Please note:
These articles, written 2003-4, were intended not just for the benefit of local
aquarists and visitors to Vancouver. Rather, they were written as part of the Travel
section of Aquarticles, to show people from other cities and countries what the retail
aquarium scene was like in Vancouver at that time. The articles will not
necessarily be updated and things will inevitably change, so
use caution if actually using the articles as a guide.
The Aquarium Stores of Vancouver Canada
by Howard Norfolk
Original to Aquarticles.com
Part IV:
Fraser Aquarium
4364 Fraser Street, Vancouver. 604-879-1112
Does not have e-mail
For location go to MAP
Fraser Aquarium has been a feature of the East Side of Vancouver for 35
years, which is how long Hok and his wife Margaret have owned their shop. In the last
fifteen years or so they have seen their neighbourhood of mostly Germans, Italians and
other Europeans change, due to an influx of immigrants from Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and
other Asian countries. "Little India," a shopping area catering to people from
the Punjab and elsewhere, is just up the road. Hok and Margaret have soldiered on all this
time, successfully adjusting the attitude and stock of their all-aquarium store according
to their customers' preferences.
Click on photos for enlargements, then
go "Back"
  Fraser Aquarium
 Hok and
Margaret have served behind this counter for 35 years. No, they haven't blended into the
fixtures! - they just preferred not to have their photo taken.
 Behind
the counter are books for sale in both English and Chinese, and some colourful fish models
from Asia.
 
The store is one large open room, with stock tanks lining the walls
on three sides, and equipment, food and accessories in the centre. It is spacious,
efficient and tidy.
 
There are 120 tanks in two different sizes. They are exceptionally
clean and well-maintained, and full of lots of colourful healthy fish.
Hok and his customers like their fish to be colourful! Not too many
"dull" catfish, cichlids and big ugly fish here, but instead lots of
livebearers, goldfish, koi, discus and "novelty" fish varieties.
A note on prices: As
detailed in Part I, prices are given here only to show the relative prices of fish, and to
give out-of- town readers an idea of what we pay for things in Vancouver. Prices are
flexible for various reasons, and by time you read this, the particular fish shown here
have probably already been sold.
Prices quoted in the text are in Canadian Dollars:
At time of writing Canadian $10 = US $7.20 = Euro 6.36 = UK Pounds 4.46
(We also pay additional government sales taxes of 14.5%) |
 
Fancy male guppies, $8 each.
 
Large healthy swordtails, $9 each.
 
A beautiful juvenile arowana, $55.
 A nice group of
pearl danios.
 Weather
loaches, and a fish not often found for sale in Vancouver, the North-American sunfish.
Fraser Aquarium is particularly notable for its koi, which are in stock
year-round. Common pond koi are available from $15 up depending on size, but the imported
Japanese koi are more spectacular. Hok and some other store owners get together to import
these fish from Japan.
 
6" Japanese koi are $45 each, and larger ones, $60.
 
These koi are $100 and $120 respectively....
 
....and the biggest ones cost $125 and $250.
 
A change of pace from koi are "purple parrots," $69.99,
and "black streak blood parrots," $59.99.
 Or how
about discus? These discus are "Special $49.99"...
...and these "hi fin body blue discus" are "$124.99."
 
 
The sunny front window is where Hok keeps aquatic plants in plastic
wading pools. They stay healthy in the natural light.
Hok and Margaret open their store seven days per week, with only
occasional part-time help. They offer a generous discount of 20% off everything except
sale items to members of the Vancouver Aquatic Hobbyist Club. For large healthy
colourful display fish and a few special imports, Fraser Aquarium is well worth checking
out.
Go to
Part V: Noah's Pet Ark
Or: Go to the beginning of this
series: Part I, Introduction and the Pet Boutique
|
