Why Fish?

How come fish became something to look at rather then eat?

Fish have been kept in tanks as old as 2500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. They were not only kept for their nutritional value but also for the reasoning of being able to come back and monitor animals. This allowed them to be kept safe in order to further breed them. While this method obviously isn't the way we see keeping fish now, it was very much the reason fish became pets. The true start of keeping fish for more of a bond was in Asia, where in 1363 (Finley, n.d.), a mutation of a simple grey fish that turned a beautiful gold became a high-class display. The wealthy would keep these fish inside large porcelain pots in their gardens, showing off the bright fish that would swim around the bowl. The transition of food and pets with fish was not simple but gradual, where pretty colors and aesthetic looks would grant the ability to live on in a bowl instead of on a plate.