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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 IX:
Fishworld
September 2004: I am advised that Fishworld has relocated to another premises (not far from the one described below).
#1 - 6450 120th Street, Surrey. (Scott Road and 64th)  604-599-1559
For location go to MAP

Nick Thorvald (a Danish name) was once simply a keen home aquarist who bred lots of fish at home. But he bred so many fish that thirteen years ago (1990) he decided he should open his own small aquarium store. It  proved successful, and in the summer of 1999 he and his wife Jennifer moved to new larger premises, with all-new fittings. In those optimistic but somewhat surreal last months of 1999 they promoted their shop as "the pet store for the new millennium."

   "The pet store for the new millennium."

Click on photos for enlargements, then go "Back"

"Fishworld" is a slight misnomer - in fact the shop is a general pet store, selling everything from small animals and birds to dog foods and dog accessories. Dogs are a major revenue producer - a large dog grooming studio takes up about one quarter of the space.

   Nick and Jennifer. Nick is holding a full-grown female jaguar cichlid (Nandopsis managuensis) that someone had traded in the day before and which was being housed in one of the koi ponds.

The shop is at the end of a small plaza. It is very light and airy, with large windows around three sides. It is a lively and friendly spot, with rock music playing (louder than usual!) and free cappuccino available for those who want to socialise.

   A corner of the shop

   The small animal section

Other than dog grooming, fish are the main staple of the store. There are presently125 tanks, from 10 gallon killifish tanks to 120 gallon display tanks, and two koi ponds. 18 tanks contain saltwater fish. The exact number of tanks fluctuates according to the seasons and Nick's interests. He had just dismantled a third koi pond, and was about to set up a 4ft. cube saltwater display instead.

     
The sales tanks are not in long straight rows, but instead are in islands at various angles. Since the store has so many windows they are also not in a dark humid room at the back, but are an integral part of the big bright room.

   There are several display aquariums, housed in impressive wooden  cabinets. Here is a planted display tank.

   And this one has angelfish.

     
There are lots of angelfish for sale...

   ...and a selection of African cichlids, for $13 each.

      Gouramis

   Barbs

   Larger fish

   Young flower horn cichlids are only $7 each, or 2 for $10.

   Goldfish

Like most small pet shops, Nick gets many of his fish from local wholesalers. He also self-imports some fish, especially saltwater ones. But what sets his store apart is the number of locally bred fish he sells.

As a keen aquarist himself, Nick breeds fish at home and in the store. Above the sales tanks is a row of utility tanks that are used for breeding, and also as quarantine and hospital tanks. In these he is currently breeding blue lobsters and a few Endler's livebearers. Unlike many dealers and wholesalers who only sell the colourful males, Nick sells female Endler's! When I said that this was good news and I would mention it here, he promised to get his full production of Endler's going again.

Nick also breeds regular guppies, and red swordtails. He showed me a tank full of large guppies he had bred at home. Imported guppies seem to have problems nowadays, but Nick's guppies are guaranteed healthy.

Nick owns a rental house that his tenant, "Mo," uses as a fish hatchery, currently breeding blue gouramis, rams, and discus. Nick is planning to build a greenhouse on the property where he can cultivate Java fern and anubias on rocks and wood, so that beginning aquarists can have an instantly landscaped aquarium complete with easy-to-grow plants.

Many local hobbyist breeders trade in their fish to Fishworld, and from them Nick gets regular supplies of angelfish, discus, catfish, rainbows, African cichlids, and killifish. Bart Van Dyke and Carl Walter are amongst the well-known local aquarists Nick mentioned he deals with.

   Some people trade in their unwanted fish. Here is one that had outgrown someone's tank, a redtailed catfish (Phractocephalus hemiliopterus). It is about 18" long (50 cm.), but it will grow to three times this length in an aquarium, and to 6 ft. (2 m.) in the wild. It is eaten as a food fish in the Amazon area, but would be an expensive meal here at $200. Should you want to provide a home for it, be careful - it is "omnivorous and aggressive."

    Nick imported some true albino catfish four years ago. A customer returned this one a little while ago. Nick isn't sure if he wants to sell it - it has become a "store pet."

   I saw several small tanks containing killifish. These were chocolate australes at $19 a pair.

  
Fishworld has a saltwater section, currently using 18 tanks.

  
Nick imports most of these fish himself.

Nick is an enthusiastic hobbyist, and his friendly store reflects this. He is interested in all kinds of fish and you never know what he might find or what might be traded-in. Should you want to buy locally bred fish that are guaranteed to be adapted to our local water conditions (which vary a little but not too much), go to Fishworld. And if you have bred some fish that you wish to trade-in, Nick would be pleased to meet you.