Extent of Knowledge and Level of Adoption of Hobbyists in Ornamental Fish Keeping and Aquarium Management in Tripura

Abstract

Aquarium fish keeping has been emerging as a popular hobby in Tripura. The study was conducted in the West Tripura district of Tripura in the year 2015-2016 among 100 randomly selected hobbyists of aquarium fish keeping. The data collected through observation and personal interview of the respondents revealed that majority of them were middle aged (36-50 years), all are literate and 50% of them were graduates. Around 39% of the hobbyists were businessmen. Further, the majority of the respondents (38%) were found to be spending ` 50-100 per month to manage their aquariums. Majority of the hobbyists (89%) liked to keep Gold fish (Carassius auratus) in their aquarium followed by keeping shark (Carchardon carcharias) and Koi carp like Milky carp and Malina carp (Cyprinus carpio). Small to medium sized aquariums between (2×1×1) ft to (3×1×1.5) ft were having highest preference. Around 69% of the hobbyists were having medium level of adoption score in different improved practices of ornamental fish keeping and aquarium management and the adoption index of the study area was 68.09. The variables like knowledge, education, information management behaviour and income were having significant positive relationship with adoption level. On the other hand, 67% of the respondents had medium extent of knowledge score. Gross majority of them (80%) flagged cleaning of tank to be their major issue whereas, 43% of them perceived that lack of scientific guidance regarding ornamental fish keeping and aquarium management was the major problem causing concern in continuing with the hobby.

A survey on aquatic animal keeping practices for home aquariums during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the present study, the ratio between male and female aquarium owners was male-skewed. The same phenomenon has also been reported in previous studies (Laskar et al, 2016). Felsing et al (2000) concluded that some cultural traditions and social limitations might result in females' lesser interest in keeping aquariums (Felsing et al, 2000).…”

“…In this survey, over 50% of the respondents from both the children/youth and adult groups agreed that aquariums have stress-relieving benefits. The results of a previous research indicated that only 10% of the respondents would choose aquariums to reduce tension in their daily lives under normal circumstances (Laskar et al, 2016). The spread of COVID-19 has had psychopathological effects on humans of all ages worldwide.…”

“…The authors could not provide information on the net demand for aquatic animals since the beginning of the restrictions, because global data on perunit demand are scarce in the literature. In Tripura (India), >50% of questioned aquarists were found to buy one fish every four to six months during 2015-2016 (totaling two to three fish per year), while only 5% claimed to purchase a fish per month (Laskar et al, 2016). An earlier study in the USA indicated that, on average, each freshwater/saltwater aquarist owned 7.7-8.8 fish (Council, 1996), while in the present study, approximately 35% owned > 10 fish.…”

Status and prospects of the ornamental fish industry in Kenya

“…Ornamental fish market in the world for public aquaria is less than 1% at present, and over 99% of the market for ornamental fish is still confined to hobbyist (Selvarasu & Sankaran, 2011). The attraction, relatively minimum requirement of space and attention compared to other pet animals, is the reason for growing interest in keeping aquarium all over the world (Laskar et al., 2016). In the contemporary times of space restrictions and craze for beautifying interiors, the aquariums can become an integral element of homes, offices, hospitals, hotels, business establishments, airports and other institutions in Kenya.…”