This look makes you forget all the hustle and bustle
Created: 12/17/2022, 3:00 p.m
By: Susanne Weiss
Soothing: The look into one of the underwater worlds of the Isar Valley Aquarium and Terrarium Association.
© Hermsdorf-Hiss
To get in the mood for Christmas, we invite you to the Advent window.
Today the window is a pane - at the Isartal Aquarium and Terrarium Association.
Geretsried – The heavy cellar door slams shut and all the hustle and bustle is forgotten: the many cars outside on the slippery street and the Christmas presents or holiday shopping that are still missing so close to the fourth Advent.
The Isartal Aquarium and Terrarium Association has its territory here under the Geretsried public library.
One underwater world follows the other on the walls.
Only quiet whirring and soothing bubbling can be heard.
Geretsried: Isar Valley aquarium and terrarium association accommodates 27 environments
From the afternoon onwards, timers switch on the lights in the aquariums one after the other.
One of them is already glowing purple-pink.
It's right next to the entrance.
Behind the pane, the residents crowd into the upper right corner.
They think they'll get something to eat if someone casts a shadow on them.
But it's not that far yet.
In this aquarium, ornamental freshwater fish from the African Lake Tanganyika and a few from Lake Malawi swim in the 23-degree warm water.
They are yellow, orange, and blue patterned.
"Almost as colorful as saltwater fish," says Dieter Dörfler.
The secretary leads through the club's headquarters on this day.
Visitors are always welcome to the aquarists.
"After 6 p.m. there is always someone there, but you should call the chairman beforehand," explains the 64-year-old.
Bubbling oxygen is decoration in the aquarium
The scaly creatures from the two African lakes get along well with the Geretsried water hardness.
"They are relatively easy to care for," says Dörfler.
The home of the colorful fish consists of hollow rock and shrubs with large leaves.
"The plants should be more robust, otherwise the animals will see them as greens," says Dörfler with a smile.
The African freshwater ornamental fish are rather herbivores.
Oxygen is bubbling in the back.
Air bubbles used to be seen in every aquarium.
"According to the latest findings, however, it is sufficient for the filter to keep the water surface in motion," explains the secretary.
Visually, however, the bubbles make a difference.
The association houses a total of 26 aquariums and one terrarium on the premises of the city.
"Because of the high electricity costs, we had to reduce," explains Dörfler with a view to the energy crisis.
All lights have been switched to LED, the water temperatures have been reduced to the minimum.
"We try to save where we can."
Isartal Aquarium and Terrarium Association has 36 members
The aquariums are owned by members who also take care of them themselves.
The association currently has 36 women and men.
"It's a bit difficult to find young people," says Geretsrieder.
The aquarists present themselves every year at the children's and youth day.
This year the members also organized an open day for refugee children from Ukraine.
"It was very well attended." And a stand at the Christmas market always improves the club's coffers in Advent.
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The main purpose of the Isar Valley Aquarium and Terrarium Association is to exchange experiences and breed them yourself.
It was created at the time of Mayor Heinz Schneider.
"He was often there and sometimes took care of the animals," remembers Dörfler.
Since 1984, chairman Axel Sternkopf has managed the aquarists as a registered association.
In addition to the African freshwater ornamental fish, the tanks house those from Asia as well as Central and South America.
There are also smaller Mediterranean fish, tropical frogs and turtles.
The latter eat dead fish that were sick.
"It's a cycle."
Aquariums in Geretsried: "Here is my haven of peace"
Dieter Dörfler has two aquariums in the basement on Adalbert-Stifter-Straße.
"This is my haven of peace," says the 64-year-old.
Except for a break during the "Storm and Drang period", he has been enthusiastic about aquaristics since he was twelve years old.
At that time, he and a boy next door were sent by his father to the Bibisee to expose mouthbrooders.
"We just threw them in and they were lying on their stomachs," says Dörfler.
The boys didn't know that they would have had to gradually get the fish used to the new water.
They took her out again.
They recovered with some warm water.
"I put them in a pickle jar and blew in ten times a day." The neighbor gave him a discarded aquarium as a gift.
And Dörfler got the lighting and the base cabinet built by his father – for Christmas.
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