that and I guess all the low(ish) cost tank building materials/methods that have popped up in recent years. lots o fmonster tanks wouldn't be possible without epoxy/drylok/sani-tred etc.
Beer is most definitely responsible for monsterfishkeeping. Some one was sitting in their living room after a six pack and said: "These guppys suck! I want to pack this tank with 3 feet of fury!"
AEROPLANES. Just think, if we didnt have these, most of the fish we have now would still be in thier natural habitat. And us aussies need planes! I dont wanna ship (water ship) a $600 dollar fish over taking 14 days, yet a plane would take 3 hours.