A WHOLE Lot of Fish

KOCHI: An exhibition of pets, De Aquaria'11 that is currently on at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, is an exciting and novel visual treat.    The event that kick-started December 15 will go on till 25, and so far it has been a  platform for pet lovers, breeders, aqua traders and the general public to come together. Pet accessories, books on fish keeping and feeding, fish toys and medicines, are all available here. The central attraction though is the three hundred varieties of ornamental fish that one can see here. In addition, there are also varieties of pigeons, cats, dogs and birds. The Aqua show's most striking varieties are the 'Red cap gold fish', 'Balloon Kissing Gaurami', 'Silver Arowana' . A much in-demand kind is the 'Neon Spot Flower Horn', a bulged head fish quite difficult to obtain."Licenses have to be obtained for export and import of Flowerhorns. They are considered to bring luck according to Feng Shui. After breeding, out of hundred eggs, only two have flower horns. Naturally, they are also one of the most expensive out of the lot. 'Albino Tiger Oscar', is an attractive kind of fish but are more in demand when they are Baby Albinos as their beauty steadily declines as they grow older,” says K R Pushpangadhan, Vice President of Ornamental Fish Association of Kerala. Apart from the Aqua show, there is also a stall put up by a group of professional divers in Kerala 'Interdive'. It provides diving gadgets and offers courses in diving and kayaking. A good collection of dogs are exhibited, from pugs to Bordeaux Mastiff. These well-trained and groomed dogs can cost you a bomb. This exhibition has been organised by the ornamental Fish Association of Kerala in association with De Aquaria. K R Pushpangadhan, Vice President of the Association says, “The event is the collective effort of 135 full-time breeders of the association along with the sponsoring company. Ornamental fish breeding is a booming industry which has brought employment to many in the rural areas.”  The Kid's zone, food court and pets fashion show are some of the other attractions at the event.