Page 211 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

in and say ‘Alice has a tummy ache,’ or ‘Henry died.’ Their parents took up
the idea and laughed about it. When ‘Alice’ or ‘Henry’ passed out, I wouldn’t
know what type fish it was, so to make sure, I’d go over to their homes to see
the fish before replacing it. This gave me an opportunity to explain the proper
care of fish to the mothers and fathers of the children, and to point out the
decorative possibilities of the more expensive fish. Soon I was getting calls
for tropicals that ran into money. Many of the species ordered were hard to
get. Furthermore, I did not have even those tropical fish that were easily
obtained. I had acquired some colored photographs of tropicals during the
previous months, and carried them with me, showing them to the parents.
These contacts proved valuable. As the average person knows little about fish
and their care, I took this opportunity to explain how the fish should be
handled. Few at first were ready to buy, stating that they had little luck with
fish. So I adopted the policy of guaranteeing every fish, from the lowest-
priced Guppi, to the highest-priced Angel or Scalare in the shop. In each
interview, in addition to telling how fish should be raised, I emphasized the
fact that tropical fish of most varieties will really live for many years, if cared
for properly.

“I interested the neighborhood in tropicals as a feature of home decoration.
To add to the species I had in the store, I bought some Red Helleri, Silver
Tetra, Blue Gularis, Red Platy, Blue Gourami, twenty varieties of the Angel
or Scalare which retail from fifty cents to fifty dollars each, Calico Cichlidae
and many others. When a man wanted to place a beautiful aquarium in his
living room, I was able to show him a good assortment from which he could
make selections. The buyer seldom wants a common fish when he is
convinced tropicals will live. He will not hesitate to buy rare varieties, after
he starts an aquarium, and buys them as readily as he buys a new chair. The
advertising value of having in stock rare tropicals which sell from fifteen to a
hundred dollars a pair, is incalculable. Even if I never sold one, I’d think they
were well worth keeping on display in the store. They do not cost me much
more than the Guppi to raise, and bring very high prices.

“Different kinds of fish require different kinds of water. Water is conditioned
by plant life growing in the aquarium. Most races of tropical fish require
tropical marine fauna, and because I’m one of the few dealers in my city