DIY – Building your own Aquarium in 1862

As I believe I’ve noted before in this forum my main interest in the history of aquariums is firmly rooted in the 19th century. In the early stages of aquarium use in the United States there were comparatively few book titles available for budding aquarists…two from 1858 and one from 1866. This low number of titles was increased by the importation of available titles produced in England. To be fair I will note that titles in other languages (mainly German) were also available.

Other sources of aquarium-based information were provided in a wide variety of magazines and newspapers. Although the number of articles in these sources never reached the level of the so-called “Aquarium Mania” previously experienced in England there was a surprisingly good amount of such material published. Included were reprints from English sources and a good, and growing, amount of domestically produced material by both budding and more experienced American aquarists. This area of aquarium publications is of strong personal interest and is helpful in chronicling the growth of the hobby in this country. There is hardly any American magazine title from the early 1850’s onward that did not in one way, or another address the topic.

The magazine of interest herein is one which was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This magazine went through some title changes during its early years and the article for discussion appeared in the version titled “Peterson’s Ladies National Magazine.” A wide variety of topics were covered which would be of potential interest to the intended audience. These included, but were not limited to, some fiction, poetry, modern fashions, sewing, sheet music, recipes and a variety that would be considered as housekeeping topics. And of course, though not overly abundant, the aquarium was a topic receiving coverage from time to time.

Most of the early magazine (and newspaper) articles that I have reviewed to date deal with the set-up and maintenance of the aquarium – be they marine or freshwater. Of interest here is a February 1862 article from Peterson’s that in detail describes the building of “A Cheap And Simple Aquarium.” Although I have seen several articles dealing with a DIY aquarium building project this one is by far the most comprehensive of them. So, before moving on to some comments regarding this piece I present it for your possible reading interest.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing the article as it originally appeared. The scans were made from an original copy that resides in my personal library. What follows are some thoughts and observations on the piece and its place in aquarium history.

1. As noted above this article is the most concise that I have seen to date dealing with the home construction of an aquarium. I am not a “handy” person around the home. I am thrilled when I can change a washer or two on a sink or a hose and even putting in a new light bulb can bring a touch of pride. So, for me to follow the writer’s directions and build an aquarium…NOT! I am an untalented (in such matters) man of the last and current century and have always bought ready made aquariums for my use. But 1862 was a different time….and who knows. Were I from then maybe I would be more than a bit talented in such matters. I do know some aquarists today who no doubt could follow the provided instructions and build a nice aquarium. I would then be more than happy to purchase it from them.
2. Interestingly the author of the article does not provide a gallonage value for the aquarium. Following the standard formula for determining the capacity of an aquarium (length x width x depth divided by 231) the described tank will hold about seven gallons of water. This is factoring in the description of the glass (about 1/8th of an inch “thick”).
3. The cost of the tank is given as “…about one dollar.” Not bad! There are websites that will calculate for you what the value of money in a given past year equals in today’s dollars. According to one such source (viewed on 10/29/23) one dollar in 1862 equals $30.47 now. And 1862, due to the Civil War, was a bad year with an overall inflation rate approaching 15%. For comparative purposes regarding the cost of aquariums at the general time I will note the following: Prices of already made aquariums in the late 1850’s are not commonly seen. But as a known example, P.T. Barnum was at his American Museum in New York City selling a tank of slightly over 14 gallons for $10.00. Using the above value formula, in today’s dollars that comes to $353.78!
4. The stocking of the tank was done by local collecting of plants, fishes, and invertebrates (insects and mollusks). Surely the noted collected items make the author a potential candidate for an early member of the North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA).
5. Interestingly the author ends the piece by making note of the then two aquarium water changing (or not) philosophies. He goes for the partial water changing method instead of the “balanced aquarium” approach that was widely used at that time.
6. Lastly, a few words on the author are warranted. On the article the author is listed as “H.J. Vernon.” In a long listing of magazine articles that appeared in the Peterson’s publication that I was able to locate, there is noted one Henry J. Vernon as an author and over a long period of years at least 66 articles and poems are credited to him. Some of these pieces use the name H. J. Vernon. Over the years Vernon wrote many varied articles ranging from the aquarium piece under discussion to other articles on such varied topics as “Salem and Salem Witches”, Diamonds and an interesting piece on lady’s shoes. Certainly, he was an author for all seasons. His venture into the aquarium field created a brief but important piece which adds some important reference to the early history of the aquarium in America. I think that I will keep Vernon in mind and at some time dig a bit deeper into his writing and life.