# General > AquaTalk >  LFS in Doha, Qatar - AquaArt

## kevkoi

Just thought if anyone comes over to this part of the world, they should visit...

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## kevkoi

Some livestock pictures from AquaArt.











For more... check out www.aquaart.com.qa

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## juggler

Wow - so beautiful!
Looks more like a gallery of fine exhibits than a LFS.

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## Ian Lim

This is a superb store to visit if you happen to be in this part of the world The stores carry a good variety of fauna and equipment. Store is nicely setup, it looks and feel more like a boutique shop, by the way it is an ADA authorise distributor. Excellent 1 stop store for all your aqua needs and with top-notch service from our friends from Malaysia.

I am just a very happy customer who enjoy patronising the store. Kudos to Kelvin, Yap and Jeep who make it happen in the land covered with sand everywhere and scotching heat throughout the year.

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## Ian Lim

> Wow - so beautiful!
> Looks more like a gallery of fine exhibits than a LFS.


Yes, you have to be there to see it for yourself. Much planning and effort have been put in to set up such a wonderful store and I have to take my hats off for these guys managing the place. Every new shipment bring me to the shop to enjoy the display tank and I am very glad that Kelvin (store manager) can get in a good variety of fresh, marine fauna as well as plants. It is a combination of C328, Nature Aquarium and Biotope all in 1, really 1 stop.

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## Spid

WOA... I agree with juggler. It looks more like a aquatic gallery than a normal LFS.

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## kevkoi

well maybe it's time to change the perception of what a LFS is suppose to look like?

Aquariums are to me a living work of art.... so shouldn't they be featured in a "gallery" style setting? :Grin:

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## blue33

If i'm not wrong, very soon we will see one appear locally soon. It will be a gallery sort of also...  :Grin:  ... insider news...  :Laughing:

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## Captain Telecredible

> If i'm not wrong, very soon we will see one appear locally soon. It will be a gallery sort of also...  ... insider news...


Hmmm...you refering to Aquamarin's new gallery over at Parkmall? :Smile:

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## blue33

> Hmmm...you refering to Aquamarin's new gallery over at Parkmall?


Nope! The person should know what i mean, right?  :Wink:

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## Ian Lim

The gallery concept will bring this hobby to another level and hope that customer service level do go up with it too. 

By the way AquaArt have 2 x ADA 6ft tank with 12mm glass, 1 for marine and the other for plants, each tank cost more than $15k  :Shocked:

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## barmby

Very classy. The type of LFS that I can only dreamt of.

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## BFG

> The gallery concept will bring this hobby to another level and hope that customer service level do go up with it too. 
> 
> By the way AquaArt have 2 x ADA 6ft tank with 12mm glass, 1 for marine and the other for plants, each tank cost more than $15k


There goes my dream reef tank........simply too expensive to own. Ian, is the tank braceless?

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## Ian Lim

> There goes my dream reef tank........simply too expensive to own. Ian, is the tank braceless?


Yup, it is braceless, solid ADA quality.  :Grin:  Such a huge tank and the silicone finishing is just fantastic, a very thin layer for it's size with clean joint and not forgetting the crystal clear quality of the glass. It is in deed a class of it's own. You can see it in the 1st pic, the 2 tanks on the left corner with brown colored cabinet.

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## Shadow

I guess singapore rent is too expensive to get such a big shop, so spacious with nice display tank

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## kevkoi

Errrm, rent in Singapore is cheap compared to Doha, Qatar!

Here's the ADA marine aquarium 180cm x 60cm x 60cm
This is an old picture from months ago.



Braceless top.


W hotel - Doha

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## Shadow

> Errrm, rent in Singapore is cheap compared to Doha, Qatar!


They probably sell the stuff few times more ex than Singapore

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## Ian Lim

> They probably sell the stuff few times more ex than Singapore


The living expenses is about 30% higher than Singapore. I would list housing rental as the most expensive item in Doha, a small 3 rooms apartment can easily cost you SGD6k monthly. However, the salary you get over there should be at least twice of what you are getting in SG, so no complain. 

Price for the fauna and equipment is about double the price compare to SG, I would consider it reasonable as they are paying maybe SGD20k-30k for the shop monthly rental.

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## Shadow

sell at onl double the price? wonder how the survive with such high shop rental.

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## Xianghao

yeah.. i have been to certain aquarium shops in singapore situated in shopping centres. they are selling fauna like cherry barb like 10 times as expensive? i'm appalled by how they are able to survive like that.

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## Shadow

that is why they have to sell it expensive otherwise they wont survive due to expensive shopping center rental

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## Ian Lim

> sell at onl double the price? wonder how the survive with such high shop rental.


Hi Shadow, equipment price is about double of what we get locally, as for fauna the price is higher e.g. cardina tetra at SGD3+ each, however this does not turn away the Arab who have deep pocket.

This store really stand out from what I have seen so far, it should be the best that you can find in the region and back home. Their customer base are from the middle and above income group. Sales for the Ehiem filters are moving faster that C325 and fuana/plants were snap up within 2-3 days on arrival. The display tanks were well kept and it really spur you to buy on impulse. Let's hope we can have something similiar over here soon.

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## Shadow

yes-yes...they seem to have bottomless pocket  :Laughing:

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## Droicut

> yeah.. i have been to certain aquarium shops in singapore situated in shopping centres. they are selling fauna like cherry barb like 10 times as expensive? i'm appalled by how they are able to survive like that.


Like the one in Plaza Singapura? Don't forget they have alot of rich folks around that area too...  :Very Happy:

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## Fuzzy

I love to visit this type of store, I would never buy anything there. Same way I like to visit Art Galleries but would never buy any of the pieces on show :P 

It would be very hard to attempt something like this in Singapore, the population is too small and nowhere near affluent enough to be willing to pay price premiums for aquarium goods, for some reason buying LV bags is ok though...funny.

The thing about Qatar (they are not oil rich, but have a huge deposit of natural gas) and many of the other petroleum rich nations in the region, is that their more affluent portions of population are really incredibly rich, a reasonable percentage of the local population have never worked a day in their lives. 

Many get "free money" either directly from the Government or in the form of kickbacks and commissions from foreign companies for referrals or use of their contacts and connections in dealings within the country. 

So for them, its easy come, easy go, most of them just aren't very concerned about how they spend their money.

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## kevkoi

Errrm... I manage the operations at AquaArt and while many seem to think because it's in a flashy looking store, the prices should be expensive? 

Here's an example for comparison on international prices.
I believe the product prices are comparable, if not even quite competitive with international prices! The prices for familiar producst, especially famous international brands such as ADA, Eheim or even LV, Gucci etc cannot vary so much, from one country to another no matter what the overheads may be.

Eheim classic 2213plus is selling in Qatar at *QR395* (USD108.50) off the shelf!Online shops in the USA sell the same package for between USD90-115Online shops in the UK sell the same package for between GBP58-65 (approx US$90-120)Online shops in Australia sell the same package for between (AUD160-185) (approx USD130-160)Shops in Malaysia sell the same package for RM365 (USD104)
So, while our overheads are high we're still considerably cheap!!

ADA Cube Garden 60-P is selling in Qatar off the shelf at QR450 (USD123)
ADA Cube Garden 60-P is selling in online store in USA at USD160
I find an online shop in Singapore selling ADA Cube Garden 60P at SGD188 (USD120)
So, again we're quite comparable...

With most products, we're within maybe 10-15&#37; more than Singapore there abouts. Only thing is we have limited range of cheap competing Chinese products because it's a headache selling stuff that breaks down!

Of course with live stock, we cannot compare lah. Singapore is situated right next to Malaysia and Indonesia which are major producers of Ornamental tropical fish. And Singapore is an ornamental aquarium fish export hub! 
Qatar Airways cargo charges are among the MOST expensive in the world (5-star airlines. The only thing 5-Star is the prices lah!)... So we have to account for the fish freight also. 

Even then we have very good quality Apistogramma cacatuoides 
"Super red", Apistogramma agassizi, hongsloi, viejita among others at very good prices, comparable if not less than S'pore.  :Wink: 

We're very very competitively priced if you ask our European/American friends. Australians would think they struck gold with our prices here.... Heck, even AquaOne Aquariums which are an Aussie company is cheaper in Qatar than in Australia!

ALL this even with our overheads which are higher than Singapore!! 
... And a population FAR smaller than Singapore. (Total population of Qatar is between 1- 1.2million with only around 300,000 Qatari nationals, the rest consisting of expatriates and migrant labour)

How'd u do it? You stream-line operations. Stay highly-highly competitive with top quality service to stifle out the competition or keep any from coming up. You purchase direct from source. And u don't get greedy! Afterall, with such a small population and market base, it cannot support that many aquarium shops anyway... So may as well have one that is good.

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## Shadow

look at your price, must be very tough to survive? If I may ask how many competitor are there?

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## kevkoi

Some updated pics of AquaArt...

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## kevkoi

Some project works...
3m x 80cm wide x 1m tall planted discus aquarium

Building it:


Setting it up:




3months ago:




NOW:

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## kevkoi

Another Marine aquarium at the Al Sharq Village resort - Ritz Carlton

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## barmby

Thanks for sharing!

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## celticfish

I think you need to buy scuba gear for your staff!  :Laughing: 

Thanks for the pictures and update of the going on in the middle east.
Its nice to know the lack of water isn't stopping them!  :Grin:

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## zonkkie

Very nice! Can visit together with the 2022 World Cup.  :Smile:

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## neverwalkalone

> Very nice! Can visit together with the 2022 World Cup.


Hear! Hear! Plenty of time for prepare for the influx of Football fans from the world over - great opportunity to get this hobby into the masses and make a name for yourselves. Thanks for sharing. The Discus tank is beautiful!

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