Welcome to the Museum of Aquarium and Pet History
Welcome to The Museum of Aquarium & Pet History: the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts relating to aquarium and pet keeping. This museum includes a huge depository of over 3,000 items that were historically used to keep pets. These items would be antique aquariums, fish bowls and stands, bird cages, squirrel cages, dog, cat, bird, and fish foods and medications, pet advertising signs including neon and automation, pet product shipping wood crates, metal fish shipping cans, etc., etc. The museum also has a library with over 1,000 aquarium and pet books, 5,000 aquarium and pet magazines, and hundreds of original letters from pet companies, pet publishers, aquarium & pet hobbyists, pet stores, etc.
It took four decades to build this collection and it is currently being housed in six buildings. Building number 1 (display building) houses over 200 antique aquariums and fish bowls plus over 200 bird cages along with dog & cat food items, plus antique pet advertising signs and more. Currently we are online only and have monthly articles published on pet history by the best pet historians worldwide. We also have a YouTube channel with a new major release monthly plus new 5-minute weekly videos. We hope to have a building open to the public with rotating exhibits of our collection by 2027. To stay up to date, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and newsletter.
One of the features of our museum website is to showcase the history of pet companies and aquarium hobbyists. We welcome outside contributions on company history from anyone who may have worked at a company no longer in business, or one still in business that has been in business for 25 years or more. We also would like any historical information on tropical fish farms or aquariums, birds, dogs, cats, etc., and hobbyists that have contributed significantly to pet & aquarium keeping.
How you can help the Museum of Aquarium and Pet History:
- Donate. Become a monthly donor or give as you can.
- Donate old pet products you may have such as old aquariums, pet magazines, pet catalogs, old invoices, etc.
- Write an article on your company, or do a Zoom interview!
- Write an article on a historical pet subject that you are an expert on.
- Send us samples of products from your company along with your company’s history to keep on file at the museum.
Thank you for stopping by and stay tuned for lots more aquarium & pet history in the months ahead!
january 2026 Video of the month
Frank Miser just turned 100, and still comes into work every day at Magnolia Bird Farm, which he founded over 50 years ago. We had the chance to sit down and hear some of his rich stories over the years, and take a tour of his Anaheim store location.
When will the physical museum open?
Lots of people ask us if we have a physical museum they can come and visit. The short answer is “not yet”. We hope to have the physical of the Museum of Aquarium & Pet History (MOAPH) open by the end of 2027. In the meantime, the attached video is our trial run small MOAPH museum we spent 2 years putting together during the COVID times. If you have not seen this video, please have a look and know that the new museum will be 3 times as large, with a coffee shop and gift store.
We greatly appreciate all our donors, whether it is monetary or vintage pet products you have lying around that you would like to see go to the MOAPH museum. Thank You!
january ARTICLES
The Third and Fourth Gotha Aquarium Societies, Founded in 1922 and 1927
Robert Compton’s Stoneware Aquariums: Interview with the Artist
Stars of the Silver Screen
Chapter 16: New! Even for Ruhe Alfeld – Wilde Tiere Frei Haus (Wild Animals/Free Delivery)
World’s Largest Producers of Goldfish
The Life and Times of Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841)
1955 Hershey Sweetheart Birdcage Ad
1961 Fame Tame Para-Kit Ad
1961 Oscar Enterprises Plastic Frame Aquarium Ad
1961 Longlife Ad
Rita Hayworth Buys a Cocker Spaniel
An Open Letter to Canary Breeders
Child Feeding Canaries 1943
Lupe Velez with Birdcage 1928
The Canadian Aquaria Society Annual Challenge Trophy 1962-1970
Collectors of Aquarium Literature – Number 42 February 1992
Recent Items for Sale
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Treasure Chest Aquarium
$2,000.00 -

Peerless Aquarium Reproduction with Stand and LED Outfitted Hood
$1,900.00 -

Jewel Aquarium with Stand and Light
$1,800.00 -

Verona Artistic Metal Eclipse Fishbowl Stand with Original Vaseline Bowl
$1,500.00 -

Arts & Crafts Seahorse Stand with Original Vaseline Bowl
$1,500.00 -

Beautiful Antique Art Deco Frankart Floor Fishbowl Stand VERY RARE!!!!
$1,500.00 -
Sale!

1920’s Czechoslovakian Pottery of a Boy & His Dog
Original price was: $1,800.00.$1,250.00Current price is: $1,250.00. -

Dolphin Stand with Original Modern Fishbowl (All 1920s Era)
$1,200.00
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Donate to the Museum
Help The Museum of Aquarium & Pet History expand its collection and physical footprint through a direct donation. Donations can be one-time or scheduled monthly, quarterly, or annually. We thank you for your support.