Aquariums and everything after :)

I used to keep fish for a number of years .... eight to be precise. I began by creating aquariums in small plastic containers and then had a bigger 4' by 2' glass aquarium complete with 4 inches of river sand, Amazonian water plants, Valliseneria, etc. and finally a much larger concrete tank outdoors which was home to several small varieties, totalling 25 pairs in all. Yes, I was pretty serious about it all back them.

I kept commonly available fish ... everything from Gouramis, Black Moors, Goldfish, Black, Silver, & White Mollies, Siamese Fighters, Angelfish, Tiger Barbs and several others. Given how beautiful they are, its not difficult to see why its a hobby that can consume you.

Blue Gourami

Common Gold fish

Black Molly (one of the hardiest freshwater species)

I have to say it was a very rewarding hobby ... creating an ecosystem was one thing and maintaining it was quite another. Those were school days, and I did have enough time nevertheless which made it all possible. Also, the peace that ornamental aquatic life forms, both plants and fish exude is simply inexplicable. No wonder they are such a huge Feng Sheui draw.


I mentioned that I also had a concrete tank I had built which housed most of these wonders for several years. To my utter surprise and elation, I once found that my Guppies had even bred in captivity ... I can't quite compare it to anything ... but for those of you who invest in equities, this was the equivalent of buying a fund or a stock for a small amount, forgetting all about it and realizing a few years later that the investment had turned a tidy profit of 45% or so ... the market value may still be quite small, but it constituted a pleasant surprise nevertheless.


However, despite my best efforts, I was unable to prolong the lives of most of the fish that I kept ... some did better than others, but despite my acquired skills of giving them antibiotic washes and curing their fins of fungal diseases with salt water immersions, it just didn't work very well. As with most things in life, there is an expiry date to interest, and it finally waned, causing me to give up on the hobby as I began my Engineering studies.


I realized back then that the odds were always stacked against a home aquarium, and against captive life in general. Fish are extremely temperamental and will not survive unless they have acres of space and sufficient change, not to mention regular changes in food types. Hobbyists may create change with new foliage and by the introduction of friendly fish, not to mention landscaping (or waterscaping) the aquarium with more light, plenty of hiding places and eventually much much larger tanks, but boredom catches on in a contained environment. In that sense, fish are no different from humans... lock someone up, mentally or physically, and they will lose the will to be happy and to live. Indeed, the will to live and be happy is an organism in itself.


Nevertheless, pigments of those fishkeeping memories remained and I never missed the opportunity to stare that these beautiful wonders at aquarium stores where I could find them. I spend hours at the Koi pond at Changi when I am in transit and wonder at the beautiful healthy Koi, and also hope that the caretakers take them out to larger ponds from time to time.


The economics of the industry in India are not very encouraging. Given the amount of effort involved, aquariums never catch on, and aquarium stores therefore are few and do not thrive.

I was therefore intrigued when I noticed that someone had setup a small aquarium store selling freshwater fish close to my house. Oddly, I never went into this one .... it was small, did not sell plants or clean sand or filters and pumps, communicating an immaturity about the business itself.


It was quite clear that this guy would go out of business. One only wondered what he would sell there instead.


This evening, I took a walk and happened to go past the same store... and yes, there was a new store there ..... he was no longer selling live beautiful aquarium fish .... he was selling large dead ones to end up in someone kitchen and not the living room.


I guess the business had found its depth .... literally! The prospects of this business are definitely more promising, the fish may be dead, but the business will live :)