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Fishkeeping in Brisbane: Steve Baines and the Itty Bitty Aquarium Store

By Nathan D'Addio

Original to Aquarticles

Steve and the discus and rainbowfish tank

The Itty Bitty Aquarium is a wonderful aquarium store in the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove. It is run by Steve Baines, who has been an aquarist since he was seven years of age. The name tells you everything about the place: in an approximately 5m by 5m space many fish species thrive. The tanks are extremely clean, and the fish quality is very high, as Steve handpicks all the fish himself. All the aquariums have a corrugated iron door, which gives the whole shop an Australian colonial feel. There are rows of Bettas on the walls, and large show tanks with everything from tropicals to discus to goldfish and rainbowfish. The Itty Bitty aquarium also has a range of plants, food, décor, and various other items.

The front of the store, with colourful displays

Steve Baines grew up in Pine Rivers, Australia where he got interested in fishkeeping when he was seven. At that age he went down to local creeks, where he caught fish and kept them in containers. Steve says he has bred 50-60 species of fish, from Chiclids, to Livebearers and Antabantoids. Steve's favourite fish are Australian native fish, and in particular rainbowfish. He likes these fish for two reasons: they are very beautiful, and because he has seen them living in their natural habitat. These fish are also the primary fish that he keeps at the moment.

The Betta tanks

The corrugated iron doors

Discus and rainbowfish

When Steve Baines was about 10, he bred Siamese fighting fish. His method was to condition the fish well, then place the female in a jar in a small aquarium, where the male was. When the male had built a bubblenest, he would let the female out. After they successfully spawned, and the babies had begun to swim horizontally, he would move them into to a tub of mature infusoria (green) water, which he prepared using boiled lettuce leaves. After three months, Steve would separate the males from the females, then give away the ones he didn't want, and keep the ones he did.

Two tanks on one level, separated by a divider

The small Chiclid tank

Some large(ish) fish in this tank

Steve's favourite part of the hobby is introducing it to other people. He says this is because being an aquarist is pretty easy and enjoyable. He also likes to collect fish. Steve Baines established the Itty Bitty Aquarium because a friend talked to him about it. They wanted a quality aquarium store that had an Australian theme. Steve had owned and managed other stores before he established the Itty Bitty Aquarium shop.

In the future, Steve Baines wants to get more involved with environmental projects, as he has been part of several before. He also wants to be part of building a healthy thriving environment for fish and reptiles.

You can see the exceptional quality of Steve's fish

The Itty Bitty aquarium is located at:

Shop 1/10 Stewart Road Ashgrove,
4060 Brisbane, Queensland
Australia

Phone: 61 07 3366 6550