and hopefully one day I can return the favors.

[Samper]

It appears that I'm on my own for this one. I know I need more experience under my belt but I feel that I have an opportunity here and want to take advantage.

[Poseidon]

Best of luck to you Samper... I am sorry to hear about your Knee's, guess jumpingout of airplanes will do that to you...

As far as location goes, how about Arizona/Nevada??? You would have to buy salt instead of using NSW, but no Hurricanes to worry about either!!!

[Samper]

I'm thinking about Little Rock, Arkansas.

There are no marine science related schools there but if I hold off, go to a school in CA or FL to get my degree all the while putting that money somewhere where I can get a return. Then I can do something much nicer and be a little more grown up/experienced to try to tackle something like a shop or a greenhouse. Although a greenhouse there would have to have artificial light year around and heat for the winter.

[ricksreef]

cool, another nut joining the ranks
first thing to do is pick up anthony calfos 'book of coral propagation',
it's the 'bible' to get you started.

here's a few links to check out too.

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/r_king_062500.html
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog...an_020600.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AA212
http://www.cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-08/eb/index.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/200102111.../2/default.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/200104112.../1/default.asp

Rockies the man when it comes to this, but i'm willing to answer whatever
questions i can. i also have all kinds of links as to where to get all the
materials needed to build the GH too if you want them.

[Samper]

Rick thank you very much.
Would somewhere in the ballpark of 200k get me rolling with this?
I know there are a million things that I haven't thought of and I definately don't have the experience to tackle it by myself. If you have any tips or things you learned personally I would be very appreciative. Closer to time I might need some telephone time with you if that's possible.

[ricksreef]

200K could probably get us both going, buuuuddy

it all depends on just how big you want to start out & how fast
you want to get there. i'm a miser from way back & i'm in no rush
to get there, so what i have, i've built up from garage sales, the classifieds,
or just built myself. have you ever done any propagation, even on a small
scale? there's all kinds of big/little things to do to make any money, from
having seperate systems for softies & stonies, heating/cooling of a GH
(mostly cooling), emergency plan for natural disasters (just learned this one
myself ), proper shipping techniques, etc...ad infinitum.
for the little guys like me, effeciency in the operation (read cost effective)
is important so i don't go broke doing it.
another guy to check out is treeman here in florida, here's a link to
his GH http://www.zoosrus.com/forums/showth...&threadid=1114

i plan on being around the fish scene till i die, so when your ready,
shoot me an email for my phone # & i'll help any way i can.

[Samper]

I have never done anything but study my whole life. I've always had an aquarium but until a little under a year ago it was always freshwater. This stand is the first thing I've built with my own two hands. I was raised around the water and every since I can remember I wanted to be a marine biologist. I still want to be in the marine field just don't know exactly where. If I could get started a nice business and could do just well enough to be comfortable I would be completely happy. The weather in Arkansas isn't bad, little cold in the winter but I could do it with artificial lighting. There are no nice SW shops there at all and I really feel like I have a chance but if I had to do it somewhere else I would. My head just boils over with ideas about this so I'll do my best to make it a reality. Dad has a backhoe and plenty of other tractors and tools. Also 1500 acres that I would be able to place it on so those are decent hurdles I'm over already.

Thank you very much for the links, I'll read over them thoroughly and work on my idea. When I get out and get serious about this would it be possible for me to fly down and check everything out? Hope your rebuild is going good man.

[bb72]

Samper,

Before you get into anything I would suggest that you look at all options, that come with Marine biology. I am not at all trying to discourage you just, if marine biology is what you want to get into there is a lot more opportunities open to you. If you just got into saltwater tanks, I would suggest keeping it a hobby until you get enough experience to know for sure that is what you want to do. I am saying this because I have always loved boats, so I went to work on boats. I worked on offshore boats, inland boats, fishing boats you name it I probably worked on it. Now after that experience I know exactly what I want to do. In fact I just bought a 28 ft. bertram for $4000. (I love insurance adjusters that dont know much). But anyway all I am saying is work in a shop or for a greenhouse to see if turning your hobby into work would keep it "fun". At look at all your opportunities before you make any commitments

[Samper]

Very good advice. I know there are quite a few path ways to take in the marine field so I'm looking into each one until I find what I"m looking for. More experience is needed on my part and your right if I could find a job working with someone for a while it would be to my advantage. I doubt anyone that has a GH would want to deal with an apprentice but if I'm wrong and any of you guys feel like having one I'd be more than happy to come down and learn. I'm out of the army in 3-6 months.

[ricksreef]

ya, having a propagation setup is definately something that you'll need
to heavily research. start out with an extra tank & make a small setup
for propping. get a feel for it, work out the little bugs & then decide if it's
something you can deal with.

if your ever in the area your welcome to stop by but i'm still picking up
the pieces from hurricane frances right now & it'll be awhile till i'm back
to full steam. 3-6 months might just about do it though

[Samper]

Well if your still putting it back together when I get the chance to make it down there I'll give you a hand.

[scubadude]

The first thing I have to say is Im sorry I totally missed this thread....Jeez....My bad

Dewd your like totally in as long as your heart is in it for the right reasons. First thing you need to do is go to a MACNA and/or IMAC and get to know wholesalers, retailers, and everyone else in the industry as well as hardcore hobbyist....See as many tanks as you can....travel to other areas and see other clubs...Usually most clubs will accept visitors even out of area if you RSVP Be frugile w/ yer cashola bro it can go quick depending on how classy you wanna go. One of the most educating experiences for me was going to see Inland Aquatics, Harbor Aquatics, Premium Aquatics, Tropicorium, and then top it off with a michigan club meeting where I got a chance to chew on Anthony Calfos ear and look at corals all night and listen him, Eric B, and Larry Jackson speak. You will know the guys that will give you insight as they have a gleam in their eye when they start talking about coral. MACNA is a party for reef geeks and trust me they bring out all the toys! IMAC is following suit pretty hardy too. If your heart is in it for the fun and love of it and you have some $$ it sure makes it easier. Arkansas....Im from Kansas so I know somewhat the area....your in Tornado Alley right? Better build a tough GH (Greenhouse) if you are in the alley. I will actually be speaking at IMAC and my abstract I do plan to be somewhat devoted and geared to hobbyist as yourself doing this exactly. I would be honored for you to spend some time @ IMAC and give you some great info. on getting starting.

Im not gonna say that doing this is real easy, however as you have probably imagined it can be very rewarding and fun. You can do this from a hobbyist point of view....You DONT have to be a marine biologist to be a coral propagator...Everyone knows that it would only compliment each other but is not necessary. Anthony is GREAT person to hang with and even better in person than his writting! and his writting RAWKS! Im really digging this Reefland party thing too @ MACNA too. Local club homies here in SW florida are gung ho and Im pretty lucky to be surrounded with a bunch of hardcore reefers. Another thing that Ill close with is if you dont scubadive then you can ascertain another aspect of coral propagating that to me is almost just as powerful if not more so then becoming a marine biologist.

[Samper]

Hey Scubadude I really appreciate your response. Both of my parents are doctors and I've been a little pressured to go that route and I still may however I don't think that would keep me from running a small greenhouse and possibly a larger one and an LFS down the road. I'm going to do my best to be there at MACNA but am having a hard time finding a roomie. I'm sortof wanting a guide to point me toward the right conferences and introduce me to the right people. Without one it'll be very hard for me to know what's in my best interests while there as I'm sure it's a bit overwhelming right? It's funny you mention the gleam in the eye. While I was home for Christmas my dad and I were chatting and I was telling him all I could about this hobby. He mentioned to me that he'd never seen me so excited and passionate about any of my past hobbies and that he hoped I stuck with this one. Anyway, Yes Arkansas is in tornado valley. Where my parents live is a pretty elevated spot and what tornados do come near are usually trapped in the valley down towards town or stay over the lake. But having been through 2 none the less yeah it'd have to be a pretty tough GH. If I can find a partner to attend with me or atleast get some contacts and arrange some meetings or whatever I'd be honored for you to sit and chat with me. Heck a reefland party would be great.


As for it being easy.....if it was easy like my past hobbies I would have lost interest already. I've always loved the water I think it's cause I'm a pisces. I grew up on Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas, got my diving license at 14 years old, worked as a fishing guide for 6 years and so on and so on. I know I'll be in this for the long run so the earlier I get started the better. Thanks for your feedback and hopefully in September I'll get to meet all of you guys.

[kevinpo]

This thread somehow slipped past me too

I am a hobbyist that is now a LFS owner. I carry about 400 frags at any one time. Here is some advice:

Before spending any money be sure to:

Write a business plan.
Make a sales forecast.
Detailed monthly expense report.
Capital equipment list.
A basic accounting course.

My previous job was building/managing telecom manufacturing plants around the world (average cost $5 million) so I was fortunate to have the business experience. Without it I don't think I would have been successful nearly as quickly. The amount of money you are talking about is more than enough to start a nice LFS (I spent about $50K).

The SBA Small Business Assoc. has a CD with all the templates you need for the above items for free along with a library of books you can borrow.

March 15 will be our 2nd year aniversary and my wife and I were saying that owning a LFS is like having 500 friends that give you money
My customers are the best part of the business and helping them to be successful in this hobby is very rewarding.

I've got to go to the store right now (7AM and I don't open until noon) to box up some fish and corals for a customer from Twin Falls Idaho (about 8 hours drive from here) that will arrive in a few min. Service is one of the things that develops customer loyalty

Regards,
Kevin
PS: If I can help in any way when you are ready let me know.

[Samper]

Thanks for the advice Kevin. I've drawn out a plan but also know that's a small step. I'm sure it'll be a while before I even think about getting started but I'm young, the sooner I start learning the better. If I get a chance I'll come check out the shop sometime, please keep me in mind if you ever want an apprentice cause I'm out of the military in late Mar early Apr and will pack up and move anywhere so long as I can keep learning. Arkansas seems like a dead end street for now in the reefkeeping dept. I only know 2 people on RC from there.

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by Samper

I'm going to do my best to be there at MACNA but am having a hard time finding a roomie. I'm sortof wanting a guide to point me toward the right conferences and introduce me to the right people. Without one it'll be very hard for me to know what's in my best interests while there as I'm sure it's a bit overwhelming right?

Check out this link

http://columbiamarineaquariumclub.org/

Apparently Anthony Calfo will be there Feb. 12th. I guarantee you that this will be one of your best shots to find alot of what you are looking for. Roomie for MACNA, as well as carpool possibly? Yes it can be a little overwhelming, but it sounds like you already have an agenda lined up...or atleast should. You dont really need a guide....If you go to this meeting where A. Calfo speaks just bring a pad and pen. And if need be stand in line to wait to talk to him....Have your questions already written down.

Originally Posted by Samper

If I can find a partner to attend with me or atleast get some contacts and arrange some meetings or whatever I'd be honored for you to sit and chat with me. Heck a reefland party would be great.

Dude No problem watsoever

Originally Posted by ricksreefs

first thing to do is pick up anthony calfos 'book of coral propagation',
it's the 'bible' to get you started.

Rick is totally on cue here, If you dont have this book then get it NOW and spend as much time reading it as possible....Formulate questions from this book and ask here online as well as Anthony himself when/if you meet him. Let me know if you have problems getting the book. I actually might have a copy that I could hook you up with.

Originally Posted by ricksreefs

another guy to check out is treeman here in florida, here's a link to
his GH http://www.zoosrus.com/forums/showt...=&threadid=1114

Here again Rick is on cue, Matt aka Treeman is really going @ this full force and will be a great asset to the hobby. He plans to be @ macna to as you may have seen in the "whos going thread".

I also agree to all of Kevin's responses, and this is ALL in Anthony's Book....So really to save you alot of time...Read Anthony's book :P

[Samper]

I'll head down there if the military lets me get out of the 150 mile radius. Appreciate the tip and will find the book somewhere.