The awe-inspiring appeal of aquariums

Fish tanks were probably first conceived in the distant past by the Chinese, but in many respects, aquariums are a distinctly British phenomenon. The first public one opened at Regent’s Park Zoological Gardens in 1853. The word itself seems to have been first used in Philip Gosse’s 1854 book The Aquarium: An Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea. And the glass-fronted version was patented by Edward Edwards in 1858. All that Victorian ingenuity definitely benefitted our underwater cousins.

It’s hard to determine if keeping fish is trendy. On the one hand, there’s not much to be said for goldfish in a bowl; on the other, a James Bond-style mega aquarium with sharks sends a thrill down the spine. When I was researching my book For the Love of Fish: An Aquarist’s Journey, most people declared they weren’t interested. But this aquarium-denial has its limitations: a recent survey concluded that 14 per cent of UK households (around four million) keep fish.

Some aquarists are keen on having the most difficult fish they can, migrating as soon as possible to cichlids and marine specimens. I have never understood that. One of the hardiest fish around — the zebra danio (or zebrafish) — is to my mind also one of the most beautiful, shimmering with silver and azure stripes. Moreover, the zebra danio has a significant place in scientific research and has even done a stint on the International Space Station.

The joys of fishkeeping are myriad. Not only do you experience the treat of fish of all shapes and hues, you also learn technical water chemistry around ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and the disciplines of zoology and ichthyology. On top of that, the fishkeeping community is particularly friendly.