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Hooked to water worlds
Colourful pets.
THIS IS a different world altogether. With its own rules and regulations. And for those who are addicted to aquariums, the attraction might lie in the ability to control this world from the outside.
Talk to any enthusiast who rears fish in his personal aquarium. He will tell you that it all began with an appreciation of the beauty of this watery world. And before you know you end up spending much on fishes and all that they need to live.
`For Rs. 1,000 you can have a fish tank, just big enough to start the hobby. Half of this is spent on the tank itself and other accessories like the air pump and decorations. The rest of course is eaten up by the fish,' says Jose, an ardent enthusiast.
Interestingly, he did not stop with his first tank. He presently has three of them, one costing him more than Rs. 10,000 and another cement tank. `I use these tanks for breeding purposes.'
Even the fishes are not that cheap. To begin with a species like gold fish are fine. They cost only Rs. 2 per pair. But when it comes to rare breeds like Apollo Sharks, which costs Rs. 500 per pair, the hobby takes on an expensive dimension.
Fishy attraction.
`A lot of enquiries are made for rare species like Oscar and Apollo Sharks. But mostly, common ones like gold fish move faster,' says Sanjeev, sales person at Atlanda Aquarium at Palarivattom.
Even imported varieties are available on demand. `But we do not store them. A pair of Bubble-eye Gold or Red Cap Lion Head Gold would cost Rs. 500. They are very delicate,' says C. Ajith of Tropical Aquarium, which is located near the South overbridge.
Mr. Ajith, who was a practicing lawyer before turning fully to this field says he could offer complete fish tanks in the Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000 price range. `What I am really worried about is the water that we get here. We use the water after treating it for three days. Recently, our fish worth about Rs. 8,000 perished due to some change in water quality.'
Those in the industry used to look forward to school vacations, when children would flock the shops. Looking for fishy colours and shapes. After that comes the Onam holidays. But, recently the trend had been changing.
`Among our customers, children constitute less than 30 per cent these days. More and more grown-ups are taking up this hobby seriously. My experience is that people are ready to spend more on quality products, rather than anything colourful,' says Mr. Ajith.
This is one hobby that would take up much of your personal time. Because fishes demand more attention than other pets. For, it is a different world in itself.
By Anand Haridas
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