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The History of Aquarium
Many people like to decorate their house, restaurants and several other dwelling places with a beautiful aquarium. But, do you have an idea of how an aquarium came into existence? How it evolved in the years gone by? Here, is a chronological evolution of the aquarium:
The origins of the aquarium dates back to 2500 BC when Sumerians thrived and maintained food fishes. For more than 4,000 years, people kept fishes initially in ponds and later in tanks. Many ancient cultures valued the speed, beauty and agility of fishes. Ancient Egyptians spawned certain species of fishes for their intrinsic beauty and decorative traits. Chinese raised the carp for food as early as 2000 B.C and were probably the first to lay the foundation to breed fishes to successful limits.
1500s to mid 1800s
Goldfish became an instant sensation in aquarium in the early 1500s. By the end of 1600s, goldfish thrived in England and became popular in ornamental lakes and ponds throughout the country. Moreover, Goldfishes were a common sight in America in the mid 1800s.
1800s to 1900s
In the year 1853, the world’s first-ever public aquarium opened in Regents Park in London. In the next 15 years, until 1868, similar public aquariums opened throughout England, France and Germany. But, due to lack of aquarium building and maintenance knowledge in those days, these early aquariums did not last long. However, in the 1870s, aquarium keepers mastered the skills of filtration and aeration. This led to opening of many new aquariums that sustained for a long period. The interest of fish keeping, the United States also rose during the same period and the government of the US established the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. But, it was P.T. Barnum, the Showman, who opened the first public aquarium in the US. After this, there was a mass virtual explosion of interest in fish keeping and their environment, which also led to the foundation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that kept large a aquarium for public viewing and entertainment.
1900s until present
Today, fishes are the United State’s second most popular pets after cats. Scientific and technological innovations throughout the 20th century have made an aquarium and its maintenance even more convenient than before. Better equipments such as oxygen pumps, filters and balanced and healthy diet have enabled fishes to survive in an aquarium in the same way, as they did in the ponds of Sumerian Islands, ages ago.
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