Germany – Nuernberg, 13-16 May 2010
With over 38,000 trade visitors, 1,502 companies from 53 countries, presenting their innovations and trends for four-legged pets, ornamental birds, fish and reptiles for the four days on a record gross display area of over 90,000 square metres, the 31st Interzoo closed its doors on May 16th at 17:00. For the first time in 42 years of Heiko Bleher’s Interzoo history he has visited the world’s most pet fair but not participated with a display-stand. But had meetings from morning to evening with hundreds of the most important people in the aquatic field from all over the world including Holger Windeløv, founder of Tropica Plants, Denmark, whom Heiko had delivered the first aquarium plants from hi mother in the 1960s when Holger had just started and they are friends since.
The 31st Interzoo 2010 was even more successful than the great 2008 event. The international exhibitors rose from 77 to 79 per cent. Besides Germany, most exhibitors came from China, Italy, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the USA, France, Belgium, Spain and Poland. And it received 3 per cent more visitors then 2008 coming from 117 countries.
The company Tropical – Tadeusz Ogrodnik, from Poland. (http://www.tropical.com.pl/tropical-strona-glowna,d1,0,en.html) had a very nice stand and many new innovations in their fish-food-line – even special food for Nano-aquarium fishes and shrimps – produced from their new ultramodern plant. Here the owner, Tadeusz Ogrodnik together with Heiko Bleher. Tropical has invited for Heiko to hold seminars around the world.
The other successful Polish company present was Aquael (http://www.aquael.pl/237.htm), which celebrated their 25th anniversary recently. They have also invited Heiko in the past for conferences. In the upper photos (f.l.t.r.): Hudson Crizanto, excellent marine and discus exporter from Brazil, Stanley Cheng, famous importer from the Philippines, Mr. Janusz Jankiewicz, owner of Aquael, Sales manager of Aquael and Heiko. The group photo (f.l.t.r.): Natasha, Heiko, Mrs. Bogumila Jankiewicz, Chris Lukhaup & wife Isidora Lopez, Hudson Crizanto.
Aquaristica of Italy (http://www.aquaristica.it/) had a nice small stand presenting their quarterly magazine Aquarium Oggi and a nice aquarium, their own design of Aquamar model 340 exclusive with and special LED (night) lights decorated with Amazon swords and Java fern and the rare Uaru fernandezyepezi and red shoulder angelfishes from the Manacapuru region. Here one of the two sister-owner of the company.
At the stand of Aquatic Nature with their very beautiful website http://www.aquatic-nature.be/index.html in 5 languages had also a nice stand, here the owner, long-time friend (to the right), who started his own elusive Aquatic Nature company in 1989 with products no one else does. Here with the owner of Discusland, Spain (distributor of Heiko’s books) toasting wit a great wine to good business.
Diskuszucht Stendker (http://www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/gb/) the largest discus breeders in Europe, a very well and long-time established company had, as always, a nice white stand with a pair of discus in each – most of them spawning – and some young one of their many lines. The upper is a magnificent Red-Turquoise with young’s.
Eheim (http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?id=24901&lang=en), a trademark and company probably anyone who ever had or has kept ornamental fishes would know the name. They presented between many new products also their unique Electronic control filter with new intelligent functions (optimal) and USB connection for programming and software update with the Eheim ControlCenter with a simple click. Amazing. Heiko had a very pleasant meeting with the son of the owner, Reinhard Eheim, Chaiman of the Advisory Board (center), looking at the new Aquapress publication, the DISCUSBOOK01 to come out in August 2010, together with Mr. Kenji Sakamoto, Eheim’s managing Director from Eheim Japan K.K. (right) and Siegfried Engelhardt, the marine fish exporter form Kenia. Eheim presented also their newly designed mp scubabay aquarium, a really beautiful one, as well as very nice designs for Nano-aquariums and they made excellent displays on one of Interzoo’s largest exhibitions.
Elos from Italy with its innovative owner Nicola Gandini and their amazing blog: http://eloseurope.blogspot.com/ have present a really first, a Nano-paludarium with a Bonsai-plantation. Nicola sold immediately quite a few, taking orders. I knew Nicola already before I moved to Italy, but during the last 10 years his company has gained a very special reputation around the world, have a look at their blog.
Marc Seguinot, owner of France’s second largest Ornamental Fish Wholesaler Exomarc in Lormont, is a very dear old-time friend who was a customer of aquarium Rio and has gone with Heiko on expedition to Amazonas recently.
Rolf C. Hagen Company (http://www.hagen.com/uk/) is still the largest and one of the pioneers in the aquarium hobby world-wide. The president Rolf Hagen jr. unfortunately had to fly back to Canada, but his brother Mark (right), as well as Tom Hagen (left), both strong arms of the giant company were still at the stand. Hagen is the number one today in terrariums supplies with their brand name Exo-Terra products known in every corner of the pet-world. But also Nutrafin foods and products are very well know around the globe and Heiko made for them 4 issues of the most widely distributed aquarium fish magazine Nutrafin Aquatic Newsthe world had ever seen, which was distributed with 650,000 copies around the world in 5 languages. And Rolf C. Hagen had sponsored several of Heiko Bleher’s Biotope stands at Germany’s largest Exhibitions, also at Discus Championship 2004
Dohse Aquaristik (http://www.dohse-aquaristik.com/EN/) better known under their brand name Hobby, is another pioneer company of the aquarium hobby. Founded by Hans Dohse in 1949 and soon invented the aeration stone for aquaria, which is up to this day one of their prime selling items. They launched this kit which includes one 25×15 mm air stone, 2.5 metres size 2/3 air tube, one size 4/6 to 2/3 tube reducer and 5 cm size 4/6 tube, the included check valve is also mounted split between the two to prevent the air pump from damage caused by aquarium backflow water. They have always been known for their small items needed for a perfect aquarium. On their stand was a strange display of a marine aquarium in the back with a freshwater in front of it, and the latter contained Angelfishes. The German angelfish breeder Simon Forkel displayed at the Dohse Aquaristik stand some of his nice offsprings from the Segrist-line of Angelfishes. The Segrist -line is said to come from Pterophyllum altum. But the shape of the head is definitely not typical for Pterophyllum altum. One can see from the picture, that only dorsal fin is similar P. altum, but not the other morphological characters. (For the natural and real P. altum see)
The Italian company Hydor (http://www.hydor.it/main/index?sf_culture=en) had also a stand in hall 1. For the last 25plus years Hydor made aquatic innovations. In 1984 Mr. Bresolin and his wife picked up on the potential success of the aquatic sector in the American market and created Hydor. From a small company with one production line of back-hanging filters, Hydor grew and by the early 1990’s it already had an elusive line and supplied customers all over the world with an outstanding service. And in the new millennium Hydor decided for a new strategy focusing on it’s brand and strengthening its identity being an undisputed leader the manufacturing of innovative and unique aquatics products today. My preferred is the heating cable for aquariums and terrariums. Something every single aquarium should have … The manager of marketing Peppe, is a very close friend for decades.
The stand of Indonesisa was very elaborated and many of its exporters came to present their products and fishes. There was also the Director of Foreign Market Development, Ir. Saut P. Hutagalung, M. Sc., from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia (to Heiko Bleher’s left), who had a meeting with Heiko on an ongoing Indonesia-Project. It was very rewarding and all of his the staff wanted a photograph with Heiko on their stand.
Also from Indonesia and on the group-stand was Heiko and Natasha’s dear friend and largest Discus breeder and exporter in Indonesia, Herman Oei from Asher company in Jakarta. Here (f.l.t.r.) his kind wife Fanny, Herman, Heiko, Mehmood Syed from Mumbai, India and the famous breeder of all kind of rare fishes also from Indonesia, Ignatius Mulyadi. Both also dear friends and the latter has successfully – as the first in the world – bred Puntius denisonii, many years ago. And nowIndonesia is exporting by the tenth of thousands…
The famous German company Juwel (http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/de/index.htm) had also their stand in the first hall and are known around the globe for over 35 years in aquarium manufacturing. Today they have the most advanced production facilities made to the highest certificated standards. A large dedicated workforce and their beautiful aquariums show that the welfare of fishes is their prime concern. And they have always very nicely decorated aquarium, all with live plants.
Hikari (http://www.hikari.info/) and Kamihata http://www.kamihata.com/en/ had their usual large stand and were, as always, present with a large staff. The Hikari brand is produced by Kamihata’s Kyorin co., ltd. and calls upon over eleven decades of ornamental fish-breeding experience to produce today one of the finest premium aquatic diets available. Kamihata’s ornamental fish companies started actually almost at the same time as Heiko’s Grandfather started the “modern” aquarium hobby in 1877. It was Tozaemon Kamihata who inaugurated a Koi carp cultivation then. In 1946 Tokichi Kamihata opened a Koi carp wholesale shop in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture of Japan and in 1961 today’s Chairman and owner Shigezo Kamihata established Kamihata Fish Industries Ltd. and started a large Nishikigoi cultivation. Then in 1985 he opened his first ornamental fish Import Center of the Kamihata Fish Industries Ltd. And the large buildings were completed in Himeji Ctiy, Hyogo Prefecture with full facilities for stocking direct-imported tropical fish, small live animals, aquarium plants, etc. from all over the world. Since then this segment has grown tremendously and today his daughter,
Michiko Kamihata, is the President (on the middle photo she is looking at Aquapress’s new publication, the DISCUSBOOK01). In the photo above is Shigezo Kamihata with Heiko. On at least 3 expeditions in the late 1980s and early 1990s Heiko has taken S. Kamihata with him on expeditions to the Amazon, to untouched Indian tribes and to remote places, never explored before in New Guinea. From these (and other) expedition, he has written a couple of books and given credit to Heiko.
At the stand of Aquarium Münster (http://www.aquarium-munster.com/index.php?con_cat=12&con_lang=2), was a meeting of Heiko with Mark Pahlsmeier, one of the two brothers, which are the owners and Michalis Lazaridis from Greece. It was an interesting meeting, because Heiko knew Mark when he was a baby, as his father bought all his fishes from Aquarium Rio. Today Aquarium Münster does not work with life stock anymore, but are known world-wide for their fish medications, which their father invented. And Lazaridis is also a 30plkus year old friend, the largest importer of tropical fishes and supplies in Greece and was one of Aquarium Rio’s very early customers…
Another meeting took place with Matt Clark, the Managing editor of PFK (Practical FishKeeping) in the UK, with over 16,000 sold monthly copies probably one of the largest aquarium fish magazines world-wide. Matt has Heiko writing for PFK for a long time and in the last years monthly with several articles on Biotopes, Discoveries and also frequently on Definite Guides for certain fish groups, like this month (June) about the Melanotaneia species on http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/issue.php?issue=5– in the past about wrote two Definite Guides on Discus http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2724, coming up on Rummy-nose tetras, Freshwater rays, Oscars, Piranhas, etc. PFK is really become an incredible source of information for aquarists around the world, with top authors writing for it…
The Natur- und Tierverlag, the German animal and nature publishing company with their successful Amazonas magazine (http://www.amazonas-magazin.de/), which is possibly the strongest circulating now in German speaking countries and exclusive freshwater fish oriented. The chief editor is the close friend Hans-Georg Evers, a very good freshwater fish expert and also frequent traveller. They publish frequently Heiko’s articles.
Andy Schmidt, owner of San Francisco Bay (http://www.sfbb.com/home.asp) and Ocean Nutrition America (http://www.oceannutrition.eu/)is also a long-time friend and supporter of Aquapress Publications. They loved the new DISCUSBOOK01 and took both inside cover pages right away. Any has lived in Germany and actually speaks German. Here together at the Ocean Nutrition stand with his better half Nina, Natasha and Heiko.
Sera (http://www.sera.de/index.php?id=645&L=1) had its 40th anniversary. Also the ser-owner, Mr. Ravnak, has also been-long-time supporter of Heiko’s work and his publications to help and improve the aquarium hobby. Congratulations. Sera has been a leading manufacturer of fish foods for decades.
Siegfried Engelhardt is another long-time old friend. He own the largest marine fish export facility in Africa for decades (in Kenia), and is known for his quality fishes around the world. When he started he had also worked with Heiko on freshwater fishes…
Tetra Werke Melle (http://www.tetra.de) is still the number one fish food manufacturer world-wide and its owner has actually got started with ideas from Heiko’s mother Amanda Flora Bleher, after WWII. The marketing manager Herr Roland Kaiser, has invited Heiko for seminars and also contributed to get the Bleher’s Biotope stand sponsored, the last time at Interzoo 2008, which was an incredible suvìcess – the attraction for the Interzoo. Here on the photos together with Heiko.
The Manager Susumu Iritani of TFB factiories International Trading section and the Aquatic Division from Japan Pet Communication Co. Ltd. Here with Heiko. They represented and had showed some very unique gravel called Advanced Soil. Once placed in an aquarium with a water pH of 8.0 it will go down to pH 5.0 in a few hours. They have placed 3000 Cardinal tetras (as Heiko at his first
Interzoo 1968 particpation) in this aquarium and the pH went down after 3 hours from 8 to 5. Amazing. And it needs no washing. This is one of their products, the company does many things and is a giant in many production and developments fields.
Tommy Wong from Hiong kong, another long-time friend. Tommy is part-owner (investor) of Eheim China production plant, of Kyorin Group (China), sister companies of Kamihata Industries in Japan, and representative of many other companies from Europe and elsewhere. Once they went collecting together in China dn now Tommy wants to do some other projects with Heiko.
Tropica(http://www.tropica.com/home.aspx) today is probably the largest aquarium plants nursery on earth. With a gigantic new outlet for Holger Windeløv, the founder and inventor of so many aquarium plant innovations (ie potted plants in aquaria, Nano-aquarium, etc.) is a long-time friend, for over 40 years. Holger has sold his company and is only helping PR and enjoying life. Here they toast at the end of Interzoo to the long lasting friendship, together with Hudson Crizanto another friend from Brazil.
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