Today, Eric dives into the colorful world of cichlids with guest Brandon Blombquist. Brandon is the owner of West Coast Cichlid Supplies, a cichlid breeding and sales business in Southern California. Brandon shares how he turned his longtime hobby for cichlid into a thriving business.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Story of how Eric and Brandon met

• Why Brandon decided to pursue cichlids as a business instead of just a hobby

• Brandon's experience of buying his first cichlid breeder stock

• Orange blotch peacock cichlids could breed with many other species

• Eric and Brandon's approaches to cichlid keeping

• Brandon's journey of organically growing his Instagram following

• The difference in audience for aquariums vs ponds in social media

• Choosing which cichlid species to breed from Lake Malawi and Tanganyika

• Brandon's process of researching and studying to learn about cichlid

• Story of Brandon's daughter Mia's passion for the fish business at just 10 years old

• Brandon's new 2,400-square-foot fish room

• Sales and marketing strategies for a fish-related business

• How focusing on colorful cichlids attracts people looking for challenging fish species

• How having a PetSmart location nearby can help people get interested in fish hobby

Mentioned:

West Coast Cichlid Supply LLC Website

West Coast Cichlid Supply LLC (@westcoastcichlidsupply) on Instagram

West coast cichlid supply on Facebook

(@westcoastcichlidsupply) on TikTok

Links to resources:

Book A Call With Triplett: Call with Triplett

The Pond Digger - https://theponddigger.com/

You can also check out The Pond Digger's products at:

http://helixpondfiltration.com/

TWT Contractor Circle

TWT Contractor Power Circle

And follow his adventures in the pond world at:

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok