FISH ARE WONDERFUL PETS for many people.
Some see them as less complicated than dogs or cats, providing a beautiful, serene addition to a home.
Aquatic pet and equipment stores have developed into a competitive business as people fall in love with ever more exotic fish for their aquariums and ponds.
Jason Carmichael is the team leader of Ace Aquatics, a 15-year-old company that deals with aquariums, ponds, fish and all things related. He has seen changes through the years.
“When we first started, we had to convince people salt water fish could be kept at home but these days people are requesting them,”he told Street Beat as he performed maintenance on a pond at a client’s home.
Marine biologist Mitchel Hird effectively showcases how far things have moved on since those simple goldfish days with his specialty, Japanese koi fish, at Select Nishikigoi Caribbean at Balls Plantation, Christ Church, next to the former Ocean Park.
Koi varieties are distinguished by colouration and patterning. Some of the major colours are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
Hird does not deal with just any koi as he is intricately involved in the breeding of the fish. He said there were scores of varieties of koi and it was a huge business overseas. In fact, he actually travels to Japan to source fish and imports them to his fish farm and laboratory.
“We offer services from filtration equipment, pumps and nets and we also have a fish health lab so we can accurately diagnose fish diseases. In truth, it is not so much looking after the fish than it is looking after the water,” he said.
Hird said they offered many varieties of koi ranging in price from $80 up to $5 000. This was still cheap in comparison to the huge prices some koi fetched overseas, he said, although he admitted that was “the crazy end” of the business involving those with more money than they knew what to do with.
In Barbados, he said awareness was growing as people may have started with a mild interest in goldfish but gradually increased their knowledge, which was why it was so important for people like him to offer support.
Hird said that in order to get people to appreciate the difference between regular koi and the specialised varieties, he first needed to get them to his operation and that was something he was working on.
To keep fish as pets, you’ll likely have an aquarium or a pond and businesses have also sprung up to deal with the upkeep of these facilities.
“When it comes to the pond business, there is a lot more competition now,” Carmichael said.
It is a challenge that he relishes.
“Competition is part of business,” he said. “It is not bad because it keeps you on your toes and keeps you humble because it reminds you your clients have chosen you. Plus, you can’t possibly service every tank and pond out there anyway.”
Carmichael said they provided equipment and fish – fresh and salt water – and conducted pond installation and maintenance – from small fishbowls to lakes – as well as provided consultation, sometimes with the help of other entities.
“There are so many different pieces of equipment for different types of installations and clientele, it is impossible to do everything yourself so I deal with a few organisations to source stuff,” he said.
“I think it’s a trap some small businesses fall into – when they believe they can do everything themselves. That only isolates them,” he said.
At Pumps & Mechanical Services Company Limited in The Garden, St James, it is all about the water. While they do work with people who install aquarium pumps and work in pond maintenance, managing director Bruce Greenidge said their business was mostly focused on swimming pools.
“My involvement is with pumps, filtration systems and UV sterilisation as well as infrastructure. Our main interest is in swimming pools, which earns the most revenue,” he said.