Page 42 - PET worldwide issue 04/2022

Aquatics

A topic that excites

There is hardly a segment that has encountered as many

problems as aquatics. But even following the coronavirus
pandemic, the hobby of keeping tropical ornamental fish
has continued to develop unexpectedly well.

No normal office routine, no travel, in small increments from 2020, tor of the German pet store chain
no visits to cultural or sporting Fediaf calculated there had been Kölle Zoo, for example, reported
events and no meetings with an enormous jump of almost in an interview about aquarium
friends and acquaintances: during four million new aquariums for customers in his stores that “the
the pandemic, many people were the United Kingdom. Equally as- spectrum ranges from children
left to their own devices and con- tonishing were the figures for who are enthusiastic, teenag-
fined to their closest family circle. Switzerland, where the number ers and young people who are
Home hobbies were booming - es- of aquariums virtually quadru- starting out or have been at it for
pecially aquatics, with pet retail pled from one year to the next. years, to real aquarium veterans
groups reporting an enormous in- But who were the new aqua- of advanced age and business
crease in sales during the coro- rists? Whatever the answer, they people who just want to have it
navirus period. included many young people nice at home.”
A look at the Fediaf figures who probably came across or-
reveals considerable differences namental fish keeping mainly on Voices from the trade
between individual European the Internet and thought it was In the Slovenian pet shop group
countries. While Germany expe- cool to get their own aquarium. Mr. Pet, there are larger stores
rienced a constant upward trend Ramin Danaei, managing direc- featuring aquarium depart-

42 PET worldwide 4|2022

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