An aquarium is any water-filled tank, pool, or pond in which fish, underwater plants, or animals are kept. An aquarium can be as small as a glass bowl for a goldfish and as large as a pool for a whale or a marine museum.

History of Fish Keeping

The ancient Sumarians (2500 B.C.E.) were the earliest fish keepers. Fish keeping developed as a way to provide and store food. Fish were caught in rivers and then kept in small ponds until they were used. The ancient Egyptians also kept fish in ponds, but not all of their ponds served a practical purpose. Egyptian hieroglyphs (a system of writing that used symbols and pictures) and art depict fish and fishponds as decorative objects.

In ancient Iran, China, and Japan, fish keepers bred special types of fish for use in decorative ponds. Fish keepers created koi, a popular decorative...