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The History of Ornamental Fish Keeping

© Douglas DuHamel

Some early cultures were known to keep fish, other than for the consumption of food! Some examples of ancient fish keepers are the Chinese, the Romans and early Asians. It has been noted that the ancient Babylonians kept ponds of ornamental fish and this was circa 500 BC.

The most important contributor to the art of fish keeping was the Chinese. Goldfish were the first ornamental fish to be kept. These fish date back to 960 AD during the Sung Dynasty in China. Ponds stocked with ornamental fish gained popularity among the rich from 968-975 and eating the fish was strictly prohibited.

In 1136 Emperor Hiau-Tsung started to breed and keep these fish in a more controlled environment. Several new breeds of ornamental; fish evolved which helped make him popular and known throughout China.

By 1510, goldfish were no longer a luxury for the rich, but common among all people. Many houses and dwellings had ponds with goldfish and breeding them flourished. It was very common to keep breeding ideas secret. Even today in many cultures its good luck to keep these fish in the house or in ponds around the house.

In 1616 the goldfish reached Japan .The Japanese mastered the breeding of fish over time, They are now the largest exporters of goldfish worldwide! The Japanese and Chinese have some of the most beautiful ponds in the world. These ponds are even more exotic when their combined with water plants!

In 1691 goldfish appeared in Portugal and the rest of Europe. From there they arrived in England in 1780. By 1850 goldfish arrived in the New World and they were the big attraction in New York in 1865.

In 1856 a groundbreaking essay about "Sea in a Glass " by Emil Robmaber was published in Germany which is recognized as the beginning of the aquatic hobby as we know it today.

Up until the 1950's, all fish were fed live foods. Dr Baensch revolutionized the hobby by inventing flake foods. From there on, the hobby flourished. Fueled by faster and more advanced transportation, more and more breeders and hobbyists helped make the aquarium hobby more popular. The inventions since the 1950s, such as water chemistry, filtration, aeration, and lighting have basically made it possible for anyone to enjoy fish.

There was not a wide selection of aquariums in the 50's and 60's. Most of them had thick metal frames and the largest size was 100 gallon, unless you had a tank custom built. Today, the tanks are frameless and are available in glass, acrylic or plexi-glass. They come in all shapes and sizes, such as square, rectangular, hexagon, bow front, towers, and globular. Most new tanks have fluorescent lighting instead of incandescent, which is better for plant growth, and emphasize the beautiful colors of the fish. People can buy a range of sizes from 2 1/2 gallons to 500 gallons.

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