Fish exhibition in Kandivali begins today

These fish are swimming upstream to North Mumbai. The Kandivali Recreation Club, Kandivali (W) will play host to Aqua Life 2014, beginning today and going on to October 6.

Different types of fish, prove it takes all kinds to make a water world

The Aqua Life is a mammoth exhibition of fish, where shopkeepers display fish brought from all over the country and from Singapore, and Thailand too. Aqua Life was held twice earlier, at Ruia College, Matunga.

Fancy Clown fish (l), just clowning around

This fish display is for those who want to buy fishes as pets, all fish enthusiasts who merely want to visit and those who are curious about marine life. Say the organizers, Laukik Creations, "We are going to display more than 200 species and there are going to be exotic fish as well as the not-so-exotic.

The Black Yellow line fish, rather like a Mumbai cab

What is important is that visitors would be given knowledge about how to maintain fish, what tanks are appropriate, what kind of roof the tank must have, how many times the water has to be changed and other information including where to place the tank according to Vastu." The entrance for one person is Rs 60.

A Bar Angel fish, more bar than angelic?

Visitors can buy these fish which range from Rs 200 a fish, to Rs 30,000 for the most expensive. Says L Soman of Laukik Creations, "The highest priced fishes I anticipate, will be Arwana Fish and the Plower Horn fish." Soman says that the organizers are hoping to attract large crowds, "Because of the long weekend holiday.

Schools are closed and it is exam time, so we hope people will take two hours off to come and view the fish. There is nothing like unwinding from exam stress (and parents have that too) while looking at fish. Those who have fishes as pets, do talk about how it is a major stress buster. A hobby like this entails time and effort, yes, but it also changes lives in happy and profound ways."

This is the fifth exhibition in Mumbai for Pune based Soman. "It is my 17th exhibition overall in the country. Every time, the crowd exceeded my expectations pointing to the interest and curiousity in aqua life. In my first exhibition I wanted to inculcate a love and understanding for these creatures in people.

I thought, those who visit the exhibition must go back with a feeling that they need to have a fish in their home. Now, I think furnishing repeat visitors about more information about marine life and how best to keep fish as pets and of course, maintenance is vital."

Soman says gill-osophically, "Even doctors agree that daily stress can be halved only by observing a fish tank for 15 minutes." In a city, where new age and fancy-shancy ways to de-stress keep cropping up, by self-proclaimed pricey pandits, watching fishes in a tank may be the latest stress busting formula.