Michigan Laws

[Jerik]

Hi all! I'm new here. I just built a 55 gallon tank for African Jewels. I had an accident and gotten a pair in my 50 gallon community tank and they bred so thus the reason for the new tank. After they bred I have about 3 dozen fry. I contacted a local cichlid store and they said I could bring in the fry for credit. In Michigan would I need to have a license to sell these Cichlids to stores if I was to do this for money?
If it is legal without a license does anyone have any tips about how to go and work this as a job?
Thank you!!
-Jerik

[jkeeler]

I cannot image what license you would need.  I am sure most the people on this forum have brought in fish for store credit.

[Marty]

Jon - he was asking if he would need a license.

Jerik - It would depend on how serious you were.  If you're just looking to sell fish to stores occasionally, you're not going to need a license.  If you're looking to rent a commercial location and start breeding full time, you'd need a business license from the city you're renting the space in.

In order to do this for a living, you're going to need a lot of tanks, experience keeping and breeding fish, startup money, business sense, etc.  You'd probably need in excess of 300 aquariums to be able to earn a living, more than that would increase the odds of being successful.  You'd need a website at the minimum, learn how to ship fish, and have to attend conventions/trade shows to get your name out there.  The likelihood of being successful without ten years of experience keeping and breeding fish is minimal in my opinion.

My advice regarding store credit is, find another store that will give you cash.  I've seen too many stories where people were burned by store owners that were unethical or just went out of business.

[Jerik]

Let me rephrase. I'm a high school student going into my senior year. Im not looking to buy  an apartment and live off of this. I just want to cover the costs of the tanks I already have and anything that goes on top of that is just great. Thank you though. I truly appreciate it.

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

No you don't need a license !  But ask the LFS what exactly does he mean by a credit. It usually does not mean fry for cash.  Usually it means he will allow you to trade fry for other fish he sells. You should ask him to be specific what he means by a credit and then make arrangements before you bring in the fish.  The LFS knows that if go to the trouble of bagging your fish, you will not turn down a likely deal.  So it would behoove you to get all that agreed upon before bringing in any fish...  Word of warning !   Good Luck !

[Ron]

.... So it would behoove you to get all that agreed upon before bringing in any fish...  Word of warning !   Good Luck !

And from the store owner perspective, why are they going to agree to any price on fish which they haven't seen?!

IMO, it's expected that you'd bag them up and take them in. Just be sure to have the perspective that if you don't get what you're hoping for, then you're willing to turn around and take them back home.

As for doing it to cover the costs of the tank, I would aim for being happy that you might cover some of the fish food or water conditioner cost, but I wouldn't expect to break even unless you're hiding costs (parents pay for the electricity/water bills, etc).

[Jerik]

Thank you all!! I really appreciate it!!~

[gshark7]

It's a good idea to get a general price on the fish you are bringing.  Otherwise you might be disappointed.  That price could change slightly if you over estimated their size, etc.