One of our biggest club supporters and sponsor is INFINITE AQUARIUM. Its owner Jimmy is gonna give us a behind the scene exploration of opening a fish store. Have you thought about it? Why have so many failed?
We will discuss the ins and outs of building and opening a fish store, including all the nuances of running a brick-and-mortar retail shop that only sells tropical fish. We’ll cover trade secrets that no one ever talks about, and the real toll it takes on you, your sanity, and your life. We’ll explore the highs and lows, and the reason why I’ve never been able to walk away from this crazy dream.
About Jimmy:
Born, raised, and still residing in Milpitas, California, I have been around aquariums since the early 1980s. My mom always had a tank running. When I was a kid, she would drop me off at the local fish store like a babysitter while she ran her errands around town. I met my wife in 1997 while she was working in the fish department at Petsmart. I have been trying to impress her ever since.
I ran an aquarium maintenance service from 1999-2015, teaching me how to work on aquariums on the fly. I have worked at three different stores from 2005 to now. I was the GM of the biggest reef shop in our area for 10 years, being part of many first coral propagations and learning how to farm coral. I worked with a lighting company for 6 years as a representative at trade shows and beta testing (then new) LED technology over coral propagation tanks. I did all of the major trade shows in our country from 2009-2015, showing up to 3-5 shows a year. I am the owner/operator of Infinite Aquarium since 2017.
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