As a passionate aquarist, I attended the German exhibition Aqua-Fish. Although I couldn't find the much-loved dwarf cichlids Apistogramma, the exhibition still thrilled me and brought a lot of inspiration and new insights.
As soon as I had the opportunity to be part of the expedition heading to the famous German aquarium exhibition Aqua-Fish, I didn't hesitate for a moment. "Of course I'm going! I'll prepare the provisions and I'm available if a translation is needed." I replied immediately after receiving a question from Zdeněk Dočekal about whether I would go. The trip was a bit challenging, especially because it was a round trip, but what can you do. We were heading to the big aquarium market Aqua-Fish in Germany. A journey for aquatic animals, plants, and the related equipment: It's definitely worth a bit of discomfort!
We left at one in the morning and by morning we were among the first visitors to the fair. A quick photo and we were already running to the hall. Many familiar faces gathered here and I was glad to greet them or get to know them. The doors opened and hooray, it was time to look for the most interesting things.
RepresentationApistogramma- a bit of disappointment
We were immediately welcomed by large aquariums with discus fish in the most beautiful colors. Angelfish were also quite well represented here, but the prettiest pieces were sold before we even had a chance to look around.
As we walked among the exhibition aquariums and observed the sale pieces, we realized that there are dwarf cichlids (Apistogramma), which I personally searched for the most, were represented only minimally, if at all. I processed that disappointment for a moment, but then I started exploring what was here and stopped worrying about what wasn't. I did well because there was plenty, and I could have spent much more time here.
Marine aquaristics
It is evident that sea corals are a sought-after item, as there were several stalls offering a colorful array of these creatures. They were displayed on the counter like colorful jewels. Beautiful. For aquarists who might want to transport an entire marine aquarium with everything included, there were aquariums with prices waiting for their owners. Usually, clownfish flitted about in them, which are grateful inhabitants of more than one home marine aquarium.
Medaka - trend of the time
As mentioned by Tomáš Kučera from Vivarium Mělník ininterview for ForAquaristMedaka is modern. This was confirmed to us by the aquarist standing at the counter with a large sign saying Medaka. We just stopped for a moment and he was already welcoming us. He explained that there has been a significant increase in various groups, for example on Facebook, and that there are countless bred forms of this interesting and actually quite practical fish for ponds. He immediately boasted about his breeding successes in the form of fish with elongated fins and colorful variations. I must say that this type of fish and the aquarist's storytelling at the booth really excited me, and I started to wonder if our pond could use a Medaka or two.
Antique bookstore
The man standing next to us, who was organizing books and magazines about aquaristics, immediately smiled at us and, based on our Czech, guessed who we were and immediately asked if we knew about the magazines Akvárium terárium from the 1950s, which are supposedly in demand in Germany.
Actually, it is quite common for people who own a second-hand bookstore to be appropriately proud of it and to show off their finds. This gentleman was an exemplary model. He had everything calculated and immediately boasted about how many square meters of books on aquaristics he had and how many square meters of magazines. He also manages a huge aquarium himself. Because he had some literary gems with him, we could look at books on aquaristics from the 19th century. I would have loved to sit down for a moment with all those copies and the owner's stories and read and listen, but someone was already tapping me on the shoulder, saying we had to move on and that translation would be needed.
Aquarium magazines
In addition to well-known aquaristic brands with aquaristic equipment, there were also German aquaristic associations and publishers of specialized aquaristic magazines. The one that caught my attention the most was the magazine Caridina, which is exclusively dedicated to shrimp, crabs, and the like. It will soon arrive in my mailbox, so I'm looking forward to it. By the way, I at least got some shrimp.Caridina Taiwan, at home I had a smaller aquarium prepared for several months and it seems that they really like it there. When I wrote to my expedition colleague Slávek Boudný that they had already shed, he promptly replied to me to make sure not to forget to get dressed :)
For the first time at this exhibition, I considered whether to get a crab, because the aquariums with crabs and shrimp were bursting with colors and it was hard to take my eyes off them. I never thought I would be so captivated. Gorgeous!
Aquarium plants
Absolutely stunning were also some of the plants that could be seen at the stalls. It was good that we took photos of them right at the beginning, because they disappeared so quickly that when we wanted to return for the selected pieces, there was only an empty space left. Prices mostly ranged around 10 - 20 EUR, but the quality of the grown plants was truly high.
Lectures on aquaristics
As usual, the first lecture was on the topic of Medaka and their breeding. The speaker had very well-prepared information and advice for beginner breeders; unfortunately, I again did not see the entire lecture due to the necessity of assisting with translation, but it was all the more joyful that Czech aquarists were introducing me to their German acquaintances.
Lectures followed on the topic of water chemistry with various laboratory experiments, and aquascaping was also on the agenda. Since part of the hall was designated for terrariums, it was also possible to see beautiful exhibits there and hear thematic lectures.
Fisheries
The second hall was prepared for fishermen, and it seemed to me that it was primarily about fly fishing and selling equipment. I saw a specialist in tying flies, who skillfully tied them right on the spot, as well as a training field alias river for the possibility of casting and testing rods. This was later confirmed to me by a colleague who came with us and summarized it by saying that the only carp in the entire hall was the one on his t-shirt.
The way back
It is probably obvious that in such beautiful weather as we had last Friday, it was impossible to resist, and in the afternoon we headed to Lake Constance after the exhibition. The air was filled with the scent of spring, and the restaurants on the waterfront were just inviting us to have some local beer or coffee with a dessert. It was a proper ending, and then we moved on to our departure, during which we alternately dozed off on the way. I must commend the perfect organization of those involved, who had everything well figured out, stopping only for the best food at reasonable prices, and there was no shortage of interesting discussions along the way. Now I will be watching how the Caridinas brought from the Aqua-Fish exhibition in Friedrichshafen thrive and waiting for the aquarium magazines that will arrive soon.
