In early Victorian Britain the middle-class fashion for ferns kept in glass cases began to wane by the 1850s. In 1854 Philip Henry Gosse published his book The Aquarium: an Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea (Gosse devised the word "aquarium") which described two developments that made it easier to keep sea water creatures in a domestic setting. Taking his idea from the cases for ferns, he proposed a rectangular box design of tank which could be made at home and which soon became available commercially. He also explained the vital importance of having seaweed or aquatic plants to keep the water aerated and reduce the need for fresh supplies of seawater.
