Japanese shop stocklist

[Marc van Arc]

Nice pictures, healthy fish, great stocklist - although a lot seems to be sold out (?).
Have a look.


http://aqua-bonito.web.infoseek.co.jp/index.html

[drpleco]

The peacock bass breeding page is amazing! I wouldn't have guessed that they could be bred in a bare tank.

[jimoo]

Some great pictures, they have one of my favorites: Goeldiella eques

I've not seen Paulicea lutkens before, but I'll need to look into that one...

[Richard B]

I've not seen Paulicea lutkens before, but I'll need to look into that one...

I used to have one, it is currently

Zungaro zungaro

- far too big to be kept really - quite a tenacious little fish at a foot long with a rough bite

[Mod edit: Fix quotes...]

[Richard B]

Even though there's no synos, i was enjoying scrolling down until i came across the TSN x O Niger hybrid

[jimoo]

I used to have one, it is currently

Zungaro zungaro

- far too big to be kept really - quite a tenacious little fish at a foot long with a rough bite

Ah, quite large and much prettier as a juvenile. Will pass! (not that I even have any more room for a Cory).

[andywoolloo]

incredible pictures. thanks for sharing .

[cochito]

If any of you visit Japan, let's swing by there !
Peace!

[wabluska]

Have a look at their wood guys...some nice pieces there

[andywoolloo]

yeah , really nice!

and the beautiful black catfish, Asterophysus batrachus, so very beautiful! I will have to find him on this site and research him.

And did you see the goldfish! (drool)

How come when you click on food it shows all goldfish? Do they not have food like in tabs and pellets? I am confused with that.

[racoll]

How come when you click on food it shows all goldfish? Do they not have food like in tabs and pellets? I am confused with that.

I hate to break this to you andywoollo, but the goldfish are the food!

Almost all the fishes depicted on that site are very predatory and many grow enormous.

I questions the ethics of selling these creatures, as I am sure there are very few aquarists with the means to keep them long term.

I would guess there are even fewer people able to do this in Japan, the country being so space limited as it is.

[andywoolloo]

yes, i figured they were for feeding other fish, but I mean, it's the only food they list , at all. couldn't they eat like Hikari massivore tabs or carnivore tabs? do they only feed real fish to other fish in Japan? And it was a bit sad to see all those goldfish listed as food I admit.

I was also curious how rich they must be to be able to have big enough tanks for all those fish.

[cochito]

yes, i figured they were for feeding other fish, but I mean, it's the only food they list , at all. couldn't they eat like Hikari massivore tabs or carnivore tabs? do they only feed real fish to other fish in Japan? And it was a bit sad to see all those goldfish listed as food I admit.

Well, I hate to admit, but I've fed gold fish to my Silurus asotus before, although I was giving many other food sources including Hikari. Unfortunately, you have to give them some live food to carnivorous species occasionally even if you usually feed them Hikari tablets. Many feed them Hikari, but some fish can't be trained to eat processed food, so you have to give them live ones in that case.
But, is it just in Japan? When I was in San Diego, I've seen some minnow-like fish sold as food for larger fish. And, these gold fish in Japan are the ones that couldn't pass the "selection," in which only healthy specimen are taken for ornamental purpose. We have to remember every food we give to our catfish has had life, even the tablets and flakes, for they're mainly made of fish. And, even worms and plants used to be alive before fed. It's the food chain, I guess.
Of course, you can feed them chicken liver, calamari, raw shrimp, and cut fish sold at super markets, if you choose.

I was also curious how rich they must be to be able to have big enough tanks for all those fish.

As you are wondering, many big fish are not kept properly in Japan, I'm afraid. For most aquarists here, the biggest tank they can have is 1800 x 600 x 600 mm, and if they choose to have it made of acrylic, it would costs like 500 USD. Since they can't afford huge enclosure, the fish are often kept in a tank merely twice their length. Of course, some people just give up a whole room for a tank sized same as the room to keep these large fish, but these hobbyists are minority.

So, why do we Japanese love these huge carnivorous fish? I don't have good answer for that.
Peace!

[Jools]

Even though there's no synos, i was enjoying scrolling down until i came across the TSN x O Niger hybrid

The

Heterobranchus longifilis

was interesting - I've also not seen the TSN x

Pangasius

hybrid before.

Jools

[andywoolloo]

thank you for answering, cochito.

I do not have a real problem with feeding live foods just thought the food shop section of the site would have some cool packaged different foods than we have is all.

[Richard B]

Even though there's no synos, i was enjoying scrolling down until i came across the TSN x O Niger hybrid

The

Heterobranchus longifilis

was interesting - I've also not seen the TSN x

Pangasius

hybrid before.

Jools

Wharf have had H Longifilis in, in the past - impressive but too big by far.

I must've missed the TSN x Pang - OMG will Dr Frankenstein please stop....

[Carp37]

Wharf have had H Longifilis in, in the past - impressive but too big by far.

They've also had a "pet"

Heterobranchus bidorsalis

somewhere on the premises a couple of years ago, in a 100X36X24" tank (actually way too small for the fish- I think they were upgrading his tank a couple of years ago, but don't know if they've still got him). I never saw this fish but have seen pictures, but couldn't comment on whether it was correctly identified- they did say it was the only one they knew of in the UK at that time.

In terms of the Japanese stocklist, some amazing fish on there (especially some great large cyprinids) but I get the impression that if you went in person you'd be staring at 100s of empty tanks! It seemed like only 1 in 20 species wasn't sold out.