The BEST country to be a reef aquarium hobbyist in is......and what state?

[Zionas]

Wow didn’t expect the hobby in Indonesia to be so bad. I wouldn’t buy wild caught fish for certain species like any Clownfish as wild caught ones fare poorly. So what’s the state of the hobby in Indonesia? Is it a big thing?

I’m from China and I can still find Red Sea products through a select few dealers, though we most rely on our own products.

I plan to get an 1/8” rimless mesh from Red Sea once my tank’s up and running. That means no very jumpy fish like wrasses, hawkfish, Royal Gramma and gobies before then as I’d rather not take a risk. My LFS does not carry Red Sea products (or do they?) but another dealer in the same general area does. I’m in Guangzhou.

Nice thing is the dealer that carries the RS products can help me install the top for a fee as my DIY skills are pretty much zero so wouldn’t mind paying a bit of money to keep my fish in.

Honestly I’m surprised that the state of the hobby in Indonesia is so bad, you guys are literally the heart and soul of the hobby. Honestly expected a lot better.

What about the state of the hobby in other SE Asian countries? Like Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and and so on.

 

[Zionas]

Here are my observations so far as a soon-to-be reefer in China:

1. We have physical LFS and also online sellers mostly on Taobao AKA Chinese EBay. Some stores run a dual LFS-online model. Outside of first tier / developed second tier cities it’s tough finding LFS, though many online sellers (both 100% online and LFS-online dual model retailers) will ship and may have contractors in those cities that can travel and help with installation. Sort of like Mr. Saltwater Tank but more of a broad customer service thing. Personally the LFS that’s gonna help me with installation do door-to-door service and “house cleaning” AKA maint.


2. I’d say in terms of cities Guangzhou and Shenzhen and other cities in the vicinity (Guangdong) have it the easiest, followed by Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai and the vicinity. Beijing I’m not sure but I’m not betting on it being as good due to it being further inland, though I do recall seeing a featured tank on Reef Builders (and SPS dominant) by a guy from Beijing. I don’t think it’s possible to have fish shipped into Guangdong from across the border in HK though I’m not sure about that. I do know for a fact that the hobby is big in HK and Taiwan.


3. Equipment wise mostly local stuff with smattering of foreign imported products, Jebao is produced locally. We do get access to some top quality foreign products like Bubble King skimmers (Germany), which will be the one I’m going with.


4. In terms of livestock we have a mediocre selection compared to you guys in the States or even the UK / France / Australia. The staples are there, but we only get Royal Grammas with some regularity and most other Atlantic species make sporadic / seldom / non-existent appearances. Best selling fish here are Ocellaris Clowns (which is not surprising), Yellow Tangs, Blue Hippo Tangs (which yes, many people buy without the proper knowledge and awareness of its susceptibility to ich), Yellowtail Blue Damsels (Chrysiptera parasema), Azure Damsels (C. hemicyanea), Six-Line Wrasses, Yellow Coris Wrasses, Flame Angels, as well as some large angels (Queen, King / Passer, Majestic, French etc.) and most people have no idea how big they grow. I do feel like we’re hamstrung when it comes to livestock choices and on top of that many dealers label their livestock incorrectly. My LFS fortunately isn’t one of them.



5. Bare bottom, open top tanks seem to be the preference of many here. Gives me headaches when I see that combo or even just one out of the two. I’m going mesh top, with a 2” sand bed all the way.



6. Many sellers recommend Tangs and Rabbitfish to first-time reefers. I can agree with the Rabbitfish suggestion as long as the tank’s at least 6’ long but with Tangs it depends on the species. I would never in my life suggest a Powder Blue / Brown / Achilles / Blue Hippo to a first time marine keeper. A Zebrasoma if they have the tank for it, maybe even a Bristletooth for a smaller tank but not just any tang.



7. CuC options are limited to the most basic cleaner and peppermint shrimp and snails that are labeled in Chinese and I have a hard time finding their English names because they’re just listed as generic “Algae Eating Snails” or “Cleaner Snails.”



8. A lot of people still think it’s a bit weird somebody would want to keep saltwater fish in their home and the hobby here’s maybe no more than 15-16 years old and probably only took off somewhat after 2011-2012.

 

[Zionas]

That sucks man because Hawaii’s a center for everything reef related. What does it take to get that permit? Are there many reefers in Hawaii who want to have a reef tank anyway and end up getting one with only softies or FOWLR (boring to me)?

 

[香港reefer]

Today let's have some fun and talk about what the best country to be a reef aquarium hobbyist in is and why!

1. What country do you think is the best country to be a reef aquarium hobbyist in and why?

2. If you chose the USA then what state do you think is the best state for reef aquariums and why?

3. Where do you live and how many local hobbyists do you know personally that live around you?

I live in Hong Kong, best prices and best place in the whole world. So many stores to choose from and so so many livestock to choose from, sadly I will be studying abroad in Australia soon and the trade there is just so expensive, boring and barren