Problems in the aquatics segment

Fish-keeping has been stagnating as a hobby for some years in many European countries. Not even a host of new product launches by the industry has been able to arrest this trend, or to change aspects of it. The hobby is simply no longer as popular as it was in the past. Aquariums are traditionally a hobby for people who don't have a vast amount of money to spend. This is a fact that not even the large, high-quality show aquariums in various themed pet product stores can hide. And a portion of the traditional clientele has turned its back on fish-keeping in the last few years, preferring to spend its modest funds on computers or summer holidays. In tough economic times the cash is just not available to pay for more than one hobby. The sector has therefore been seeking potential new customers for aquariums for a while now. The new message in the glossy brochures circulated is that keeping ornamental fish is "in". Manufacturers and retailers are stressing that aquariums don't just offer a biotope in one's living room, but also provide a source of relaxation and escape from life's stresses. It's also evident that aquarium manufacturers have been rethinking their product: aquarium furniture is now far removed from the rustic dark-brown cabinets of the past, coming instead in all shapes and colours to suit every taste. Those wanting to create a pleasant, homely atmosphere in their own four walls have become a focus of interest for the aquatics segment. Lifestyle and aquarium are no longer a contradiction in terms: Eheim, for instance, has even entered into collaboration with a renowned furniture designer and presented a stylish white designer aquarium at Interzoo. "We have to make fish-keeping a 'cooler', more fashionable hobby on the whole," says Koord Janssen, international marketing manager at Tetra-Werke, in an interview conducted by PET in Europe. It would surely be in the interest of retailers to head in the same direction and likewise consider what improvements could be made in the presentation of their aquarium departments. There's room for improvement in the aquatics segment when it comes to reducing the effort currently involved in maintaining an aquarium too. Work and family life don't leave much spare time for many people, and aquariums are only interesting if they are easy to care for. The universal trend towards convenience extends to hobbies as well. And yet there are still many products being manufactured that are too complicated and ask far too…