Keeping fish as pets is an idea that spans centuries. The ancient Chinese and Romans practiced the hobby in artificial ponds. The idea of a "balanced aquarium" is more than a hundred years old. In 1865 George Sowerby wrote in glowing terms of "the most picturesque miniatures of ocean life" and assured us that we might easily recreate these in our homes.
Despite this long history and the millions of people in the hobby today, most pet stores and aquarists usually have only a limited variety of common fish in their collections. There are few pet octopuses. Many people say, "I tried aquarium keeping and had nothing but bad luck," or "aquariums are too much trouble."
Truly, there is no real difficulty. An understanding of the principles of aquarium management will give reproducible success and you may even have a pet octopus, if you wish.
The basic problems of keeping fish in home aquariums have been solved. Pollution of the water, at one time the major obstacle, has been practically eliminated and with proper knowledge and aquarium procedure it will seldom occur. The feeding problem, next in iinportance, is rapidly being solved and so much has been learned about it that it is no longer a serious problem. Already many of the salt-water fish diseases have been discovered and treatment made available to the aquarist so that, all in all, the future looks bright for this interesting hobby.
The ideal aquarium is of all glass construction with a top of some kind to slow down evaporation. A small tank with a three gallons capacity, this small size makes them fine for dwarf sea horses, small hermit crabs, neon gobies, coral shrimp, or any number of the smaller aquarium specimens available. Tanbk come in all sizes, larger tank of 10 gallons or more, makes them ideal for most of the regular-sized fish and, with them, almost perfect control of the marine tank may be obtained. Needless to say, they must be washed thoroughly before use.
Biology laboratories away from the sea are routinely culturing marine organisms with simple apparatus and so may you. If your taste does not run to a pet octopus, then you may at least be assured of a beautiful aquarium and a reasonable management program. Your fish may live with you ten or even twenty years. Even a simulated miniature coral reef with lovely coral fishes may be achieved.
The glass bowls are good for one or two choice specimens, but as they give a certain amount of distortion, their general use is limited to lamps, table centerpieces, or other special effects. The flat-sided drum bowls are also good for a small fish exhibit.
Goldfish Sea Horses Saltwater Aquarium Selecting Coral