The history of breeding, raising and nurturing fish for their ornamental value and also for consumption is a long one. More than 4,000 years ago, people were cultivating fish, in ponds at first, but later in man-made tanks. Today, keeping fish in your home is easier than ever.

Early examples of fish in captivity can be found among the Egyptians and Romans as well. The Egyptians would selectively breed fish for certain characteristics and for the beauty of the fish itself. In Egyptian tombs, often one can find examples of fish, often associated with sacred objects. Later there are examples of Romans keeping and selling freshwater fish as food. In Greece, Aristotle was the first to formally study fish and classify them in groups. He found 115 species of fish, while today scientists have classified over 20,000 species.

Goldfish are a very popular aquarium fish today. They were actually originally bred in China over 1,000 years ago and kept for their ornamental value. By the late 17th century, goldfish had made their way to England and by the mid 19th century had found their way to America. Both in England and America, they could be seen in ornamental lakes and ponds all over the country. In 1853, the world's first public aquarium was opened to the public in Regents Park in London. Soon the idea of public aquariums spread across Europe and France and Germany opened aquariums as well. However, due to a lack of knowledge of filtration, adding air to the water and controlling water temperature, most of the fish died. Soon, however, those at the aquariums had learned from their mistakes and with new technology, successfully managed large aquariums. In 1856, P.T. Barnum of Barnum & Bailey fame, opened the first public aquarium in the United States. Over the next 50 years interest in aquariums increased and the popularity of aquariums increased as well.

Today with the advances in filtrations systems, pumps, tanks and fish food, it is fairly easy to keep an aquarium of your own at home. You can choose either a saltwater aquarium or a freshwater aquarium. Generally speaking, saltwater aquariums require more care, simply because there are more factors involved in keeping the environment stable. The upside to saltwater aquariums is that you can have a much wider variety of fish, although they usually cost quite a bit more than freshwater fish. How large you want your aquarium to be mostly depends on how much money you have to spend. If you love the look of aquariums, but can't or don't want to keep the aquarium clean yourself, there are many services today that will actually come to your home, clean your aquarium and perform whatever maintenance is needed. This is especially helpful with saltwater tanks.

Humans have had a long fascination with fish. Whether fish were kept in ponds or in aquariums, people have raised fish for food, pleasure or both. With the advances in technology, it is much easier to keep fish today than it was even 20 years ago. If you've ever thought about having an aquarium, do some research and see just how easy it is to have your own watery wonderland in your living room.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Aquariums