Fishkeeping: About the Hobby

For those not in the "know", this month (August 2011) I have picked Fishkeeping as my hobby. After being responsible for the deaths of several cute little goldfish, I was a bit reluctant to start this hobby and not to mention horror stories about costs involved with this hobby.

Wikipedia states that Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. This is all fine and good, but where did this popular hobby come from?

History of the Hobby

Koi Fish

From reading several sources including Wikipedia and Aquariums for Dummies old civilizations like the Egyptians and Sumerians stockpiling fish in ponds for food. Also, several thousand miles away in Asia, goldfish were being selectively breed for show.

During the medieval ages in Europe, carp pools were common place in the estates of the rich as an alternate food for festivities.

In the 1800's public aquariums began to show up in Europe, although back then, the technology was not quite as good and therefore they were not very sophisticated and did not tend to keep fish long.

Then in the 1900's people began to get together an create fish and aquarium societies that sparked a huge interested in the hobby and eventually lead to the commercialization of Fishkeeping.

Types of Aquariums

Freshwater Aquarium

There are 3 main types of aquariums; freshwater, brackish water, and marine (or saltwater).

Freshwater aquariums are the most popular of the three due too its ease of setup, low costs, and wide range of tropical fish.

Marine aquariums are generally best for the more experienced Fishkeeper due to its higher cost and need for additional equipment and maintenance. Many believe the pure beauty of the systems outweigh the risk and costs.

Last but, not least (OK, maybe least), is the brackish water systems that is a combination of freshwater and marine (as far as salinity level go).

How it Works

Stephanie checking the water pH

Depending upon the type of aquarium you are setting up, you need to prepare the tank before you can put the fish in there. The fish tank or aquarium is a living ecosystem that requires you to constantly check the water level, temperature, ammonia, pH, nitrate, and nitrite levels because a little variation in any of those can kill your fish.

In addition to chemical levels in your tank you need to worry about the temperament of the fish themselves. You cannot put non-aggressive fish in a tank with aggressive fish or else your in for trouble.

After all of that is setup, and the fish are in the tank, you still deal with things like diseases that can wipe out your whole tank.

Fishkeeping is not a hobby for the feint of heart. It requires experience, patience, and most of all money.

Excited? I know I am!