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Differences in the hobby by county


Schuyler
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A few days ago someone mentioned The Aquarist Podcast so I checked it out. There was an episode Randy and Cory talk about how the hobby is different outside the US.

They talked about hobbyists in Germany having very specific niches, China having way more selection and heavily stocked tanks, and Japan's stores being immaculate.

Based on MD Fishtank and George Farmer videos it seems like the UK has a lot more aquascaping materials available. Keeping Fish Simple makes it seem like it's tricky to get a some common types of fish in Australia.

There are at least a few people outside the US here and maybe some people who have lived in other countries.

Differences you've seen?

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Good topic, we discussed it also on other forums and let me tell you, US guys weep when they see the selection available in Europe. I am from czech republic, and except very few specific wild caught fish for which i am just waiting for (like the armored stickleback), i can get any fish, most of them europe bread, and used to our water parameters. Heck in the main city we have two fish fairs every weekend on opposite sides of the city with at least 10 sellers just for fish, mostly discuss, angels, african cichlids and or wild species of live-bearers. Live food sold from buckets, people going crazy with the variety they offer their fish. Ofcourse makes me sad that most beginner hobbyist still go the most boring way of fish soups, guppy's everywhere or neons, every tank must have a small group of sad neons in it. 

I myself should be getting some clown killifish on sundays fair so am excited🙂

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Nice topic!

I'm Turkish. As I follow numerous youtube channels and forums, I'd like to mention some differences I see.

1- We have so many EU(mainly German) and Asian brands available, but finding some brands and products that are common in US is basically impossible. Some that are easy to name are API, Fluval, etc. Meanwhile the products of Seachem are commonly available and mostly affordable.

2-The most common problem I personally face is finding test kits, especially liquid ones. The only ones I can find for liquid test kits are Sera and JBL. They are both good brands. But there is no complete set available which covers the basics like API Master kit. Also the only test strips that are available are Tetra 6in1 and JBL easy/proscape. The problem is, all of them are imported, and they are mostly expensive. Especially the ammonia test kit. 

3- We tend to buy our stuff like aquariums from reputable craftsman in this aquarium sector for years rather than going to an lfs and buying a well-known brand. We like to visit the store, drink a tea/coffee, have some conversation first. Building communication and trust comes first. You decide on what you want to purchase/to be designed and made afterwards. It is almost always cheaper to buy stuff handmade not to mention, and well known reputators provide like 15 yrs of guarantee lol. You can knock on their door whenever you need some help.

4- Medicine. It is really hard to follow up to quarantine trio, aquarium salt dosages, or any sort of medicines as mostly forums are either Us or UK based online. We either dont have them, or under different names/brands. At least we commonly have Seachem products which is reputable.

5- People mostly build their own DIY CO2 systems at home. I know it does not provide a stable level of dosing compared to a mechanical system. But I've seen really good results.

6- We really should learn that methlyn blue is some sort of a last call or has a very specific use. So people use it as the first source of treatment sometimes. Like ich.

7- We have so many live stock and aquascaping options, as we are in the center of both Europe and Asia, and we already have lots available in our country anyway.

Edit:

8- Some species that are mostly wild caught but seemed very commonly are never available here. Like amano shrimps for example. Idk why.

9- We label fish species under weird names somehow. Like Yellow lab cichlids are "yellow princess", ottos are "small plecos", corycats are "trash collectors", borneos/hillstreams are "butterfly pleco" and so on.

Edited by Lennie
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On 1/27/2023 at 9:55 AM, beastie said:

Heck in the main city we have two fish fairs every weekend on opposite sides of the city

What!? Local fish clubs here are like 1-2 hours away for me and they do maybe a monthly gathering and a bi-yearly auction.

Yeah, I'm jealous!

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On 1/27/2023 at 6:55 PM, beastie said:

Good topic, we discussed it also on other forums and let me tell you, US guys weep when they see the selection available in Europe.

And us Swiss drool at the sight of Aquarium Co-Ops website!
I find that the plant scene in Japan is first class, along with (duh! 😏) their koi selection. Ruinemans Aquarium in the Netherlands would be my dream place to take a tour of…the things one could see! The Swiss aquarium scene leaves a lot to wish for, especially because crayfish and most snails are illegal, but all in all if I lusted after a specific kind of fish I could get it. 
What really interests me is the aquarium scene in (Dubai excepted) the Arabian world. 

Nice idea for a topic @Schuyler

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