Fishkeeping

Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. It is a practice that encompasses the art of maintaining one's own aquatic ecosystem, featuring a lot of variety with various water systems, all of which have their own unique features and requirements. Fishkeeping primarily serves as a token of appreciation and fascination for marine life and the environment that surrounds such, along with other purposes such as the piscicultural fishkeeping industry, serving as a branch of agriculture, being one of the most widespread methods of cultivating fish for commercial profit.

Fishkeeping has existed for thousands of years, with some of the earliest known fishkeepers being Sumerians around 2500 BCE. During this period, aquarium owners did not fully understand the environmental requirements necessary to sustain marine life. Over time fishkeeping evolved as knowledge of aquatic biology improved, leading to the development of specialized tanks for different species and the incorporation of aquatic plants to create more balanced and natural habitats.

Origins of fishkeeping

Fish have been raised as food in pools and ponds for thousands of years. Brightly colored or tame specimens of fish in these pools have sometimes been valued as pets rather than food. Many cultures, ancient and modern, have kept fish for both functional and decorative purposes.

Ancient Sumerians kept wild-caught fish in ponds, before preparing them for meals. Depictions of the sacred fish of Oxyrhynchus kept in captivity in rectangular temple pools have been found in ancient Egyptian art.