Brief History of Nature Aquariums

The earliest known aquariums were artificial ponds created by the Sumerians over 4500 years ago. The ancient Assyrians, Egyptians, and Romans also kept fish in ponds for entertainment purposes and for food. The ancient Chinese were the one to breed fish with any degree of success. They raised carp for food and developed goldfish by selective breeding.

In later 18th century, the study of nature was awakening due to widespread public interest. Fish were kept in glass jars, porcelain containers, tubs, and small artificial ponds. It was during this time that Johann Matthaues Bechstein, a botanist and zoologist, kept a large number of amphibians and fishes and laid down the foundation of aquarium and terrarium science. The concept of proper aquarium and terrarium was developed later by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in 1829.

During the 19th century, the idea of the balanced aquarium was created. It was an attempt to imitate a balanced ecosystem in nature. According to this method, fish waste could be consumed by plants, and plants along with the air surface of the water could supply oxygen. In 1869, the first tropical fish called Paradise Fish was imported from Asia. These days, tropical tanks were kept warm by an open flame. Because the filters were noisy and very expensive in earlier years, fish keeping was a hobby for rich people and scientifically inclined people.

In 1878, Daniel Ammon brought the Paradise Fish to the United States which leads to a decline in the popularity of goldfish. In 20th century, aeration, as well as charcoal and particulate filtration was introduced. Under gravel filters were developed and introduced in 1950s. By this time, the idea of balanced aquarium was viewed as unattainable and unnecessary by many people in the aquarium hobby but made a comeback at the end of the 20th century with the rising popularity of planted tank.

Today fish keeping has become one of the most popular hobbies that anyone can do. Aquarium fish are both bred and caught from Asia and Florida. Captive-bred species are inexpensive and widely available, and are less likely to be infected with parasites and diseases. Unfortunately, successive generations of inbred fish frequently have less color and sport smaller fins than their wild counterparts.

Nature aquarium is actually a form of aquascaping which means the craft of arranging acquatic plants, stones, rocks, and driftwoods in a pleasing manner in an aquarium or just simply gardening under water. Aquascape designs have a number of distinct styles, including the garden-like Dutch style and the Japanese-inspired nature style or nature aquarium.

The main goal of aquascaping is to create an artful underwater landscape. It houses fish as well as plants, but it is possible to create an aquascape with just rocks, plants only, or combination of rocks and plants.

The nature aquarium is actually a style of aquascaping introduced by Takashi Amano in the 1990s. Amano’s Nature Aquarium World inspired hobbyists to create a garden in the aquarium. The objective was to attempt to copy natural landscapes by a not balanced arrangement of plants, driftwoods, and stones. He introduced the Japanese gardening concepts such as Wabi-sabi and Zen rock arrangement to the aquascaping. He was inspired to create a new landscape miniature rather than a colorful garden in the aquarium or fish tank.