Chapter 776
The wild west African style and the serene Japanese style formed a sharp contrast against each other . The other aquascaping styles were somewhere between the two of them .
Zhang Zian introduced the aquascaping styles to Snowy one by one . Even the other customers strolling by them were drawn to what Zian was saying .
"Is there a Chinese style in aquascaping?" Snowy asked after finishing the tour, yearning for more .
"Unfortunately, there is not . At least, I've never heard of any," Zhang Zian answered . "Japanese aquascaping is 40 years behind western aquascaping––it took a lot of effort to catch up with the latest trends . You must understand that in Japan, the cost of aquarium tank construction and decoration can be counted into one's mortgage, which relieves the financial burden . Aquascaping became popular in China even later than it did in Japan . It takes time to form a distinct style . Maybe someday in the future, there will be aquascaping in the Chinese style . "
Snowy felt that it was unfortunate, but art could not be forced . China was a big place, and the major cities didn't get along with each other . It would be very hard to agree on a common style .
Apart from financial factors, sufficient time and money were needed for aquascaping . The middle class in China were usually too busy every day with old parents and young kids; they didn't have any time to calm down and play . Most aquascaping fans were retired old people with good pensions, or the elites with financial freedom, or companies and government agencies .
After finishing with the central display area, Zhang Zian needed to get down to his real order of business . He arrived at the front of the different stores, looking for the appropriate aquarium supplies .
Snowy followed him, having no idea about the things that he was looking for . Zian picked up a handful of bottom sand and pinched, then picked up an eco-bio-block to observe the color and sniffed it under his nose . He barely asked any questions except about the prices . The store owners could tell from his behavior that he was a business insider . They usually started off with the lowest price to spare each other the hassle of bargaining .
Zhang Zian stopped at one shop, grabbed two long, rod-shaped artificial stones, and knocked one on the other .
"What's this? Hollow bricks?" Snowy asked, noticing the tiny holes covering the surface of the two artificial stone rods . They looked light, which reminded her of the hollow bricks used in construction .
"No, these are bacteria houses, a type of filtration material to culture the nitrifying bacteria . " Zhang Zian handed one of the rods to her . "Most saltwater tanks use eco-bio-blocks for this task, so no extra bacteria houses are needed . However, for Fish-Only-Tanks, or FOT, in which there's nothing else but the tank, they are needed . Bacteria houses turn acidic after a long time . You need to use them along with coral sand . "
After explaining, he told the store owner, "Get me one of those . "
Zhang Zian bought the bacterial house from the store he was at, and then he stopped by every store on the second floor and bought a bacterial house from each one . He stored the houses in different plastic bags, then marked down the store name with a marker .
Before Snowy asked him, he explained, "Bacterial houses are consumed in large amounts, and at least 50 kilos are needed each time . But the quality differs a lot . I'm buying some samples first, then I will smash them up and check the internal structure under a microscope . Some bacterial houses are poorly made . They have small holes in their surface, but the inside is solid . I'll find out which store offers the best quality, then come back and buy some more . Of course, I'll ask for a bulk price . "
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