Sharks, rays and koi, oh my! N.J. teen turns passion into a business selling undersea creatures. - NJ.com

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Sharks, rays and koi, oh my! N.J. teen turns passion into a business selling undersea creatures. - NJ.com Posted: 07 Oct 2020 05:30 AM PDT Behind an unassuming storefront in Flemington lurks an underwater paradise filled with rare fish, coral, even stingrays and sharks. FirstChoice Aquatics, located at 174 Route 31, opened its doors to the public on Oct. 1. As his last name may suggests, Randy Fisher, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School, is the store's founder. Sandwiched between two other businesses, the 1,650-square-foot space is full of tanks, including a large floor tank, replete with different and rare kinds of freshwater and saltwater fish. These creatures, sourced from farms and aquaculturists, swim around the store in rows of tanks and a large pool. Approximately 300 fish can be found swimming throughout the store, although this number will increase to between 1,500 and 2,000 once the business reaches full capacity. Beyond the store, one of the highlights of FirstChoice Aquatics can be found right in its owner's backyard. Koi fish imported from Japan and ranging from $50 to $5,000 in price are kept in a 12,000-gallon pond at Randy's home in Flemington, "a hands-on, classy buying experience" for customers to enjoy at $100 per head, he said. "You can sit, relax and eat — we'll have beverages and food — as well as feed the different koi, for about 90 minutes. And buy the koi as well," Randy said. Randy Fisher opened a unique exotic fish store in Flemington that features an over-the-top 12,000 gallon koi pond at his house.Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Fisher is also in the process of establishing a tank showroom, from which customers can directly purchase tanks filled with vegetation or coral reefs, as well as various types of fish. "You can buy the tank setup itself, so everything you see and you can just take home and plug in yourself," Randy explained. Creatures sold at FirstChoice Aquatics include common fish like guppies that cost as little as $1.99 to rare breeds like Albino Arowanas or Gemmatum Tangs that are sold for as much as $1,500. Fisher also sells sharks and stingrays that are worth up to $1,200. The specimens are shipped in from breeders and facilities from all over the world, from California and Florida to exotic locations like Fiji, Bali, and Indonesia. Facilities where fresh and saltwater fish are purchased include Underwater World, Merit Imports and Sea Dwelling Creatures. FirstChoice Aquatics also specializes in the maintenance of ponds and fish tanks at both residential and commercial locations, Fisher said. "Most people who have the fish tanks, they come in and they just say they don't want the fish tank anymore because they're tired of all the hassle and problems," Randy said. "But I make that easy for most people, and people ... are normally very, very happy with the business and maintenance that I do." Randy Fisher opened a unique exotic fish store in Flemington that features an over-the-top 12,000 gallon koi pond at his house.Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com He also takes requests from customers to help them acquire the fish or sea creatures they are searching for. "I can really get anything for anybody. All they really have to do is just ask — and I can pretty much have it in days," Fisher said. Fisher, who runs the store with his mother Peggy and father Randolph II, ensured that his practice is environmentally safe in nature. He referenced his methods for accumulating coral reefs from various facilities as an example of one of his many connections that seeks to preserve threatened environments around the world. "In the coral community, almost 60% of all corals are actually (cultivated) at facilities ... So they're not taking from the ocean," Randy explained. "People have learned with the equipment that's out now to really grow big colonies, and then they frag off little pieces that people trade, and that's how it became the big hobby that it is now." While the opening of his store signifies a new milestone for him, it does not mark the opening of an all-together new operation. Fisher launched FirstChoice Aquatics as an online business in the summer of 2019, through which he acquired and sold fish from around the globe. The online business has been temporarily shut down so he can prioritize the storefront location, but will reopen again in the near future. According to Fisher, the passion he developed for the seas and fish as a scuba diver and world traveler inspired him to establish FirstChoice Aquatics while juggling his other role as a full time high school student. "I love the underwater world and I want to bring a platform to the public for people to enjoy it, especially since those people have never seen the coral reefs and aquatic life below like I have. And you can't top it," he said. Fisher originally planned to attend the University of Tampa this fall to study marine biology, but decided that opening a business instead would "really benefit (him) in the long run" — particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic. "After looking at what I've been doing and working at different pet stores and pond stores and fish stores, I realized you don't need to pay $120,000 when I had the experience ... right from businesses locally who are successful in doing the same thing I am looking to do," Fisher said. "If I did go to school, I would probably be attending (remotely) instead of doing a four-year school. And it really didn't make sense just to sit at my home, in my bedroom, doing online school." He developed his passion for sea life by working at stores including Fitz's Fish Ponds, which has locations in Fairfield, Green Brook and Milford. Brian Fitzsimmons, owner of Fitz's Fish Ponds and mentor to Fisher, said he is "really excited" for his former employee to thrive in his new business. "He's a really hard worker and decided at a young age he wanted to be his own boss," Fitzsimmons said. Randy Fisher opened a unique exotic fish store in Flemington that features an over-the-top 12,000 gallon koi pond at his house.Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Fitzsimmons travels to Japan twice a year to purchase koi fish from various breeding farms, which he in turn sells to customers including Randy. The fish are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prior to being distributed by the business. "I don't really treat Randy as competition; I treat him more as another customer," Fitzsimmons said. Although he may not be viewed as a competitor to Fitzsimmons, Fisher has already proven himself to be a skillful entrepreneur. According to Fisher, FirstChoice Aquatics accumulated approximately $7,000 in profit after launching online just over one year ago. Nonetheless, the young businessman's goals for FirstChoice Aquatics extend beyond its financial success. "I have probably over 4,500 gallons of water of specimens that people can choose from, as well as ... about a 2,500 gallon touch tank of sharks and stingrays that I'm actually going to use for educational purposes for young children for birthday parties as well as maybe school trips," he said. "I really want to promote conservation to young children so they understand, and hopefully we can start rebooting the oceans, as they've been starting to die." Randy Fisher opened a unique exotic fish store in Flemington that features an over-the-top 12,000 gallon koi pond at his house.Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com According to Peggy, the store owner is more than well prepared to educate anyone who walks through the doors of FirstChoice Aquatics. "Randy at 18 years old has more knowledge than anybody would, and I would like for that to be the success for him," Peggy said. "That they come here, they know someone knows what they're doing, and that could be very helpful to them having an enjoyable experience. "To be an entrepreneur at such a young age is just phenomenal," she added. "We want for our son nothing but success." Chris Phelan, president of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, expressed his support for Randy's business. "The chamber and myself are always excited when we see a new business open, but to see someone who was one of our 'Amazing Kids in Business' take the next step to the next level and expand his business to a retail location here in Hunterdon County, is a very exciting thing," Phelan said. "This has been a very challenging year for all businesses throughout the region, throughout the county, especially our small businesses ... so to see somebody young like Randy aspiring to continue to build and grow his business, especially in these times — I give him tremendous kudos." And while the idea and execution of FirstChoice Aquatics belongs to Fisher, he labeled his primary goal to be making the store for everyone else. "FirstChoice Aquatics, in my eyes, is just a way for people to connect through fish and live animals, and have a Zen experience that relates them back to the ocean but they don't really have to go to the aquarium or pay large fees to go and fly to these places or drive," he said. "They can just have it in their own house, and it can be theirs and unique to them." FirstChoice Aquatics is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Hours for the store vary and can be found online. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com

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