not be good business practice for the vendors?
Likewise, in the aquarium section, many traders
operate just a small bank of tanks, into which they
routinely cram thousands of fish, so that they can
hardly move. The difference being the fish, in
general, look in remarkably good condition, and the
water is always crystal clear. I remarked on this
apparent paradox when I met up with some
Australian aquarists and we agreed that the only way
Below left: many vendors of aquarium fish operate just a
small bank of tanks, which are crammed full of fish.
Above: bizarre pink and green frogs are produced using
lasers, or by injecting the unfortunate creatures with
industrial dyes.
Left: the practice of painting garish designs on baby turtles’
shells has been condemned on Chinese social media.
Below: turtles are simply presented en masse in plastic
tubs.
All images by John McGrath unless otherwise noted.
they could maintain this environment was by
not feeding the fish and by conducting large
daily water changes. The fish did not look
underfed, which led me to conclude that there
must be a very rapid turnover, although this
was not evident on the occasions when I was
present.
This place is fascinating for anyone with even a
casual interest in aquarium fish. Predictably,
there are thousands of koi carp, arowanas,
flowerhorns and blood parrots, but there are
also freshwater stingrays, huge gars, Tiger
Shovelnose Catfish and Redtail Catfish to name
but a few. There is also a whole aisle devoted to stalls
which manufacture miniature aquatic ‘gardens’ attached
to driftwood (the entire area is rigged with elaborate
misting systems), and there a number of shops that
specialise in beautiful aquascaping. Thankfully, I did not
spot any live fish or turtles sold as keyrings, but a number
of stalls were selling bright pink and green frogs, which
are produced by bombarding the unfortunate
creatures with lasers, or injecting them with industrial
dyes. There were also baby turtles with garish designs
painted onto their shells; a practice which has been
roundly condemned on Chinese social media in what is
probably indicative of changing attitudes.