We had our 4th Weekly Giveaway today, with 54 magazine subscribers in the race, and the winner of the 4th Discusbook 05 is... Punit Lalbhai from Ahmedabad! Congratulations, Punit Lalbhai!! We will continue with our weekly giveaway till January 26th, when we complete 365 days since launch, and this coming week we have another collectable book as the giveaway - "The Book of ADA"!! So, in case you haven't subscribed yet to India's first and only magazine focused on the aquarium hobby, do so on https://weekendaquarist.in and subscribe to any of our annual subscription plans (Use code INSTA-10 for an instant discount) Your name will be added to the weekly giveaway! Annual Print Subscription - 12 issues with collectibles - Rs.2250/- Annual Combo Plan - (Print & Digital) - 12 issues - Rs.3000/- International Subscribers - Subscribe on Magzter.com and share the screenshot (tag us/DM us on Instagram/theweekendaquarist) https://www.magzter.com/IN/The-Weekend-Aquarist-Media-Co/The-Weekend-Aquarist/Animals--Pets/

🚨 LAST CALL! FINAL GIVEAWAY 🚨 Tonight at 9:30 PM on Instagram — we draw the winner of our last & final Lucky Draw 🎉 Subscribe to any of our Annual Plans in the next few hours and you’re in the running to win Heiko Bleher’s Discusbook 05 📘🐟 ⏳ Time’s running out. 🎁 One legendary book. 📍 One final chance. 👉 Subscribe now: https://www.weekendaquarist.in See you live at 9:30 PM. Don’t miss it! Use code INSTA-10 for an instant discount on our annual plans.

“Kraken Habitat” — maybe it was the name, maybe the Jurassic vibes… or maybe it was the bearded dragon that sealed the deal. Whatever the reason, this long-awaited visit to Kraken Habitat turned out to be far more than I anticipated. From exotic reptiles to Indian native fishes—Kraken Habitat has it all. This on-location conversation with the very young founder of Kraken Habitat offers a fascinating glimpse into passion, purpose, and building something truly unique. 🎙️ Coming soon on The Weekend Aquarist Podcast 📺 Exclusively on YouTube 👉 If you haven’t subscribed yet, do it now—and don’t forget to hit the Bell icon so you don’t miss this episode.

And we had the third lucky draw for the Discus Book 05. Niiranjan Painarkar won the third Discuss Book 05, a rare Heiko Bleher collectable book. One more Discusbook 05 Lucky Draw left and will be on 6th January 2026 at 9:30 P.M India. Subscribe to The Weekend Aquarist magazine on https://www.weekendaquarist.in/product-page/annual-subscription-best-of-both-worlds or https://www.weekendaquarist.in/product-page/annual-subscription-print-edition-only to participate in this final Lucky Draw. Use code INSTA-10 for an instant discount. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Event 03:36 Lucky Draw Announcement and Winner Reveal 05:01 Community Engagement and Support for Local Initiatives

✨ Thank You, 2025 ✨ As we wrap up the year, just one word — gratitude. To every guest, collaborator, researcher, and conservationist who trusted us with their stories. To the hobbyists who read, watched, listened, questioned, and encouraged us. And to our friends and colleagues across the aquarium trade — retailers, breeders, exporters, and professionals who stood by us through the highs and the lows. 2025 wasn’t without its challenges. But together, we crossed the line strong. What began as conversations became stories. What became stories grew into a community. As we look ahead to 2026, we do so with renewed energy, deeper purpose, and an even stronger commitment to this hobby and the people who make it special. Thank you for being part of the journey. Let’s keep growing — one aquarium, one story, one conversation at a time. 🌊 #TheWeekendAquarist #AquariumCommunity #Grateful #YearEnd #Aquascaping #IndianNativeFishes #AquariumTrade #LookingAhead

And the winner is...Siddharth Shetty. Congratulations, Siddharth!! You won Heiko Bleher's Discusbook05 and it will soon be on it's way to you! For those who wish to participatein the newt two weekly lucky draws, all you have to do is to participate by subscribing to The Weekend Aquarist magazine here https://weekendaquarist.in

🆕 A new snakehead species discovered in India From the quiet hill streams of Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district comes an exciting addition to India’s freshwater biodiversity — Channa bhoi, a species new to science. Named in honour of the indigenous Bhoi community, this discovery acknowledges generations of coexistence with these fragile freshwater ecosystems. The species was described by a team of researchers — Jayasimhan Praveenraj, Nallathambi Moulitharan, Aristone M. Ryndongsngi, Tejas Thackeray, Ravi Shanthy Naveen, and Annam Pavan Kumar — with contributions from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, reinforcing the role of community-linked conservation and field research. Discoveries like Channa bhoi remind us that even small, fast-flowing streams can still hold secrets waiting to be revealed — and protected. 🎥 Note: Subtle AI-based visual effects have been added to this video for clarity and storytelling, without altering the scientific context. For more native fish discoveries and stories from the wild, 👉 visit weekendaquarist.in and subscribe to The Weekend Aquarist. #ChannaBhoi #NewSpecies #IndianNativeFish #FreshwaterBiodiversity #RiBhoi #Meghalaya #Snakehead #Ichthyology #Conservation #ThackerayWildlifeFoundation #TheWeekendAquarist

Lost for 85 Years… Now Rediscovered | Channa amphibeus (Bura Chung) Once believed to be lost forever, Channa amphibeus—locally known as Bura Chung—has been rediscovered after more than 85 years in the Himalayan foothills of India. This short video offers a rare glimpse of a live Bura Chung, one of the world’s most elusive snakehead fishes, rediscovered from the Chel River system of North Bengal. For decades, the species existed only in old drawings, museum records, and local memory—until 2024 changed everything. The Weekend Aquarist was privileged to witness one of these rediscovered specimens alive, before it was transferred to a Public Aquarium for conservation and education. ⸻ 📚 Primary Source Praveenraj, J., Thackeray, T., Moulitharan, N., Vijayakrishnan, B. & Nanda, G.K. (2025). Lost for more than 85 years—rediscovery of Channa amphibeus (McClelland, 1845), the world’s most elusive snakehead species (Teleostei, Labyrinthici, Channidae). Zootaxa 5583 (1): 87–100. ⸻ 🙏 Acknowledgements Special thanks to Dr. Praveen J, Tejas Thackeray, Balaji Vijayakrishnan, Moulitharan N, and Nanda GK for sharing this remarkable story with The Weekend Aquarist. Our sincere thanks to Nikhil Sood of India Gills and Best4Pets.in for allowing us to record the live specimen, Shri Krishna U for his photographs, and Beta Mahatvaraj for his continued support and guidance. ⸻ 🔉 The Voice Narrated by Amar Salvi, The Weekend Aquarist. ⸻ 📖 Read the Full Story The complete story—history, rediscovery, behaviour, and conservation significance—is featured in the latest issue of The Weekend Aquarist Magazine. 👉 https://weekendaquarist.in 🎉 Use code INSTA-10 for an instant Anniversary Special discount

🎉 The Weekend Aquarist Turns 1 — And We’re Celebrating With You! 🎉 This month marks a huge milestone — The Weekend Aquarist magazine completes its first year! From Day 1, you’ve supported India’s first and only dedicated aquarium magazine… and now it’s time to celebrate together. 💙🐠 To mark this anniversary, we’re doing something truly special: 📚 We’re Giving Away 4 Copies of Heiko Bleher’s Discusbook 05! Yes — the legendary Discusbook 05, a collectable masterpiece that is no longer in print. Four lucky subscribers will each win one copy, and we’ll announce one winner every week until the end of the month. This is our way of saying thank you for being part of The Weekend Aquarist community. ⭐ How to Enter (Super Easy): 1️⃣ Visit https://weekendaquarist.in 2️⃣ Subscribe to any of our flexible annual magazine plans 3️⃣ Complete your subscription before 25th December 2025 ⬆️ That’s it. You’re automatically entered into the giveaway! 🎁 Why You Shouldn’t Miss This: Discusbook 05 is a collector’s edition — once gone, it’s gone forever Each weekly draw increases your chances of winning Annual subscribers get premium stories, native species features, aquascaping guides, interviews, and more — every month 🥂 Thank You for an Amazing Year Your support is what keeps this magazine alive — from our print editions to our podcasts, videos, and field stories. Here’s to many more years of inspiring aquarists across India and around the world. Subscribe today → https://weekendaquarist.in Be part of our first-anniversary celebration and stand a chance to own a rare Heiko Bleher classic. 🙌💙