2/5/2022: From loaches to roaches, reflections on last Saturday
Back in January I took a day to get away from the hustle and bustle of the bug farm to go pet store (mostly fish store) hopping with Will, Brandon, and Kai. We had a pleasant day of window shopping, hmming, and hawing at both the good, bad, and the ugly stores we visited.
Fishkeeping was my main gateway into large-scale animal keeping, as my parents were very keen on letting me start multiple tanks and as a child I would constantly badger them to take me to pet and fish stores. Much to my surprise (as I toot my own horn), I have retained a lot of that knowledge and perspective to really appreciate when neat things pop up.
During our trip it was apparent that a scarcity of sorts was happening, as a few spots that were once great for seeing the wonders that are legally dredged from waterways across the planet now appeared strapped for even common stuff. Supply chain issues, changes to import laws and processes, and a regression to the mean of popularity in chain stores have all led to a reduced experience at some of the historically great fish stores. This has me wondering about the future of aquaculture, although I’m sure a hobby that’s been around since the 1940s will continue to evolve and persist well into the future.
Some of the best sights were freshwater flounders, armored catfish, pearl danios, tiger loaches, assorted scats, and my personal favorite (some of which found their way home with me), a species of kuhli loach I had never seen before.
Prior to roaches, I had a stint loving and collecting loaches and was even part of an extremely dedicated online forum circa 2005. The immense work and space required to even consider breeding most loaches proved too much for a young Kyle, and I eventually found the perfect compromise for my desires when I got into roach keeping (not knowing that one day I would be in over my head anyways).
My takeaway from our blitz was discovering that the shop closest to my house, tucked away in a shopping plaza that I had never intended to visit but explored with Brandon one day randomly, was probably my new favorite fish store.
Here’s to hoping the imports start rolling in again soon, as I wish the best for the progenitor of the invert (and many other animal) hobbies.
-Kyle