Freshwater

The ancient Egyptians are generally believed to
be the first “true” aquarium keepers. Historical
evidence suggests that Egyptians kept fish in
ponds as a source of food, and smaller species
in their homes to impress their friends. (We
don’t know if they had pyramid-shaped aquariums
back then, but we kind of doubt it.)
High-ranking Roman officials are rumored to
have kept ponds full of hungry eels. If an eelkeeping
official happened to have a politically
uncooperative neighbor . . . well, the neighbor
may have gotten a fish-eye view of their good
buddy’s aquatic pets.
From Rome, fishkeeping began spreading in the
Far East. Oriental aquarists became so fascinated
with the common goldfish that they went into
aquatic hyperdrive and started selectively breeding
them at a rapid rate. Needless to say, they
came up with a bunch of cool-looking goldfish!
Public aquariums began to show up in Europe
in the late 1800s. Those first aquariums were
quite a bit different that the ones we have today
Chapter 2: The Practice of Aquarium Keeping
Aquariums of old
and displayed only a few different species.
Later on, expensive glass aquariums were manufactured
for the elegant homes of the rich and
famous. Unfortunately, because they were
heated by open flames or oil lamps, these primitive
tanks were unsafe. Often, members of high
society with aquariums ended up with a very
large pile of ashes where their mansions once
stood (and a fish fry dinner).
During these early, dark days of aquarium keeping,
hobbyists had to make do with makeshift
equipment and scary potions. The situation
finally began to improve in the 1900s when fish
shows and aquarium societies (fish nerds gathered
together in one place) emerged to help the
increasing number of hobbyists maintain their
tanks.
Today we have the best of the aquarium-keeping
world. Top-of-the-line equipment, caring
breeders, and expanding species availability
allows anyone to keep a home aquarium with
ease. Technology has made it easier than ever
to keep our aquatic pets healthy and happy.
Setting up and maintaining an aquarium is simply a matter of learning and following
basic rules. That is what this book is for. Knowledge is the key to success,
and you’re making a good start by buying this book. But you can also
keep current on future fishkeeping trends by joining local fishkeeping societies,
and from many other sources, such as libraries, magazines, and the
World Wide Web. A little research can go a long way and make all the difference
between complete success and unnecessary failure. Do your homework
well and you’ll be prepared to handle any aquatic situation.
What Kind of Aquarium Do You Want?
You are starting out in the freshwater side of the hobby, which is why you
purchased this book. Good choice! This book focuses on freshwater systems,
but the following gives a good glimpse of what you might want to dive into
after you have mastered the basics of freshwater fishkeeping.
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