Hong Kong Market

[PugsAndFish]

Please excuse me (and redirect me) if I am posting in the wrong section. Has anyone been to the goldfish street market in Hong Kong? I will be traveling to Vietnam and have the option of taking 2 days in Hong Kong (or just adding those 2 days to Vietnam). The only thing that really pulls me into going to Hong Kong is the novelty + the fish market. Is it worthwhile for reefers to visit the market or is it just a glorified massive outdoors LFS?

 

[EmdeReef]

Please excuse me (and redirect me) if I am posting in the wrong section. Has anyone been to the goldfish street market in Hong Kong? I will be traveling to Vietnam and have the option of taking 2 days in Hong Kong (or just adding those 2 days to Vietnam). The only thing that really pulls me into going to Hong Kong is the novelty + the fish market. Is it worthwhile for reefers to visit the market or is it just a glorified massive outdoors LFS?

To me looks a bit sad tbh, lots of dead fish in small bags, overcrowded tanks. Not sure id go there just to see it.

 

[watdachuck]

I dont recall seeing any fish in bags as EmdeReef is pointing out, but most were crammed into tanks. I was there in November of 2018, and here are some photos from the fish market down by the water. I will say as impressive as it was there were several species that I was not happy to see in the displays reading for dining.

 

[Rjukan]

Wow, are those huge mantis shrimp in the 4th pic? Now that's scary

 

[watdachuck]

Wow, are those huge mantis shrimp in the 4th pic? Now that's scary

I was there with a large group and we had dinner on the water that night. I left the ordering to someone more experienced and mantis was served. I did not enjoy it very much, and found it very difficult to eat (very bony).

 

[SDK]

DO NOT MISS THE CHANCE TO SEE THE HK FISH MARKET!!!!

It's incredible, and will change your perception of what an aquarium store can be. Entire stores are individually devoted to reefs, planted tanks, Discus, Goldfish, etc.... Each one more amazing than the last. It is also a complexly different place than the commercial fish market pictured above.

The last time I was there was in the infancy of digital photography, so I unfortunately don't have any pics to share.

The bagged fish are there, but they are bagged daily in pure oxygen and are snapped up quickly. Due to the proximity to all of the area fish farms, and how seriously the hobby is taken there, the bagged fish were among the fattest, brightest and healthiest pet store fish I have ever seen. You will not be disappointed by what you find there. I was almost embarrassed when discussing what US shops are like with some of the vendors. They all speak perfect English and are very nice. The one thing you need to remember is to not take pictures without asking first if it's ok...

The Kowloon peninsula and island area also have a ton of other interesting things to do along with incredible food and nightlife. I would highly recommend the 2 day detour.

 

[watdachuck]

DO NOT MISS THE CHANCE TO SEE THE HK FISH MARKET!!!!

It's incredible, and will change your perception of what an aquarium store can be. Entire stores are individually devoted to reefs, planted tanks, Discus, Goldfish, etc.... Each one more amazing than the last. It is also a complexly different place than the commercial fish market pictured above.

The last time I was there was in the infancy of digital photography, so I unfortunately don't have any pics to share.

The bagged fish are there, but they are bagged daily in pure oxygen and are snapped up quickly. Due to the proximity to all of the area fish farms, and how seriously the hobby is taken there, the bagged fish were among the fattest, brightest and healthiest pet store fish I have ever seen. You will not be disappointed by what you find there. I was almost embarrassed when discussing what US shops are like with some of the vendors. They all speak perfect English and are very nice. The one thing you need to remember is to not take pictures without asking first if it's ok...

The Kowloon peninsula and island area also have a ton of other interesting things to do along with incredible food and nightlife. I would highly recommend the 2 day detour.

Interesting, I was there more towards the evening so maybe I missed out on that. I do agree it is a site to behold and the pictures do not do it justice. You will walk through a maze of what seems like 100's of these dealers. I do not recall seeing anything truly exotic or exciting but maybe they were already gone. There were definitely some impressively size species but as SDK noted, they are not particularly excited about people snapping photos so I kept it to a minimum.

 

[PugsAndFish]

Crazy the things this hobby makes you do lol..I found a flight that will save me like $400 if I decide to not stay overnight in HK....Arrive at 5:30am and then leave at 4:30pm...Should give me enough time to see the fish street and do another thing or two and try some new food. Definitely more fast paced than staying a night but might be worth it. How long do you think is a good amount of time to spend at the fish street? From the reading and videos I've seen so far, it seems massive

 

[kruler]

I was just there. It's definitely cool if you are already in HK but not sure I would make a special trip just for the goldfish market. I don't think the pictures posted above are of the goldfish market but a different commercial fish market. I also did not see any dead fish in bags but there are definitely overcrowded tanks with hundreds of tangs etc. in them. The downside is that you will see things you will want to buy but can't take anything home! In addition to all the aquarium stores at street level, keep your eye out for stairs going up to the second level. I found some good specialty reef shops up there.

More importantly, while you're there, make sure to go to One Dim Sum, which is right next to the goldfish market.