EP153: West Coast Cichlid Supplies with Brandon Blombquist

The Pond Digger Podcast

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:

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Facebook

TikTok