Rhiju Bose does not know how to swim, but on a vacation in Krabi, he caught a glimpse of the underwater world. “It was like nothing I’d seen before,” he recalls. “It was calm and colourful; the most beautiful thing ever. I saw many fish like Blue Damsels and Clownfish.” Today, Rhiju has arranged such that he can enjoy the beauty of these very fish, and more, sitting on his couch.

There are aquariums, and then there are marine aquariums. Rhiju has maintained tropical (freshwater) aquariums for many years, but he is one of the few who has made the switch to marine. Now he says he can never go back.

“A friend of my father’s (Partha Bose), had a marine aquarium and encouraged us to get one,” says the animation artist, adding that while the initial setup is both costly and painstaking, maintenance thereafter is surprisingly smooth.

Clownfish swimming about in the tank

For starters, the water itself requires great care. Tropical tanks thrive in tap water, but marine fish need a way higher level of salinity. “We need to add salt to the water, but not the kind we use for cooking. They have special salts, along with chemicals and beneficial bacteria,” Rhiju says.

Like an iceberg, the marine fish tank you see placed on a table is just the tip; there is much more under the scene. The table on which Rhiju has placed his tank is actually a small cupboard that houses multiple compartments where the tank water is filtered through sponges, ceramic pores, live rocks, and more to adjust levels like pH.

Rhiju’s house is beautifully designed by his architect mother, Mita, and he has positioned the aquarium such that it is the first thing one sees upon entering. His setup is called a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock). It includes rocks harvested from the ocean along with five swimming beauties.

There are two Blue Damsels with blue bodies and yellow tails, two yellow Clarkii Clownfish that are yellow and white, and a slender blue Doctor Wrasse. This last one eats fungi and parasites off other fish. “But I only have one of these now. I used to have two, but they fought, and one killed the other,” Rhiju tries to show it as the Doctor plays hide-and-seek between the rocks.

Not only are the fish beautiful, but they are also interactive. They recognise Rhiju and swim towards him at sight. And all these fish are male since captive breeding is not feasible in limited space.

The fish must be fed once a day. “It’s essential not to overfeed them, as any leftover food will pollute the water and increase nitrate and ammonia levels. An imbalance in these levels can wreak havoc on the underwater ecosystem; in fact, these levels must be measured every fortnight,” says Rhiju, who has thus installed a system to release feed into the tank at dinner time. Thanks to this, the family even heads out for holidays relaxed in the knowledge that the fish will be fine.

“This hobby is relaxing and satisfying,” he smiles. “All tropical aquarium enthusiasts aspire for marine tanks and my only advice is to not cut corners. If you opt for cheaper equipment, it will break down and your fish will not survive. I learned this the hard way but am now happy with this wonderful setup.”