A KENDAL man has turned his passion for keeping exotic fish into a new business.

Robert Bingham, 24, set up Kendal Aquatics with his partner 26-year-old Stacey Roberts after spending years keeping tropical and cold water fish as a hobby.

The pair run their new shop in Wildman Street, Kendal, where a wide range of species can be bought.

Mr Bingham, who previously worked as a pub chef, said: “We have freshwater tropical and cold water fish from around the world, including South America and South East Asian countries such as Thailand.”

Mr Bingham said one of the most fascinating and brightly coloured species he sells is a discus fish, a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon river basin. However, he is already looking at expanding into marine fish.

“We already have enough room and would like to go into marine fish sometime this year,” he said.

Apart from retailing fish from the Wildman Street shop, Mr Bingham also offers a package to businesses where he supplies and maintains exotically stocked fish tanks for locations such as office receptions and hotel foyers.