Roman shipwreck: Giant fish tank in a 2,000-year-old ship?

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The hull of the Grado Roman shipwreck. The second-century ship spanned some 55 feet and held what scientists believe was a large, saltwater fish tank.

For the rest of the article:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0603/Roman-shipwreck-Giant-fish-tank-in-a-2-000-year-old-ship

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Type: Discussion • Score: 9 • Views: 2,175 • Replies: 11

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@tsarstepan,

Amazing!

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@tsarstepan,

Quote:

They estimate an aquarium behind the mast of the ship could have measured about 11.4 feet by 6.5 feet by 3.3 feet (3.5 m by 2 m by 1 m) for a capacity of approximately 250 cubic feet (7 cubic meters). For comparison, an average bathtub has a volume of about 7 cubic feet. If properly maintained, it could help keep at least 440 pounds (200 kg) of live fish such as sea bass or sea bream, they noted.

Wow, that's some big fish tank! Shocked

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@tsarstepan,

http://www.livescience.com/images/i/17000/original/ship-hydraulic-system.jpg?1307019577

Could be a fish merchant.

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@tsarstepan,

and the boat wasnt fiberglas I imagine, so the tank would displace a lot more water than a live bait well or live fish tank that are in bass boaqts or deep sea fishin boats.

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@tsarstepan,

Wow. Thanks for the thread, Tsar.

Not having read the link yet, I suppose that was a very practical tank..
makes me wonder, though, about the possibility of less practical ones, in palaces. Though maybe they had practical ones in palaces too.

Which brings up that I don't know nuttin about the history of glass.

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@ossobuco,

I don't believe it was made of glass for aesthetic study of the fish but a storage container to keep the fish alive in lieu of the lack of refrigeration tech one needs to preserve fish after being caught in mass by trade fishermen.

The speculation was to transport the live fish for a live fish trade back in the trading cities.

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@tsarstepan,

The Romans also built a special salt water aqueduct to keep sea fish alive at markets in Rome . How they transported the live fish inland to Rome is not known . Perhaps a river boat like the one mentioned ?

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@Ionus,

I was unaware of the fish market architecture. Thanks for the fact drop Ionus.

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@tsarstepan,

I think farmerman had it. A really big bait well.

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@tsarstepan,

I don't believe it was made of glass either, sorry if it sounded like I did.

I was just off wondering. I see I have to post more carefully.

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@Ionus,

That figures.

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Roman shipwreck: Giant fish tank in a 2,000-year-old ship?

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