apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That's really cool, but you just can't cuddle with a fish.

yes, you can. especially if it's one of those big ones.

pain in the neck to get them to stop flipping around though and there's only so much time you can cuddle before they have to go back into the tank.

Looks fab but I'd probably be too lazy to clean it enough and it would start looking gunky pretty soon.

one of my childhood friends had a huge one inside of the wall. it was about 6 feet long. it was so neat b/c they sort f used it as a wall. part of it was open to the kitchen & the other side was open to the living room. it was spellbinding. personally, i could never care for that, but i know you can hire people. it's an investment.

My cat has been asking for a koi pond for years, but I don't think she's ready for the responsibilty yet.

Nano reef tanks are small and you can create a miniature ocean ecosystem with little maintenance.

http://www.myfishtank.net/oceanic-bio-cube-14-gallon-nano-reef-tank/

I love them and while not cuddly, they can be fascinating. My daughter would LOVE a big one. That said, I can barely keep my mint and chive plants alive, and they're supposed to be unkillable. I'm afraid this is not for me.

I LOVE aquariums. Fish may not be very cuddly but they are beautiful and relaxing to watch, and can add a lot of color and life to a room. They are a little high-maintenance, but it's fascinating to design, set up, and care for a tank. You've got to be able to think of it more as a hobby than as a chore.

They really aren't high maintenance at all - I'm surprised people say that. A basic freshwater set-up requires cleaning/water changing every few weeks, is algae-free with a proper algae-cleaning fish, and is gorgeous to look at. We have two - one in our bathroom and one in the living room. Can't wait to have huge tanks some day.

It's nothing to be afraid of.

A lot of aquarium fish are really inappropriate for novices to raise. If you're heading to a pet store to buy fish for a saltwater tank, be sure you ask lots of questions about what they eat, how easy they are to raise and how well they get along with the other fish in your tank. Killing lots of fish is not only cruel and a waste of money, but can be really detrimental to the reefs where the fish are harvested. Additionally, look for fish that are certified by the Marine Aquarium Council to ensure that they're not damaging coral reefs or wild fish populations.

40 gallon fresh-water fishtank for 8 years or so. Once we got wise to filtering Boston water before using it, we could keep fish alive forever -- except when they ate each other. We've seen scary infanticide lesbian drama with the angel fish, multiple instances of cannibalism with almost every schooling group of fish, and a pink guarami that ate the live births from the guppies directly from the mom until pink was so big of her all-protein diet she ate the mom. We never even found a bone. 'Rose' lived 4 years and then was donated to a local aquarium enthusiast. If she got eaten in his new 100 gallon tank, it would be just desserts.

It is surprisingly hard to fit an aquarium in a modern interior; most furnishings to hold such an enormously heavy box of water are constructed with the idea that fake-looking wood veneer is where it is at in your house. We ended putting ours on Metro / Wiretech shelving because the shape of the aquarium covered the corners exactly and was thus directly supported by four legs. For modern you usually end up having to resort to industrial shelving and taring it up a bit to not look like it should be in the garage.

I've owned several marine (saltwater folks) aquariums over the last 5 years. They are fairly high maintenance especially if you opt for live corals in addition to SW fish. Figure somewhere between $5K to $10K in tank, fish, lighting, hardware, pumps, chemicals, etc. Factor in daily monitoring and an electric bill that can exceed $300 a month.

Marine aquariums are for those who love the hobby, not for people looking for a pet or a cool look for their living room.

Freshwater aquariums are far less costly and don't require as much owner intervention IMO.

My first job in high school was at an aquarium shop, which was great. I think that aquariums can be somewhat low maintenance once established, but problems can and do arise.
It's best to do some research before getting the tank (just as with any pet), and get the biggest tank that you can afford/ reasonably have in your space. Bigger tanks are less prone to large water quality shifts that can really damage your fish. I would be wary of a 14 gallon saltwater tank, personally.
There are lots of other factors to consider, so again, research and talk to people with some experience first.

I have a dog AND an aquarium.

And a bird.

Did I mention I live in a studio?

They remind me of Miami in the 80's, and that might not be a bad thing.

Modern aquariums are very hard to find. That's why I designed one. I just posted it on my blog today as luck would have it.
http://zavadildesign.blogspot.com/
I will post more info and pictures tomorrow.
Cheers.

Check out the work by Amano, a Japanese artist who uses live planted tanks as his media, really interesting stuff.

Amano gallery

Came here to plug Amano but James C beat me to it. If I didn't have a modest but expensive reef aquarium I would keep a planted tank in his style. For folks interested in marine aquariums, I recommend www.reefcentral.com - do yourself a huge favor and RESEARCH before you set up your system as mis-steps can be very costly.

Aquariums are awesome... to look at. I don't want to comment on the maintenance though since I don't have one of my own.

:)

These are some Nice Aquariums.
http://mocoloco.com/archives/000512.php

Aquariums are very relaxing and soothing to watch the fish float by. Aquariums can be very good for your health. Relaxation can be very difficult for a lot of people and they can help you to relax better. They also make a lovely piece of furniture or piece of art. They come in all shapes and sizes and make a very good conversational piece. If you don't want the maintenance of taking care of fish, you can always choose a water panel, water wall, water lamps, or water furniture. These are all also very beautiful to look at and very relaxing as well.
Check these cool aquariums and water panels etc. out at http://www.ilikefurniture.com/aquariums.html

Most high-end aquarium companies offer weekly maintenance programs.

my hubby likes keeping fishes and we have a 6ft tank at home. keeping a few arowarnas and 2 stingrays: http://oh-so-nice.blogspot.com/2007/07/our-fish-tank.html
He does the maintenance while i just enjoy the view. and yes its really relaxing to watch them :) By the way theres not much maintenance for freshwater fishes if you got a good filter. just need to change water now and then.