![]() ![]() Neon tetras are common freshwater fish kept as pets.įreshwater fishkeeping is by far the most popular branch of the hobby, with even small pet stores often selling a variety of freshwater fish, such as goldfish, guppies, and angelfish. The hobby can be broadly divided into three specific disciplines, depending on the type of water the fish originate from: freshwater, brackish, and marine (also called saltwater) fishkeeping. Types of fishkeeping systems įishkeepers are often known as "aquarists" since many of them are not solely interested in keeping fish. A pioneer of tropical fish breeding, Carbonnier was awarded the Gold Medal of the Imperial French Acclimatization Society in 1875 for research and breeding of exotic freshwater aquarium fish, and for his success in introducing exotic fish species to France. The first person to breed a tropical fish in Europe was Pierre Carbonnier, who founded one of the oldest public aquaria in Paris in 1850, and bred the first imported Macropods ( Paradise fish) in 1869, and later more species. Rather cynically, he referred to these ancient fishkeepers as the Piscinarii, the "fish-pond owners" or "fish breeders", for example when saying that "the rich (I mean your friends the fish-breeders) did not disguise their jealousy of me". Cicero reports that the advocate Quintus Hortensius wept when a favored specimen died. Tertullian reports that Asinius Celer paid 8000 sesterces for a particularly fine mullet. Wealthy Romans kept lampreys and other fish in salt water pools. ![]() Marine fish have been similarly valued for centuries. In Medieval Europe, carp pools were a standard feature of estates and monasteries, providing an alternative to meat on feast days when meat could not be eaten for religious reasons. The Chinese brought goldfish indoors during the Song Dynasty to enjoy them in large ceramic vessels. Selective breeding of carp into today's popular and completely domesticated koi and fancy goldfish began over 2,000 years ago in Japan and China, respectively. Similarly, Asia has experienced a long history of stocking rice paddies with freshwater fish suitable for eating, including various types of catfish and cyprinid. Depictions of the sacred fish of Oxyrhynchus kept in captivity in rectangular temple pools have been found in ancient Egyptian art. Many cultures, ancient and modern, have kept fish for both functional and decorative purposes.Īncient Sumerians kept wild-caught fish in ponds, before preparing them for meals. Brightly colored or tame specimens of fish in these pools have sometimes been valued as pets rather than food. Koi (and goldfish) have been kept in decorative ponds for centuries in China and Japan.įish have been raised as food in pools and ponds for thousands of years. ![]()
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