Introduction: A first visit to Interzoo 2024
A trip to Interzoo 2024 in Nuremberg, an event I had only heard about but had never experienced in person. This comprehensive congress for everything that crawls, swims, walks or flies under the roof of a house is surprisingly only a three-hour drive from where I live in Austria. With a press accreditation in my pocket – which is taken very seriously here – I was given access to a special parking lot and the well-equipped press room.
Exploring the trade fair: A world of animals and technology
Interzoo is no small beer, as it involves ten huge halls with no less than 2,000 exhibitors. From amphibians to zebra finches – everything is there. However, my task was clear: to look for novelties that might be of interest to the koi community, even though the fair itself had no specific focus on ponds or koi. I have to be honest and admit that I can’t give you the full picture. I was simply too busy in one hall where I had interesting conversations with a number of suppliers of products that can also be taught to the koi industry. This is how I found a scoop of the Mountain Tree water monitoring system, which I will tell you more about later in this article.
Innovation in focus: The Tiny Drum drum filter
As I entered, I quickly stumbled across the stand of a manufacturer with an interesting product: the small drum, a compact drum filter. Originally intended for the aquarium industry, I could immediately envision this small but mighty device in the smaller quarantine tanks or the professional sales tanks of koi dealers. The same filter principle, but in a smaller size that can range from 1,500 to 30,000 liters. The device looks impressively cool, I must say, and that’s why we conducted an interview with Jan Zimmerman from TinyDrum. You will soon find this interview from Interzoo 2024 on KoiQuestion. So be sure to follow us on YouTube and subscribe!
Feed technology: The challenge of floating koi feed
My curiosity then led me to a machine that produces feed pellets. A conversation with the manufacturers revealed that the challenges of feeding koi, especially floatability, is an aspect that requires an innovative twist with the current technology of high pressure and cutting for specific sizes. The machine they now use does everything under increased pressure, with a specific paste eventually being cut into the desired sizes.
Technical innovations from Sander: from ozone to nitrate reduction
An old friend, Sander, who is known for his ozone generators, now showed something much bigger – a protein skimmer and a denitrification column. The latter cultivates a strain of bacteria in a low-oxygen environment that is ideal for breaking down nitrate, not only for large-scale users such as zoos, but possibly also for koi ponds. We have also conducted an interview here, which we will soon publish on our YouTube channel.
Hikari
The stand was manned by a Japanese delegation. I briefly exchanged a few words, realized that my Japanese was still quite rusty, but found understanding. When I enquired about the product, I was referred to an employee of the French branch of Aquadistri, the distributor.
That was a shame because I had hoped to be able to talk to someone who works at the factory in Japan in English about the origins, characteristics and features of Hikari. Maybe I’ll send them an e-mail and next time I’ll be able to do so.
There were some super cool aquariums set up at the fair, one of which was particularly eye-catching. A large mangrove aquarium of several thousand liters, with a shoal of barbs, cherry-bellied cycads, 200 catfish that you didn’t see, and a pufferfish. An impressive, very large puffer fish. A beautiful sight that left all spectators and passers-by open-mouthed. A good advertisement for this man who builds customized aquariums.
Also present was Filtreau with their filter line consisting of drum filter and biologist in one, they show me the latest innovations. Like a small brush that glides precisely over the drainage channel when the drum is turned and also cleanly removes all residues at the edge. There is also room for two additional UV lamps and the spaces are designed so that you can reach everything by hand.
The innovative measuring system from Mountain Tree
Then I arrive at the Mountain Tree stand. They are known for their filter materials and have created a pond and an aquarium. Beautiful representative fish, like in the pond some magic cage and tamasaba in the aquarium. This of course opens up a lot of mechanical filters that are equipped with the familiar filter materials such as mat, brush and ceramic. I have to say, as far as a filter can be beautiful, it really is beautiful to look at.
This floating saucer cannot be a skimmer as there is no way to drain water. Then we will look further. A column sticks out from underneath. Eventually it turns out to be measuring equipment. Zhenzhen Schultze. She explains to me that MountainTree has spent five years working on a proprietary sensor system that can monitor water parameters.
A proprietary sensor system that measures water parameters in real time, including important parameters such as bacterial pressure. This could be revolutionary for monitoring biological filters in koi ponds. This would mean that at some point, even as amateur biologists, we would be able to measure the actual impact of these bottles of bacteria and gels on our biologist.
Closing words: An adventurous day at Interzoo 2024
Amidst all these technical marvels and innovative products, the fair was an adventure in itself. Although it was not explicitly aimed at koi lovers, there was enough potential to excite creative and technical minds. The diversity and size of Interzoo make it an unmissable event for anyone involved in the pet industry, including us passionate koi hobbyists. With these impressions, I am already looking forward to Interzoo 2026. Who knows what innovations will be waiting for us then!
