Unbelievable Bangkok aquarium market

[the_deeb]

I recently scheduled an extended layover in Bangkok to visit the Chatuchak aquarium market. This place was unbelievable. It’s a maze of tiny alleys filled with stores selling every imaginable kind of fish. I probably spent around 4hrs wandering around and still didn’t cover all the stores. There were so many fish I would have liked to bring back and most of the prices were crazy cheap. I really wish it wasn’t literally halfway across the world.

I only took a little bit of video since I was mostly too busy looking at things, but here are some of the highlights:

 

[tlindsey]

I recently scheduled an extended layover in Bangkok to visit the Chatuchak aquarium market. This place was unbelievable. It’s a maze of tiny alleys filled with stores selling every imaginable kind of fish. I probably spent around 4hrs wandering around and still didn’t cover all the stores. There were so many fish I would have liked to bring back and most of the prices were crazy cheap. I really wish it wasn’t literally halfway across the world.

I only took a little bit of video since I was mostly too busy looking at things, but here are some of the highlights:

Very well kept aquariums and awesome fish to buy.
Thanks For Sharing

 

[dr exum]

Dang! Thanks for sharing, they love their fish there... seems to be huge demand...

Oh, I’ll run down and grab a black diamond and Asian arow... different reality...

 

[Zack cloutier]

I understand it’s a much different culture and stuff from there to here (USA) and obv even here most fish in stores aren’t kept in tanks large enough to house them for any amount of time really and those fish all look healthy at a glance but keeping large fish in bags like that must be an absurd amount of work. They must be rebagging fish constantly just to keep them alive right? I’m genuinely curious lol

If I was ever in that area of the world I’d like to go check that out also!

 

[MrsE88]

I too wonder why they choose to pre bag fish. Rays in bags?! ?
I’m sure they pump oxygen in the bags so they can be in there for a day or so, but still.... is turn over that high over there?

 

[tigerbob]

A couple of years ago I visited the Goldfish Street, HK, and saw there bagged juvenile arowana and some rare dolphin catfish. I don't understand the practice.

One possibility is that those bagged fish are those that are dying or not doing well.

I also visited the Huadi Market in Guangzhou a couple of times, and didn't see the fish-in-bag practice. Unfortunately Huadi Market is about to be demolished to make space for real estate.

 

[MRE]

That really was an incredible market. It's so cool yet I feel like it would be torture to see all those cool fish and not be able to bring any home.

 

[tiger15]

A couple of years ago I visited the Goldfish Street, HK, and saw there bagged juvenile arowana and some rare dolphin catfish. I don't understand the practice.

One possibility is that those bagged fish are those that are dying or not doing well.

I also visited the Huadi Market in Guangzhou a couple of times, and didn't see the fish-in-bag practice. Unfortunately Huadi Market is about to be demolished to make space for real estate.

Time is the essence. The rental costs of those tiny stores are sky high, so they don’t want to spend time to net cheap fish for the customers. Unlike in US, those tiny stores are packed with customers and the traffic and volume of sale must be high or else they will be out of biz soon. On the upper floors of HK goldfish street, there are specialty stores that sell high price fish, such as Asian arrowanas, sting ray and fancy discus. These stores don’t pre bag fish as individual fish are priced in the $1000s.

 

[esoxlucius]

Great video. I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me or whether it was a dodgy camera angle but at 10.50 there was a tank with a load of giant gourami in but they looked very very short. Could they be short bodied GG? Is there even such a strain? Did anyone else see them?

 

[the_deeb]

Good eye - yes those were short body giant red tail gouramis.