We all have hobbies and whenever my friends ask me what I do in my free time, I tell them that I am fishkeeping. They always respond with a confused look. It’s the hobby where we keep fish in an aquarium or pond. In fact, it’s the second most popular hobby in the US.

　　Keeping fish has an extremely long, but interesting history. Thousands of years ago, we first started keeping fish for survival. We kept and raised fish to finish by eating them at the end. Fish keepers included Ancient Sumerians and ancient Egyptians. All fish were kept in ponds until 2000 years ago, in China and Japan. They housed goldfish in decorative vases and were actually the best at raising, feeding and even breeding fish. As a matter of fact, it was forbidden to eat the fish and they were only for viewing purposes. Soon came the popularity of fish in bowls in medieval times and before long, more and more technology was integrated into fishkeeping, for example: aquariums, heaters and filters.

　　This brings us to my obsession over this hobby. Fish always seemed interesting to me when I was younger, and finally I gave it a try when I was 13. At that age, I didn’t know much so I got a Betta fish with a small bowl. It was probably the most interesting thing I’ve ever done, so I got a 2 gallon tank to replace the bowl two months later. I can still remember doing some research on filters, rocks, etc. Months later, I decided to get a 10 L aquarium for more fish. I kept all the beginner community fish and had some bumps and troubles, but I learned from them. Recently, as though it wasn’t enough, I got myself another 25 gallon aquarium. It’s now a beautiful iwagumi setup which is made up of only rocks, substrate, and various plants. Now, at 14, I’m looking forward to getting more into the hobby!