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Aquariums
Modern aquariums (or aquaria) have been in fashion in some parts of the world fore nearly 200 years. The Romans began keeping fish in marble tanks more than 2000 years ago. Carp-like fish called barbells were the first fish known to be brought from the water and kept in such tanks. It was customary in their time to place aquaria under guest beds.
Around 50 A.D. glass was becoming more widely accessible so Romans began fashioning aquariums with glass panels. Shortly after the Romans became aquarists, people in other cultures began keeping fish tanks of their own. In China porcelain vases similar to modern fish bowls were used. In the 1800s the popularity of aquaria skyrocketed. Construction and maintenance methods improved and plants and animals became more diverse and exotic.
The first known saltwater aquarium containing tropical fish was developed in 1838. The first public aquarium opened in London in 1853, it was known as the fish house. A year later, Philip Henry Gosse coined the term “aquarium” in a book he wrote on the subject. Until then aquariums were commonly known as “vivariums”.
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