I wanted to write this post since a long time. Note: It may be slightly boring to read.
I had an aquarium (6 gallon) for the first time aroung 6-7 years ago. Back then, I was only 12, so I didn't know much about fish. My dad used to take care of the tank. Even he didn't know much about aquariums back then
So basically, we were a bunch of noobs, taking help from our LFS all the time. We kept this tank for more than 2 years, until finally my dad decided to stop the tank. He got tired of maintaining it.
Two years ago, I started this tank again, after convincing my dad that I would take care of it myself. I had already learnt a little during my earlier adventure with the tank. But now, things were different. I had the internet. So one fine day, when one of my fish fell sick, I decided to google the symptoms, and I found that all my fish had white-spot. Unfortunately, I couldn't deal with it, and all my fish died
But I didn't give up. I kept on looking for info on the net. I learnt a lot of things, like the nitrogen cycle, various tyes of filteration, etc.
After a few weeks, I got myself a bigger tank (23 gallon), and I started a community tank. I decided to get myself a water testing kit: pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, the whole thing...
I went to my LFS and asked for it. To my surprise, the guy didn't understand what I was saying. He has completely clueless of what a "testing kit" is!!
India has faced a technology lag for many years. Now, the lag is no more, we have made good progress. However, there are two things that still lag in India. One is Internet connectivity, and the other, Aquarium equipment.
I roamed throughout Bombay, and found no fish shop that sold water testing kits. Desperate, I decided to pay the main chemical market a visit. I found a industrial pH testing kit over there, and thats all.
The situation here is pathetic. People dont know anything about aquariums. They think its like making a bowl of cornflakes: Take tank, put water, put fish. There are no good filters available. No bio-wheel, no good plants (just amazon, banana plant, some floating plants, and thats all)
A month ago, siphoning tubes became popular. And they started selling freeze dried bloodworms, and some better varietes of food. If you go and ask for stuff like R.O water, Java Moss, brine shrimp, Infusoria, the LFS guy will stare at you as if you are speaking a foreign language.
People here have enough money to spend, and people dont mind being educated. Its just that things aren't available in the market. I blame the fish-shops for this. The moment something new comes into the market, people DO buy it. People DO want their fish to live for years, and not just a few months. People want to cure their fish when they are sick.
So if any fish-shop owner in Bombay is reading this, PLEASE IMPORT. If any entrepreneur is reading things: PLEASE MANUFACTURE.
Note: India is not a bad country and Bombay is not hell in other respects.
I had an aquarium (6 gallon) for the first time aroung 6-7 years ago. Back then, I was only 12, so I didn't know much about fish. My dad used to take care of the tank. Even he didn't know much about aquariums back then
So basically, we were a bunch of noobs, taking help from our LFS all the time. We kept this tank for more than 2 years, until finally my dad decided to stop the tank. He got tired of maintaining it.Two years ago, I started this tank again, after convincing my dad that I would take care of it myself. I had already learnt a little during my earlier adventure with the tank. But now, things were different. I had the internet. So one fine day, when one of my fish fell sick, I decided to google the symptoms, and I found that all my fish had white-spot. Unfortunately, I couldn't deal with it, and all my fish died
But I didn't give up. I kept on looking for info on the net. I learnt a lot of things, like the nitrogen cycle, various tyes of filteration, etc.
After a few weeks, I got myself a bigger tank (23 gallon), and I started a community tank. I decided to get myself a water testing kit: pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, the whole thing...
I went to my LFS and asked for it. To my surprise, the guy didn't understand what I was saying. He has completely clueless of what a "testing kit" is!!
India has faced a technology lag for many years. Now, the lag is no more, we have made good progress. However, there are two things that still lag in India. One is Internet connectivity, and the other, Aquarium equipment.
I roamed throughout Bombay, and found no fish shop that sold water testing kits. Desperate, I decided to pay the main chemical market a visit. I found a industrial pH testing kit over there, and thats all.
The situation here is pathetic. People dont know anything about aquariums. They think its like making a bowl of cornflakes: Take tank, put water, put fish. There are no good filters available. No bio-wheel, no good plants (just amazon, banana plant, some floating plants, and thats all)
A month ago, siphoning tubes became popular. And they started selling freeze dried bloodworms, and some better varietes of food. If you go and ask for stuff like R.O water, Java Moss, brine shrimp, Infusoria, the LFS guy will stare at you as if you are speaking a foreign language.
People here have enough money to spend, and people dont mind being educated. Its just that things aren't available in the market. I blame the fish-shops for this. The moment something new comes into the market, people DO buy it. People DO want their fish to live for years, and not just a few months. People want to cure their fish when they are sick.
So if any fish-shop owner in Bombay is reading this, PLEASE IMPORT. If any entrepreneur is reading things: PLEASE MANUFACTURE.
Note: India is not a bad country and Bombay is not hell in other respects.
. However, my neighbour has a very large outdoor pond, and is a koi importer and exporter. He is also very rich, both financially and in knowledge. He has given me a few tips more than once, and they have always been pretty good. However, he still doesn't believe in testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Both him and me have been doing this without testing all that, and there haven't been any ammonia poisoning cases or anything like that.
