melbournebetta

Thanks Michael,

Shane seemed like a genuine fair guy, and with the industry barking about it as well as consumers/hobbyists - there is more hope.

Let us know if you think there's any appropriate pressures we can pace on the powers that be

-Ness

Wow he's very handsome - what a great VT.... is he from the LFS?

I really like his type (you don't often see really nice VT's) around my local aquariums.

(: Nice pick

Bettaobsessed,

What sort of colour and type are you after ? I know the LFS ladies are super cheap, but unless you're looking to spawn Veil Tails, it might be worth talking to Busman or some of the others with recent spawns about finding a nice HM lady... that could be posted interstate.

(: Got a pic of the boys you'd like to spawn (Assuming you are looking to spawn)!

-Ness

Hey Rhys!

I'm often described as the 'mad scientist' in my house as I always come up with dodgy ways of making things work (they then fall apart promptly) you're quite the handy-man, looks great!

-Ness

Bec,

I hate to do it - yeah yeah the fish look fantastic - but I'm a neddy lover too, and you already ticked two of my favourite equine boxes!

My sister has begged me to get her a Percheron, all's she wants is a big white blaze, a pink nose and 4 hairy legs to brush.

...I'm more Iberian inclined... this is my boy Levante:

Where abouts are your neddies? (I'm out western-district-way)

-Ness

This is gorgeous!

Awwhhh you're making me want to turn the 4ft barrack tank into a beautiful community display tank like this... I love it.

Nice work.

-Ness

Makes perfect sense to go direct, as I mentioned, a uniform order-form that is filled by each breeder could indicate what items on the order have just been delivered, and what are yet to come.

Fortnightly if we were all to express post on an assigned day, there wouldn't be more than 48 hours between all items filling the order.

K. Signing off now... will stalk the thread later when I'm home and the sedatives have kicked in

-Ness

hey... just because I'm completely under-employed; and have time to surf forums and practice my dance moves....

not my fault I get brain-melt by 5pm (knock-off time)

-Ness

I'm happy to gas about it on Thursday at the ASV....

Unfortunately all the business minds are interstate by the looks of things, I just make shiny websites, and shiny fishuz.

-Ness

I see the biggest issue being variety of finnage and colour.

oh, and the "T" word... I have been in denial of it's importance for years - don't make me face it now.

http://www.ato.gov.au/print.asp?doc=/content/22630.htm

TAX

Yeah, and I need to settle down... it's just so EXCITING.. and I get all excited... and and and.........

So far as the Co Op's website - that's the easy bit! The database could be set up with a relatively cheap content management system, and I would be happy to offer my services to set this up and maintain it to a degree.... along with any branding and design elements it might require.

This isn't such a bad idea, even if we set it up as an online ordering system when the importing of our fish becomes impossible...

(like aquabid, without the bid.. it could be aquabuy! - oh, right... relaaaaax)

This way your average punter could order small amounts of fish direct from the breeder, from photos of the ACTUAL fish

....and if the breeder wanted to, you could allow the LFS could purchase larger quantities of fish direct from the breeder at a reduced rate.

mmmmmmmmmaybe.......

If one LFS orders 4 coppers from me, 5 turqs from 'Razzi and 3 Red CT's from Bus, they may all arrive at separate times... so a unified order form would need to be in place so the store knows which of the order he/she has just received, and what's yet to come.

Standardized pricing for certain fish - agreed to upon by Co-op members annually.

As for billing - LFS might not wish to pay each 3 breeders for his hypothetical order of 4 Coppers / 5 Turqs /3 CT - so payments for orders are Pro Forma and paid before the delivery, direct to CO-OP - it then takes it's cut, pays it's slaves and minions, and passes on the payment to breeder.

...just... to save you looking up

tips for other community ventures

Spend plenty of time checking that your business idea is viable. It’s easy to get carried away with the excitement of starting a new co-operative.

Hooray for batch testing !

<_<

@ Busman/Razzi

Fees would need to be in place at some point - in the form of an annual subscription/membership of the Co-Op.

Breeders would need to somehow demonstrate that they can QC their own stock

(By way of photos of EXACT fish people are ordering etc - just means you need to master the MACRO lense on your camera & place codes within the photo so ordering is clear)

Breeders are responsible for the transport of their own fish direct to the LFS who placed the order

Fish that arrive DOA are replaced or refunded

Transport for fish could include personal delivery or Fastaway couriers (interstate/statewide)

If one LFS orders 4 coppers from me, 5 turqs from 'Razzi and 3 Red CT's from Bus, they may all arrive at separate times... so a unified order form would need to be in place so the store knows which of the order he/she has just received, and what's yet to come.

Standardized pricing for certain fish - agreed to upon by Co-op members annually.

As for billing - LFS might not wish to pay each 3 breeders for his hypothetical order of 4 Coppers / 5 Turqs /3 CT - so payments for orders are Pro Forma and paid before the delivery, direct to CO-OP - it then takes it's cut, pays it's slaves and minions, and passes on the payment to breeder.

Seriously... I need to look at a business model... but here are some ideas that might safe-guard the operation.

-Ness

......Minimum order numbers from each breeder would ensure postage costs don't kill the profit (accounted for within the price of each fish)

'Razzi,

It's an exciting prospect, it would be good to have a look at some other co-op business models if we can find them?

I have to agree with Busman, the operation needs a central contact ...and at some point there will have to be an entity or group doing a weekly tally of supply & demand, along with several hours of arranging dispatch and web maintenance.... if this originally is volunteered time once the co-op is established, that is expected, but there would need to be considerations for remuneration at some point...... if it were me, there is a finite amount the goodness of my heart would stretch.

But obviously we'll be making squillions within days - so that shouldn't be an issue.

Research time!

-Ness

To begin with it seems like a Melbourne co-op is a viable start (to get the ball rolling)

I'd be interested in contributing my breeding efforts, as I'm now raising spawns with much higher success rates.... and only wish to keep minimal breeding stock.

Along with various local breeders with a focused specialty, it would be great to pool everyone's national networks, and all of our breeding interests.

Needless to say the batch-testing scare has probably got us all in some state of mild panic.... but this move toward a co-op would be a positive response to the situation we are about to face.

I wonder if a quick poll of what we have currently and what we are interested in breeding towards is worthwhile? (I am considering indulging in a last moment aquabid frenzy to broaden the gene pool and types of betta splenden HM)

As for the co-op; I would be happy to provide a website that allows either a point-of-sale for individual fish, and/or a gallery of the fish that are available for sale via the co-op.... this would also allow each breeder to access his/her own page (password protected) to update what is and isn't available, with images/movies/text.

'Razzi, I will have a bit of a chat with you about this at the ASV meet on Thursday.

-Ness

Devastating Impact is about as under-stated as it gets.

someone, We're all about to be affected by this; and obviously some have more to loose than others, but the big picture is the suffering of the entire hobbyist community when diversity just isn't available.

When are these proposed tests coming into effect? (The previous thread's discussion petered out toward the end of last year...)

Needless to say, if there is anything we can do by way of actively protesting this please let us know.

-Ness

Wow - now thats a happy plant!

(Where's the fishus)

So does "The Ness"

Oh, wait - I'm the only one..... maybe I can be "The Other Melbournebetta" As there's 2 of us.... ahhh that's better - now I feel included.

Is now a bad time to mention I could be a Victorian bettababysitta?

If one of the nice ones falls into my spawning tank I couldn't be held responsible.... sorry about the loss Nanna Jo

-Ness

Rojak - I'm interested in helping you out!

What fancy betta do you have? - have you got photos?

(I'd be interested in HM Splenden)

Maybe you could email me: melbourne.betta@gmail.com

-Ness

He's lovely Sarah - is he SD or HM?

Either way he's quite a stunner - c'mon, secret's out - who's the lucky lady?

-Ness

oOoooOOoooooohhh no, I hadn't heard of pinhole fin rot before, until now.......... and my salamander boy (who has just been placed in the spawning tank for the THIRD time) is showing 3-4 small holes in his anal fin.

GAH - He'll do anything to get out of the spawning tank.

Right - two more days and he's out-a there.

Can spawning stress cause this kind of rot - as well as h2O?

....um, is it unusual when they flower?

The Anubus in my spawning tank has a few flowers.. I didn't know they flowered, much like my favourite flower - arum lilly... ill photograph when the salamanders have finished their domestic

Hey Tobz,

You got the Outrageous red pair from someone - I missed them by a few mins - great selection.

I'll be verrrrry keen to see if you end up spawning that pair - his dorsal is enormous (from memory) and my poor little red lady is lookin' for a new partner.

(: welcome to the forum

-Ness

Sounds fantastic, having grown up in the 80's watching daggy films with internal walls of fish-tank, I have a really great image in my head of the 'perfect house' with glass walls.....

....so much for the fantasy, welcome to the forum, looking forward to seeing how it all goes for you.

(:

-ness