| Aquariums
An aquarium is a clear-sided container in which
water-dwelling plants and animals (usually fish, and
sometimes invertebrates, as well as amphibians, marine
mammals, and reptiles) are kept in captivity, often
for public display; or it is an establishment featuring
such displays. Aquarium keeping is a popular hobby
around the world, with about 60 million enthusiasts
worldwide. From the 1850s, when the predecessor of
the modern aquarium was first developed as a novel
curiosity, the ranks of aquarists have swelled as
more sophisticated systems including lighting and
filtration systems were developed to keep aquarium
fish healthy. Public aquaria reproduce the home aquarist's
hobby on a grand scale — the Osaka Aquarium,
for example, boasts a tank of 5,400 m³ (1.4 million
U.S. gallons) and a collection of about 580 species
of aquatic life.
A wide variety of aquaria are now kept by hobbyists,
ranging from a simple bowl housing a single fish to
complex simulated ecosystems with carefully engineered
support systems. Aquaria are usually classified as
containing fresh or salt water, at tropical or cold
water temperatures. These characteristics, and others,
determine the type of fish and other inhabitants that
can survive and thrive in the aquarium. Inhabitants
for aquaria are often collected from the wild, although
there is a growing list of organisms that are bred
in captivity for supply to the aquarium trade.
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