Selling “Fighting” Fish by Mail

 

Selling “Fighting” Fish by Mail 

    WHEN Bill Klaiber, of San Francisco, took up the hobby of breeding Siamese fighting fish and other tropical varieties, he little realized he was starting what has since turned out to be a “national” fish business. Bill’s regular job is a glass worker for a paint manufacturer. He began raising tropical fish three years ago, having bought some fish from a friend who was going out of business. As usual, Bill delved deeply into his subject, reading everything he could find; even buying expensive books unobtainable in the library. He applied what he read and added constantly to his stock. Fanciers heard of his fine collection and came to buy. Bill Klaiber was amazed at the marketing possibilities and the eagerness of people to secure a coveted specimen. So he became a dealer as well as a fancier before many months passed. He had made contact with seamen to secure rare fish for him when they went inland for fresh water in the tropics. Today he maintains tanks on a number of boats that reach the tropics, paying seamen to look after his interests. When an opportunity came three months ago to buy a small hatchery complete, Bill moved his outfit to a larger store which he remodeled and called “Kay’s Aquarium.” His wife spends part of each day there and he keeps open evenings and Sundays. There’s a tropical atmosphere about Kay’s Aquarium. Innumerable tiny fish, streaks of iridescence and brilliant color, dart about in small tanks. Aquatic plants furnish both oxygen and decoration. Caring for the fish is easy. The real work is in breeding, but therein lies its fascination. It means time and patience and often disappointment, but Bill Klaiber never tires of hybridizing and trying for perfect specimens. Some species, such as the Scalare, are particularly difficult to handle. “These fellows,” he explains, “won’t marry unless the bride pleases them and it takes finesse and many females to induce them to become breeders.” The fact is that Bill is one of the two or three fanciers in town who have succeeded in making benedicts out of the Scalare. Another rare specimen deposits its orange colored eggs in an even row on a long reed, and the male and female “spell” one another guarding the eggs and foraging for food. The Betta or Siamese fighting fish, in which he specializes, are kept singly in mayonnaise jars because if placed together they would fight each other to the death. In Siam, Bettas are used for gambling, and fortunes have been won or lost on the outcome of staged battles. The little savage is correspondingly tender in courtship, however, guarding the fertilized spawn against would-be devourers, including its erstwhile mate. Volumes might be written about the tiny tank dwellers. Bill’s initial stock of thirty that cost him two dollars has increased to several hundreds. He receives orders from Texas, the Middle West—even Canada, and his weekly profit sometimes exceeds his salary. How does he get his trade? News, of course, travels fast among fanciers and much of his new business comes from friends of old customers. One reason for his success is his practice of selling only healthy stock. He believes that while “sluffing off” sickly fish is easy, it is a foolish thing to do. Another reason for his success is because he sets up the aquarium, if desired, keeps in touch with customers, and gives the buyer help whenever he can. A map in his outer room illustrates his thoroughness. Patiently he worked out a list of tropical fish and their habitats. On a map of the world he printed the names of various fish in the section where they are to be found. The map, besides being informative, is an aid in selecting stock.