Inside the bizarre and colourful Hong Kong Goldfish Market where thousands of the bagged creatures line the walls of aquatic shops

The Goldfish Market at Mong Kok in Hong Kong takes visitors through rows of aquatic shops featuring thousands of goldfish and marine creatures

The colourful street market spans a few blocks of Tung Choi Street North, has racks upon racks of goldfish and tropical fish hanging in their makeshift ponds, waiting to be adopted and taken home

The markets operate on a daily basis from 4am until sunrise, coming alive at night for tourists and locals to browse the colourful species

Hong Kong is one of the leading exporters of goldfish and other tropical fish for aquarists and fish keepers around the world

The Tung Choi Street goldfish shops have been in operation for many years, with the demand for goldfish linked to the popularity of creating feng shui harmony in the house 

Guests can view multitudes of buckets, bags and boxes of fish laid on the pavement, ready for perusing

Tropical fish hang in bags in the aqua stores, many of them owned by keen aquarists who compete in competitions

The lack of space meant that it was impractical to keep pet cats or dogs, instead increasing the demand for the keeping of tropical fish, both freshwater and less commonly sea fish

Many of the shop owners are competitive aquarists themselves, competing internationally and regionally at various competitions

Hong Kong is one of the leading exporters of goldfish and other tropical fish for aquarists and fish keepers around the world

Hong Kong was in the top five world exporters of live tropical fish for aquarists globally, during the 1980s and early 1990s, with a large amount of business taking place at Tong Choi Street North's Goldfish Market

There are a large variety of other fish on show at the market including this dark red species

Aquarium plants displayed in plastic bags for sale in the Goldfish Market in Mong Kok

During the 1970s and 1980s the number of goldfish being kept as pets grew, alongside other types of tropical fish such as butterfly fish, due to the majority of Hong Kong's population living in flats in high rise apartments

People look at bags of fish for sale at a streetside pet fish store in Mong Kok Goldfish Market in Hong Kong

People looking to decorate their homes and offices with pet fish often visit Mong Kok Goldfish Market, where many species of fish and turtles can be found on the market's two blocks of aquarium stores

Goldfish swim inside an aquarium at a goldfish market on Tung Choi Street in Hong Kong's Kowloon neighbourhood

There are not only goldfish but also turtles and other marine creatures sold at the market 

Colourful fish are bagged and ready to take away in the goldfish market on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok district