When did people start keeping fish as pets? While fish have been kept by people for thousands of years as pets, it was usually in a pool or a pond. In fact, it wasn’t until 1853 when aeration and filtration of water was understood, that people in London kept the first fish as indoor pets. Since then the first public aquarium was opened in London in 1853. By 1856 New York would have an aquarium as well thanks to P.T. Barnum. Since then great things have happened. The Great Barrier Reef Aquarium is the world’s largest living reef aquarium with 2.5 million liters of water! It is located in Queenshead, Australia. For the largest window in an aquarium you’ll have to visit Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. The world’s largest aquarium is The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Today, fresh and saltwater aquarium fish are the most popular pet in the United States. Approximately 12 million households own aquariums.
The world’s tiniest fish is the Stout Infant which is about a quarter-of-an-inch long. The largest fish in the world is the whale shark which grows to about 39-feet long.

In Thailand in July, 2005, fisherman caught a 646-pound giant Mekong catfish! It was as big as a grizzly bear.

Why do dental offices often have aquariums? Studies have shown that aquariums in medical offices reduce stress among patients who are waiting to undergo procedures.

The largest fish fossil found to date is from the Leedsichthys problematicus which lived 150 million years ago. It was found in England in 2003 and measured 72-feet long.
Cavefish have no sight, but have an advantage in detecting movement and odor.
Baby seahorses are called Fry.

Goldfish have longer life spans than both cats and dogs, living over 20 years.
That is the same life span of a lobster.

A person who studies fish for a living is called an ichthyologist.

Fish, with nearly 27,000 living species, are the largest population of Vertebrate (backbone) animals. In fact, if you combined all the other Vertebrates, fish would still outnumber them.