Are you passionate about aquascaping? Do you enjoy putting together these little ecosystems and designing aquariums in very aesthetic ways? Then you’ve probably wondered if you can get a job as an aquascaper…
There are many different ways you can turn aquascaping into a full-time job. You can take traditional routes like working at a store/aquarium or getting clients and charging a fee to aquascape their aquarium. You can also use non-traditional methods like blogging and social media.
Aquascaping can be so much fun and so rewarding once you’ve finally finished setting up an aquascape. You get this amazing feeling once you’ve turned a vision into a real breathing aquascape in the real world that is indescribable.
And that’s why I completely understand when people start to wonder if they can turn this passion of theirs into an actual career. Below, you’ll understand a bit more in detail about the different methods you can choose to turn this passion into a full-time income.
By far, the non-traditional methods are the popular choice for aspiring aquascapers…
Becoming A Full-Time Aquascaper: Traditional Methods
You can take two traditional methods and a few non-traditional methods that I’ll cover later in this article. And I’m not referring to working at your local petco as turning your passion for aquascaping into a job. We are headed in a different direction with this post.
For now, let’s talk about the two traditional you can try in your local area to turn aquascaping into a career.
Working With A Local Fish Store
Probably the most obvious choice and answer most people will give and think about is… working at your local fish store. This is great if you have a local fish store in your area that you frequently shop at.
Chances are you are already friendly with the staff and owner. If you are, you can ask them if they service any aquariums in the area and/or offer any services to provide clients with setting up, maintaining, and aquascaping their aquariums.
If they do, then you are in luck. I’d speak with them to see if there are any openings available and if you are interested in turning your aquascaping skill into a career.
If you don’t have a preferred local fish store. Then I suggest finding one and trying to get to know them and see if they offer some type of service to clients like I’ve mentioned above.
If they don’t, or you don’t have a local fish store in your area, then your next best bet will be…
Selling Your Aquascaping Skill As A Service
This is going to take a lot more leg work, dedication, patience, and some hard work to get started. But if working with someone with an existing clientele, you can service is not an option for you, then creating your own clientele is your next best bet.
I would personally start out by creating your own portfolio of aquascapes you’ve already created and maintained. No one is going to want to work with you if you have no existing credit. So be sure to have some photos and videos of work you’ve done.
Most people would love to have an amazing-looking aquarium but don’t have the skill, resources, know-how, or time required to build and maintain one. This is where you come in and can offer your services to them.
Next, you can start to reach out to friends or family who might be interested in having an aquascaped aquarium. This is a great way to build your portfolio and testimonials and get referrals.
From there, you can keep relying on referrals or do your own outreach to look for more business. Go to local Facebook groups and advertise your services there. Talk to local businesses, stores, and restaurants and see if they’re interested in setting up an aquascaped aquarium at their place of business.
Now, the issue with these two traditional methods is they revolve around having a local community around you. But what if you live in a small town, or you just can’t find local clients to work with…
That’s where the non-traditional methods come in…
Turning Aquascaping As A Hobby Into A Full-Time Career
With the power of the internet, social media, and other channels, it has never been a better time to turn your passion into a career.
If you don’t know, there are many people who have turned their passions into an online business with the use of the internet. You can literally create a blog about aquascaping like I have and earn a full-time living from it. You can also create social media accounts and create videos on YouTube or TikTok that can turn aquascaping into your job.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to turning a hobby into a career with the power of the internet. Let’s talk about the two most popular channels most people go with. And that is blogging or creating a YouTube channel.
Blogging About Aquascaping
Some may think blogging is dead, but it’s far from it. It is a thriving business model that will stand the test of time… or as long as we have the internet.
What’s great about blogging is you can literally talk about your passion for aquascaping and get paid to do so. How do you get paid? Well, you can simply run ads on your site, promote affiliate products that you use, or get sponsorships and brand deals, to name a few possibilities.
The idea is to create content and articles that will help aspiring aquascapers get started. Share with them how you overcame challenges you’ve faced in aquascaping. Create resources on how to get started and maintain an aquascaped aquarium. Share what products you use to get the results you’ve gotten. Teach others about the different styles of aquascapes they can do and so on…
Basically, you just want to help other people and create great resources that they can use to find success in the aquascaping hobby. In return, you’ll get people visiting your blog.
Now, what if you don’t want to write articles all day long and rather be in front of a camera…
Videos On Aquascapes
Then, starting a YouTube channel on aquascaping might be the better choice for you!
There are plenty of YouTube channels dedicated to aquascaping, aquariums, fishkeeping, etc. And you can be one of them as well!
The idea is the same as blogging, but the format is just video instead of the written word.
Create videos that help with people’s problems within the world of aquascaping. The great thing about aquascaping is that it is very visual and can do really well with YouTube and social media channels.
You can monetize your YouTube channel the same way you would with your blog. With ads, affiliate products, and sponsored content.
And if you are very ambitious and are determined to turn aquascaping into a full-time job/career. You can also create a blog and YouTube channel. And as you grow, you can implement other social media accounts into your business as well!
From there, you can choose to take on clients, create courses, and sell them through your platforms, or even start breeding and selling livestock or plants. The possibilities are endless.
Conclusion To The Question: Can Aquascaping Be A Job
The obvious answer to this question is yes! Of course, aquascaping can become a job if you want it to be!
And you have so many different possibilities and options in this day and age. You have the option to work with an existing fish shop that sets up aquascapes for clients, or you can even start offering this service yourself to the people around your local area.
If that’s not the route you want to take, don’t worry. You have plenty of other options to choose from.
You can create content about aquascaping and start a blog or YouTube channel in order to make a living that way. Chances are this is what most people want to do when they think about turning aquascaping into a job.
I mean, it’s what I’ve done, so I definitely understand you!
And if you do choose to go with the content creation route, I wish you the best of luck! I know you’ll be able to do it if you stick to it and stay persistent! And if you ever want to collaborate, don’t hesitate to reach out!