Underwater world alive in Tasman homes

The underwater world has a vivid captivating effect, so it comes as no surprise that so many people in the Nelson Tasman region choose to keep tropical fish in their homes.

Fish are not maintenance-free however, which is the fundamental reason the Tasman Aquarium Club, a group of aquarium enthusiasts of aquatic animals formed around two decades ago.

According to Aquarium World, a New Zealand forum for fishkeeprs, keeping fish is the second-most popular hobby in the world, after photography.

They say, after cats and dogs, more fish are kept as pets in New Zealand than any other species.

Tasman Aquarium Club president Robin Ashley says they are always happy to give advice.

“Our experienced members have a lot of knowledge that they are happy to share, some of the members breed tropical fish and grow aquatic plants, and fragging corals which are often available on a free, buy or swap basis at our monthly meetings.”

Part of the club’s calendar involves tank crawls that take place twice a year.

The crawls are usually well attended and involve members of the group travelling in convoy around the their homes viewing the tank setups.

The tank crawl is then followed by a BBQ and trophy presentation.

Although membership numbers have decreased, mainly due to enforced restrictions back to Covid-19 times, club treasurer Graham Pearson says that there is an increasing interest in keeping fish in the region.

He also says that with increased access to information on the internet, the need to connect with specialised clubs for those keeping fish isn’t the same.

“If you are new to this, an old-time hobbyist, like me, or would like to share your knowledge, then come join us,” Robin says.

Glen George has been a club member for around 15 years, and says the group used to have a handful of younger members but since Covid-19, the group has dispersed and is now down to around 14 or 15.

“Covid-19 knocked us back a bit which is a shame as when we have our meetings or tank crawls you always pick up good ideas from other people’s set-ups, so it’s good to have more members than less,” Glen explains.

“We discuss things and get feedback from those who have experience on the topic, such as live- feeding or something one of the members is having a problem with, we are all there to help each other,” Graham adds.

For more information visit the Tasman Aquarium Club Facebook page.