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Marketability of some clowns
Sunday, January 5, 2014 2:12 PM
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I was talking to a friend that owns a large pet store. We were talking about clown sales and marketability and he said that Clarks, Bi/Tri Cinctus, and Sebae clowns sales are almost nonexistent. He said Tomato, Fire, and Melanopus (all the same for the average customer) sell when small, but larger versions rarely sell. He said the bread an butter are the Std. Ocellaris and Percula, and the designer versions of these two, along with the "Darwin". He said some Saddle backs will sell when small and cute, but once large, they don't move as well, same with Maroon. What are you all seeing in your markets? I have 4 breeding pairs of the "Bread and Butter" clowns, but I love my Frenatus, Melanopus, Tricinctus, Pearl Eye, etc. I can appreciate the unique features, but if I did this just for me, I'd run out of room quickly. I have two MARS units as my grow out tanks and I need to manage the space to keep fish that sell. I'd be interested in what you are seeing. I am considering Jawfish, Cardinals, and such, but for now, Clowns are my love. Thanks Justin
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Sunday, January 5, 2014 4:16 PM
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I love my cinnamon clowns, but I live in a small market and they are almost impossible to sell. I would agree with your friends observation ocellaris and the like sell others no so much. But there are people like you and I that like the unique clowns and if we find them captive bread even better!
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Sunday, January 5, 2014 5:42 PM
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oce's, darwins, and snowflakes sell well here... not so much on clarkii's, and maroons. and ONLY when small for those latter two. and I'd say we have a fairly large market to boot. People (mainly newbies to salt) just like the standards. It's safe, and a lot cheaper price tag for them upfront.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Sunday, January 5, 2014 7:11 PM
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I'll agree with this as well. I do have a pair of A. tricinctus only because I like them, they haven't spawned yet. If you work with types other than the basic ones you would probably only need to raise one clutch a year for any particular area. You may be able to find individual buyers but that takes some extra work. You won't sell mass quantities unless you sell them to a wholesaler.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Monday, January 6, 2014 1:13 AM
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I'm in agreement with everyone else. It seems that most label species outside of percula and ocellaris as being aggressive, almost in the same way as people label damsels and dottybacks. On the clown spectrum, maroons and tomatoes have more bite and this is confused with being territorial (they aren't like your sohal tangs or clown tangs that may end up killing for sport as some do). The other down fall to some of the species for a breeder is that they have the larger clutches (maroons and clarkiis have huge nests from my research, and I'm sure a few more do as well and I just haven't done research on them yet). Just a note with the designers and "normal" ocellaris and percula, make sure you raise them to high standards (keeping them as close to wild body form as possible). This goes for any species, but keeping up the quality will allow you to sell more easily.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Monday, January 6, 2014 4:58 PM
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Store owner here. We bought 25 of the cutest young Clarkies from a local breeder a few months ago, along with 50 Orange Osc, 10 Snowflakes from SA. We still have 25 clarkies, had to reorder oscellaris, and still have a couple snowflakes left.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Monday, January 6, 2014 5:22 PM
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 Originally Posted by xroads
Store owner here.
We bought 25 of the cutest young Clarkies from a local breeder a few months ago, along with 50 Orange Osc, 10 Snowflakes from SA.
We still have 25 clarkies, had to reorder oscellaris, and still have a couple snowflakes left.
This sounds pretty typical to what I hear/see in my area too.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 2:54 AM
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Originally Posted by xroads
Store owner here.
We bought 25 of the cutest young Clarkies from a local breeder a few months ago, along with 50 Orange Osc, 10 Snowflakes from SA.
We still have 25 clarkies, had to reorder oscellaris, and still have a couple snowflakes left.
How much of this is also "salesmanship"? My experience at the retail levels has told me that the floor staff, the customer facing representatives, have great influence over what people wind up purchasing. If no one is taking the time to point out the "OTHER" clownfish...all the more reason they're just going to sit there. Notwithstanding of course that nemo is nemo....end of story. But we already knew that.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Thursday, January 9, 2014 2:36 PM
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We find that it depends on the store, exactly like Mat is saying. Some stores buy Tomatoes and Clarkii's from us every time they order, some never buy them. It's also the opposite for us, where they always want Big tomatoes and Big clarkii's (I think for large aggressive tanks?). It depends on what they believe is a good fish for their customers. However, what was mentioned in the first post about ocellaris/percs and the other varieties of them are for sure the biggest seller.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Thursday, January 9, 2014 3:59 PM
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well midnight- come buy mine! Clarkii's don't sell worth a squat down here, and I have wildcaught maldivian clarkii's... you'd think that was something special. but not here just oce's and snowflakes, and darwins!
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Thursday, January 9, 2014 8:21 PM
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Originally Posted by mPedersen
Originally Posted by xroads
Store owner here.
We bought 25 of the cutest young Clarkies from a local breeder a few months ago, along with 50 Orange Osc, 10 Snowflakes from SA.
We still have 25 clarkies, had to reorder oscellaris, and still have a couple snowflakes left.
How much of this is also "salesmanship"? My experience at the retail levels has told me that the floor staff, the customer facing representatives, have great influence over what people wind up purchasing. If no one is taking the time to point out the "OTHER" clownfish...all the more reason they're just going to sit there. Notwithstanding of course that nemo is nemo....end of story. But we already knew that. I completely agree with this. Salesmanship is an ever so important factor within any industry (restaurant, aquaculture, automotives, etc.), if you don't try to sell something you aren't going to sell it. I'm in a management position at a Culver's restaurant and I have my crew members push for the day's special or something like onion rings to bring awareness to it, and it sells the item more than not bringing it up at all.
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Re:Marketability of some clowns
Thursday, January 9, 2014 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by mPedersen
Originally Posted by xroads
Store owner here.
We bought 25 of the cutest young Clarkies from a local breeder a few months ago, along with 50 Orange Osc, 10 Snowflakes from SA.
We still have 25 clarkies, had to reorder oscellaris, and still have a couple snowflakes left.
How much of this is also "salesmanship"? My experience at the retail levels has told me that the floor staff, the customer facing representatives, have great influence over what people wind up purchasing. If no one is taking the time to point out the "OTHER" clownfish...all the more reason they're just going to sit there. Notwithstanding of course that nemo is nemo....end of story. But we already knew that. At the same time here we are talking about xroads store... this is in my neighborhood... I'd seen plenty of stores push an item to know what it looks like, and I notice when somethings being pushed or not. I'd say his problem with not selling clarkii's and larger fish is far more indicative of the region. I can push my clarkii's and maroons over oce's to my LFS's tell I'm blue in the face.... but these fish just don't sell here. Even when associates push them (considering these are more 'aggressive fish' so to speak) and reef tanks are the name here in this region, not a whole lot of predator tanks to supply) Now show them CB neon gobies, oce's, and Banggai's they'll buy you clean out.
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