# Building Vivariums "for a living" ?



## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Not sure if this is the correct forum section for this topic, but ...

I've come to the conclusion that I will never be happy working in the career field that I am in right now, and that working with plants/nature/art is what I truly should be doing. I can't bear to think of living the rest of my life doing something that doesn't make me happy, which leads me to my main question(s)

How feasible would it be to 'make a living' designing and creating vivariums/terrariums/paludariums etc? Does anybody have any tips, ideas, web links to resources? Honestly, I probably don't have what it takes, nor do I have enough experience (and I don't keep frogs so I wouldn't be able to start with those kind of vivs), but I feel like I need to look into this idea.

Anything anybody can say will be appreciated


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

If you can find a way to make it work you'll make a lot of people on the board jealous! There are a few that would like to try but the demand doesn't seem to be there to sustain someone's career. It seems like most complete vivs are sold from people downsizing or by businesses where their primary income is not just selling vivs but also supplies, plants, etc.

I feel like if you really want to do it, go for it, but plan on having a business that incorporates multiple aspects of the viv hobby, not just building vivs. Make sense?


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## ibytencode (Mar 25, 2012)

I agree, there just doesn't seem to be enough demand because to be honest, building the Vivarium is REALLY fun. Most businesses that make it in this type of industry sell more than just vivariums, they sell vivarium supplies, lights, food, animals, etc. 

However, you could look into going back to school for biology and see about finding a career studying animals and the plants you like so much. Pick up a job at the zoo or aquarium or something similar and do that. There is always that option. 

One thing to think about, everything becomes a job when you have to do it to eat. Just keep that in mind.


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## nonliteral (Mar 26, 2012)

ibytencode said:


> One thing to think about, everything becomes a job when you have to do it to eat. Just keep that in mind.


Yup. I've never found anything that takes the fun out of a hobby faster than trying to make a living out of it...


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## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Ok, I just want to say THANK YOU so much to everybody that responded. ALL of the things you guys said made complete sense and gives me a lot to think about and a direction to move in. So thanks again, this was amazing advice!


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

There are several aquarium design/maintenance companies in seattle that pay pretty well for what the job is. You'd mostly be doing reefs, but you could surely do a vivarium or two for a client and use your company job as a way to expose more peoe to the option of a vivarium as a display option


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

frogparty said:


> There are several aquarium design/maintenance companies in seattle that pay pretty well for what the job is. You'd mostly be doing reefs, but you could surely do a vivarium or two for a client and use your company job as a way to expose more peoe to the option of a vivarium as a display option


An ex-girlfriend of mine did aquarium maintenance for a living and the real money isn't in reef tanks, it is in getting the contracts to service the lobster tanks in supermarket chains.... 

It is hard to make a living since you have to be able to compete with the established companies (and individuals). There are even some big companies that contract with Zoos to do their exhibit constrution (large and small) and some Zoos (like Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land) not only do all of thier in-house but have established themselves with exhibits that travel (Geico Gecko exhibit, Chorus of Colors (frogs))... 

Ed


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Yup. Clydes's did this one http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/


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## jeeperrs (Jan 14, 2010)

A friend of mine owns an aquarium store. They practically give away the tanks (little to no mark up) and they make their money on the supplies. However, her main source of income is the maintenance of aquariums for clients. She makes more cleaning one tank than she does selling several fish or other supplies. So, don't make your business plan on dimensional. Also, build in the cost of lost, damaged, or stolen supplies into your fee. However, it will be hard to compete against the large companies mass producing at a cheap cost. You just need to build a substantially better product that makes the extra cost worth the buyer's interest. 

Despite all the bad that we post does not mean you can't/won't be successful. Just think of all the people who laughed at Apple and Microsoft.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

I would love to do some tanks for a client like a doctors office or along that line. Not so much as a business, but as an excuse to build vivs on someone elses budget. I think the problem with building a viv over a aquarium is the general public hasn't seen a really nice well designed vivarium. Plus the maintenence is far less than a aquarium. The only problem I see is feeding, most people wouldn't want to touch a fly culture  
I say go for, start small, don't invest to much and have fun don't burn yourself out.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Eh, I wouldn't quit your day job and jump into the deep end, but you never know what can happen if you strive for a goal. These aren't terrariums for dart frogs, but I like this as inspiration:






Jae


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## BonnieLorraine (Jan 23, 2011)

I just spent the entire last weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) at a major pet expo in Orange County, displaying my vivariums and trying to sell vivarium plants. No one wanted to buy plants, but I got a lot of interest in custom built vivariums (mostly from my waterfall tank, but some for the smaller tanks). Since that expo, I have yet to get a SINGLE email following through on having one made. I'm not surprised, having them displayed at the reptile store we get asked all the time about having one made, but so far in almost a year only one person has plunked down the cash to have it done, and that was for a crested gecko owner /shrug.


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## asid61 (Mar 18, 2012)

Go for it. You could sell ready made tanks, give the recievers time to decorate, then send a second shipment of plants a couple weeks later. It would probably be a good idea to have a second job though, so you don't have to rely on selling vivs.


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

if you can find an economical and safe way to ship that might work. safe as in the viv doesn't get broken. you could take a pic of how it should be layed out. ship the viv with just the background and attached wood and then send a second shipment with substrate, lights, misting, plants, etc.


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## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks again to everybody! This is some really good advice and good ideas. Unfortunately I just got transferred from hourly to salary at my current job which means I will have very little free-time....literally I will have only the weekend to do anything.


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## raymondsmindjob (Feb 4, 2011)

Before you decide to start a new business that offers a service (in this case building vivariums) you should first see if there is a demand for that service in the area you live in. Go ahead and call a few places to see if they would like to add a display vivarium tank and see what they say (probably something like "what the hell are you talking about")
You could always make more money by offering continued upkeep for anything you build (like feedings, clanings, etc)
Or how about starting a pet store with a specialized vivarium focus? Then you could display your handywork to the public and get more people in the area interested in a vivarium of their own.
Sometimes seeing is believing......


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

Ed said:


> An ex-girlfriend of mine did aquarium maintenance for a living and the real money isn't in reef tanks, it is in getting the contracts to service the lobster tanks in supermarket chains....
> 
> It is hard to make a living since you have to be able to compete with the established companies (and individuals). There are even some big companies that contract with Zoos to do their exhibit constrution (large and small) and some Zoos (like Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land) not only do all of thier in-house but have established themselves with exhibits that travel (Geico Gecko exhibit, Chorus of Colors (frogs))...
> 
> Ed


didn't one of the guys who worked on "chorus of colors" post here in the past?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> didn't one of the guys who worked on "chorus of colors" post here in the past?


I know who your talking about... 

Ed


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## Blue_Pumilio (Feb 22, 2009)

I suggest you start small and learn all your mistakes cheaply, then scale up as demands ramps up. I have learned that you can always make a business out of things most people wouldn't even dream of. What's important, more then most things, is good business sense. I suggest you take a few classes at your local community college and go to some SBA classes as well. Handling your cash correctly can make all the difference in the world. Then learn some awesome marketing techniques. Just build, slowly.


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## flyingSquirrel (Aug 22, 2011)

Wow, the awesome advice just keeps rolling in  Thanks everybody. I hope this thread will also at some point help others that might have the same idea. If only the general public knew how awesome vivs/terrariums can be...


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