Progress towards the opening of the new fish hobby store, Tankquility Aquariums at 1207 Main, Great Bend, is going swimmingly. Passionate fish hobbyist Brad Fanshier will soon to be introducing many in Great Bend to the hobby of fishkeeping. His business will be selling freshwater fish, tanks, filters, food, medicine, and chemicals.
Fanshier plans to have the store open in the early summer and intends to start an aquarium club to help cultivate enthusiasts within the community.
Fanshier has wanted to open up a fish hobby store since working at a pet store in Manhattan. After moving back to central Kansas five years ago, he decided to take the plunge.
“A little over a year ago, now, I took Economic Development’s entrepreneur class,” Fanshier said. “And I thought, ‘you know, I can do this.’
“It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing. I don’t know anybody in town that has an aquarium. Well, where would they (get one)? If they did, they’ve got to go to Hutch or Salina or Wichita to get the stuff,” Fanshier said.
“I’m looking forward to introducing those fish to folks because they hear aquariums, they think, guppies, betas, mollies, and goldfish, you know. There’s literally thousands of different species of fish out there. They’re all pretty fascinating,” Fanshier said.
Fanshier is also looking to add saltwater fish and their necessities, at some point, after the store launches. He said he wants to provide a wide variety of fish for customers to choose from.
Fanshier has taken up the task of many heavy renovations while working on a tight budget to get the store ready for its launch. He spends his evenings, alongside help from family and friends, redoing the floors, building shelves, and getting the many fishtanks ready for the coming opening of the store.
He has an ocean of passion for the hobby of fishkeeping and breeding. He’s loved fish as long as he can remember, and has bred and sold angelfish on the side for many years.
“I think at my high point, as far as my home setup, I had 52 or 53 tanks running in my basement,” Fanshier said. “It’s always been a decent percentage of my life.”
For now, “I’m really gonna focus on the fish first,” Fanshier said. “We’ll consider expanding into other things, but I’m going to focus on the fish first.”
