In the second part of our Thailand escapade, we navigate through the labyrinth that is Jatujak. Jatujak, or JJ market, is a humongous fair that happens every weekend. The market contains over 15,000 stalls spanning 35 acres, and sells everything from clothes to pets.
It is a famed tourist attraction in Thailand. Maze like is an understatement, and in this mammoth market lies a haven for freshwater and marine fish enthusiasts. Crazy Aquarium and BlueSpace are two of the higher end marine LFS that we will cover.
One step into Crazy Aquarium and your eyes will immediately be drawn toward their two outstanding display tanks. There are two tanks, but we’ll touch on the mixed reef Anthias display first. This tank is a treat for your senses.
Pseudanthias species that are normally difficult to keep are thriving and spawning right in front of you. A healthy mix of Cirrhilabrus, including that incredible super male C. rubrisquamis headlining this article call this tank their home.
A group of Pseudanthias bimarginatus joins the harem of P. randalli. P. bimarginatus is a brand new species described in 2011 by Randall. The type specimen came from Maldives where all collected specimens come from these days.
Looking very similar to P. parvirostris from the Indo-pacific and the also new P. unimarginatus from Mauritius, P. bimarginatus commands attention with its graceful swimming style and impeccable looks. This are some of the clearest aquarium pictures of this species available and taking shots of these speeders was not an easy task.
A loose group of Pseudanthias aurulentus also make this tank their home, and like the P. randalli harem, spawns very occasionally. The leading male of the group spent much of its time displaying and swimming loops around the targeted females, turning from a red base into a startling flashing pink.
P. aurulentus is a touchy and shy anthias, sometimes difficult to feed. We found that hard to believe judging from the amorous nature of these captive specimens.
Check out this video taken by Singaporean reefer Digiman when he visited Crazy Aquarium a few months back.
The Pseudanthias species are showing incredible finnage with long trailing filaments. A spectacular testament to their health.
The other display tank, and my personal favorite, is captivating on many different levels. The tank is shallow and is Xeniid only. The entire rockscape is covered in a lush growth of Anthelia, Xenia and Clavularia.
This tank takes a step away from the hustle and bustle of shallow water reef life where anthias are the dominant species. Instead, it opts for lagoon like approach with soft corals and gentle flowing currents. The inhabitants include angelfish and butterflyfish species.
A hybrid Flame x Rusty dwarf angelfish, a female Bellus angel and a beautiful Mitratus Butterflyfish make this soft coral tank their abode. The choice of angels and butterflies in a soft coral juxtaposition is a clever and soothing approach.
The relatively dull and drab Xeniids do not outshine the colorful fish, and the graceful swaying of the coral complements the graceful butterflyfishes very well too.
Here’s a video of this Xeniid soft coral tank, taken by Digiman again few months ago. Most of the fish in that video have been removed for sale, but the long living residents are still there today. This tank is also home to three super healthy Choat’s Leopard wrasses and can be seen in the video below.
The next shop worth visiting while in JJ market is BlueSpace. BlueSpace is a fancy high end LFS that deals mostly in equipment and reef tank gadgets. Their display tank however, is the absolute bomb.
The tank is roughly six feet in length, and houses an immense load of Pseudanthias. It’s a surprise that the water quality is crystal clear and the fish in excellent health.
Majority of the Pseudanthias species comprises of P. evansi, P. dispar and P. tuka. P. evansi and P. tuka are notoriously difficult to maintain and feed but this group of more than thirty makes a mad rush for dry food. Take a look at this video of the insane number of anthias living healthily in this tank.
For more information about BlueSpace’s incredible set up and how they maintain it, Ohm did a fantastic write up here. Speaking of which, we would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Ohm Pavaphon for taking care of us while we visited the land of Thailand.
Ohm is also a contributor to ReefBuilders, and we had fun catching up with him in his home ground. That concludes the Bangkok edition of our travelogue. Where shall we go next? Hong Kong maybe, to catch a glimpse of Jimmy Ma, or Dr Wing Chung‘s incredible fish collection? Meanwhile, enjoy more HD pictures taken at Crazy Aquarium and BlueSpace.
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