I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 55 Flower, Bird and Fish Market
After chatting briefly with Uncle Zhen, Chen Jingle went back.

I have my own things to do.

In the afternoon, he decided to go out again and visit the local flower, bird and fish market in Jiangbei.

Although Jiangbei is a small city, it has its own flower, bird and fish market, but it is not large in scale, just one street, and it happens to be located on the south side of the square behind MixC Plaza.

In terms of price, it's definitely not as advantageous as in big cities.

Let's at least take a look first, and then decide what to do.

What if there's a suitable one?
It was Chen Jingle's first time here, but he felt right at home.

From the moment he entered from the street corner, all the small animals' attention was focused on him, but outsiders couldn't perceive this change.

Chen Jingle walked slowly, observing silently, without rashly approaching to ask the price.

The shop owner is the same; if you don't ask the price, he won't greet you.

This is quite different from the enthusiastic market vendors in the north.

The shops on both sides of the street sell a wide variety of things, including many kinds of fish, such as ornamental fish the size of a thumb, and goldfish.

There are many varieties and the prices are not expensive, even considered cheap.

Chen Jingle suddenly remembered a joke and asked: What is the most important thing in raising fish?
The answer is to change the water every three days and change the fish every seven days.

It is clear that fishkeeping is a challenging task, and not everyone can get started. Be cautious before getting involved.

……

Chen Jingle's main focus today is on koi fish.

Koi originated from the red carp in the Yellow River basin. After many years of hybridization and selection, they eventually evolved into the various varieties we see today.

Such as red and white, tricolor, gold, etc.

In many people's eyes, koi are a symbol of good luck, auspiciousness, and abundance year after year, making them a popular feng shui fish and ornamental fish.

"If you put a fish tank in the living room..."

Chen Jingle fell into deep thought, wondering how to arrange it properly.

Netizens suggest that, within your budget, you should choose the largest possible fish tank, at least 1.4 meters, and preferably 1.6 meters.

This would require a lot of space.

Since koi eat a lot and grow quickly, you'll need to replace the fish tank if it gets too small, so it's better to get a new one from the start.

For fish, the larger the body of water, the better, so that even if the water quality is not good, the fish are less likely to get sick or die.

For example, in the pond at Uncle Chen Kangzhen's house, there were red carp that had come from the upstream water source and eventually grew to seven or eight pounds.

The problem is that his living room wasn't very big to begin with, and adding such a large fish tank made it feel even cramped.

This is what Chen Jingle is struggling with.

He is a person who likes simplicity and spaciousness, dislikes cluttered and cramped environments, and couldn't think of a good way to change the layout of the living room.

"If only the yard were bigger, with a fish pond of about 10 square meters."

Chen Jingle was very distressed.

The yard we have now isn't small, but it's not big either. Especially with so many potted plants and flowers already there, designing a fish pond would take up a lot of space and disrupt the original layout.

He has no intention of expanding the yard now, nor does he have any extra space for him to expand.

Two years ago, the government implemented a system to confirm the ownership of rural homesteads, which no longer allows arbitrary construction. If he dares to expand outwards, the village officials will come knocking on his door the next day.

"Let's just browse around first. We're not necessarily going to buy anything. We'll see what it's like."

Maybe we'll find a solution while we're browsing around.

……

The price of koi fish varies greatly, ranging from a few dollars to millions of dollars.

Factors that determine the price include breed, lineage, and condition.

Similar to cats and dogs.

Koi are also pets, just fish. Since they are pets, they should be judged according to the standards for pets, taking into account people's subjective preferences.

The simplest standard is that the larger the size, the higher the price.

Animals that grow to over one meter in length are often worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

Because koi of poor quality are unlikely to grow to a meter or even 60 or 70 centimeters, let alone a meter in length.

Many people have no concept of meter-level precision.

To put it simply, a 108-key keyboard is about 40-42 centimeters in size, while those extra-large mouse pads are 80 centimeters long. You'd need to add the size of your hand to barely reach a meter.

Moreover, koi encounter various problems during their growth process, so in addition to breed and technique, a certain amount of luck is also needed to raise them to the meter level.

The koi at the flower and bird market are mostly ordinary commercial grade, ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan. Don't even think about them growing to the meter level; they're usually around 40-50 centimeters.

Anything that's even slightly larger isn't cheap.

It's not that there aren't any that are sold cheaply.

Those are usually discarded fish, with problems in body shape, bone structure, and even patterns. They don't meet the standards for premium fish and are called "homemade fish," which are specifically used to fool people who don't know anything about fish.

Many live-streaming fish sellers online like to use this kind of trick to fool newbies.

The koi in the park are usually of this level; as long as there are enough of them, that's fine.

Many native koi are used as breeding fish when they are 40 or 50 centimeters long. Under such circumstances, it is naturally difficult for the offspring to grow to more than one meter.

The extremely rare possibility of gene mutation cannot be ruled out.

If these are sold wholesale, they are basically sold by weight, ranging from a dozen yuan to thirty yuan.

The prices at the flower and bird market are definitely not this cheap; they're sold by the piece.

The homemade cannon wasn't even the lowest grade.

The lowest tier are feed fish, which are eliminated after the first round of selection and don't even have a chance to enter the breeding period. They are either released or made into feed.

However, for complete beginners, it's perfectly fine to raise them casually without worrying about the breed or appearance.

Just like raising cats, some people like British Shorthairs, American Shorthairs, Ragdolls, etc., but tabby cats, orange cats, and all kinds of mixed breeds are cats, and you can raise them as long as you like them.

Whether it's keeping pets or collecting beads, only people who like them are willing to pay for them.

To someone who doesn't like you, you're nothing.

Therefore, no matter what hobby you have, the first person you need to please is yourself.

Koi that are 70 centimeters or longer can be called bloodline koi.

Koi fish over 70cm in length generally start at a wholesale price of 3000, while those over 80cm cost 5000. The retail price is also significantly higher.

Further up, each fish has its own price.

Therefore, meter-sized koi fish are much more expensive than you might imagine, and are extremely rare.

Scarcity makes things valuable.

Many fish farms produce female breeding fish that are only a little over 70 centimeters long.

Chen Jingle is not considering big fish.

First of all, big fish are expensive, and without a certain budget, it's difficult to choose a good one.

Small fish are different; they are much cheaper, and there's a chance to snag a bargain. The price of one big fish can buy five or even ten small fish, making them more suitable for him.

Besides koi, you can also consider raising arowana.

However, Chen Jingle didn't really like the appearance of the dragonfish.

In addition, there are various kinds of ornamental fish, such as fighting fish, guppies, tiger barbs, etc. It depends on personal preference; you can keep whatever you like.

However, for beginners, there is one thing to note: it is best not to keep fish from different ponds together, as there are risks involved in mixing fish.

Chen Jingle was also a novice, but he didn't care.

If it accidentally dies, it can only be said that it was not destined to be Chen Jingle's spirit pet.

(End of this chapter)