Aayan Anis is a fourteen year old fish keeper based in Karachi, Pakistan.
Hibakidz spoke to him to discover more about his hobby, and here is what he has to say…
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your business?
My name is Aayan Anis. I am studying in Grade VIII in Generations School (S.I.T.E) and I am 14 years old. I own a small business of breeding and selling fish.
How did this idea occur to you?
I have been interested in animals from the starting I think. Keeping animals and pets is my hobby. I have kept 4 different animals at my home. Slowly by watching YouTube videos I got to know about breeding them and making a whole setup.
When exactly did you begin this?
At the age of 11 I saved up EIDI money and bought an aquarium, at that time I did not have much experience so my elder brother helped me. I started with 1 pair of fish and slowly bought more pairs as I made progress.
Have you come across any challenges till now?
Yes, I once faced a challenge when the first time my fish gave birth. The baby fish suddenly started to die, but as usual I searched on YouTube and got to know that I was overfeeding them. Since then Alhamdullilah things are going fine
What are a few things that you learnt from this journey?
1 female fish gives about 6 fry approximately at a time in every 30-45 days, this depends on the health and age of the fish. You need to be sharp-eyed to spot the baby fish in the tank or else the parents will eat their young as the baby fish are no less that 2 or 3 mm long. The fry are very fast and delicate swimmers, so I have to be careful I don’t hurt them and scoop them out of the tank.
How much are you approximately able to earn through it?
I have kept a dozen of guppies and I earn approximately Rs. 5000 a month.
Are your studies affected by this work?
No, Alhamdulillah my studies are not affected as I am capable of managing my time productively. In a day I give around 15 minutes for feeding the fish. I do most of the maintenance of the tank fortnightly, on weekends.
Has someone been your inspiration?
I was just inspired by the idea of keeping a living creature and taking care of it and found fish to be the easiest. My YouTube algorithm started showing me videos about fishkeeping and I was fascinated by the beauty and elegance of this wonderful creation.
Do you plan to continue this as a proper business in the future?
No, I don’t think I will be continuing this as a PROPER business, more of a side business, Inshallah as I am also interested in electrical engineering. I hope that Allah will guide me through what will be best at that time.
If someone wishes to buy fish from you, how can they contact you?
They can email me at: aayananis08@gmail.com, I can share my contact number over there if they are interested.
Hibakidz wishes Aayan a successful fish keeping business!
Interview by: Amal Hanif
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