Ornamental fish trade is introducing invasive species into local ecology

Aquarium trade is a multibillion-dollar business with the value of trade in ornamental fishes alone estimated at $6 billion in 2023. Japan, Indonesia and Singapore export the maximum quantity of ornamental aquarium fish, while India ranks 19th among the world’s ornamental fish exporting nations.

There are indications that ornamental fish-keeping may have originated in China with the domestication of common carps and goldfish more than 1000 years ago. Compact home aquariums as we know today however became popular only during the 19th century. The British were among the earliest European fish-hobbyists. They started to collect and transport tropical freshwater fishes from the Commonwealth to their temperate homes, which was likely the precursor to today’s global multibillion-dollar enterprise of tropical fish-keeping.

Early fish-hobbyists chose only the small and medium-sized species of tropical freshwater fishes for their aquariums. These were predominantly from south and southeast Asian countries and the tropical American waters. Some of the favorites were barbs, rasboras, danios and tetras.

A few species of cichlids, including the still very popular angelfish, were also domesticated and selectively bred. Air-breathers of south and southeast Asian origin like paradise fish, betta (Siamese fighter) and gourami and tropical American live-bearers such as the guppy, platy, swordtail and mollies...

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