FEEDING FROZEN
Frozen foods for fish have grown very popular and are about as close as one can get to
feeding live foods. All fish respond enthusiastically to frozen foods, and many folks who
have bred fish use frozen in place of live foods. I raised angelfish on a small commercial
scale, and besides a good dry food, the basic breeders diet was frozen mysis shrimp
and frozen bloodworm.
“Frozen food is such a good seller for us, and [it’s] so good for the customers’ fishes
that we just bought another freezer,” said Jim Reiman, owner of Tropic Waters Pet
Center in Eau Claire, Wis.
Most frozen food manufacturers offer deals in which they provide a new freezer
filled with their frozen foods and the retailer only pays for the food or the freezer. They
also now offer more than just the standard frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp or bloodworms. Elive LLC in Muskego, Wis., offers frozen Food Blends. Its Shrimp Blend includes
brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and spirulina, while its Carnivore Blend includes krill, squid
and clam.
“We have seen increased demand for frozen fish foods,” said Michael Nallen, owner
of Oceans of Pets in Woonsocket, R.I. “While there is such a wide variety of frozen foods
for the marine side of the hobby, sales of frozen brine shrimp, mysis and bloodworm are
significant just for freshwater feeding.”
It now is very easy for hobbyists to provide their fish with proper nutrition.
“Offering any fish a wide variety of dry, freeze-dried and frozen food is beneficial to
its health,” said Phillip Bartoszek, the research and development product manager for
Elive. “Healthy, nonoverfed fish means a more successful fishkeeper and someone who
will enjoy the aquarium hobby for years to come.”
Variety also gives you options to increase sales in this category, but nothing replac-
es excellent customer service.
“To gain customer loyalty, excellent service is indispensable,” said Claus Frenken,
sales manager at Sera North America Inc. in Montgomeryville, Pa. “It is important to
advise the customers in the store precisely.”
To attract customers, industry participants recommend keeping the store clean
and providing a nice-looking, decorative showroom. Many manufacturers provide sem-
inars, sales aids and promotional materials such as guides, booklets, displays, banners,
window stickers and decorative items as well as shelving systems and product samples
for customers.
“Special and interesting varying offers also should bring the customers into the
stores frequently,” Frenken said. “For example, a special promotion that allows an offer
on foods with each purchase of fish.”
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20160113_seraGmbH_petproductnews_USA2.indd 1 13.01.2016 13:34: 56