Aqua Forest Aquarium

(Welcome to Lily, one of the finalists in our San Francisco Blogger search. Comment away!)

We love pets, but cats and dogs are a no-go in our apartment building. A fish tank would be our next choice, but we're not too keen on the plastic treasure chests and fake rubbery plants we recall from our youth. Walking up Fillmore the other day, however, we were floored by the display in the window of Aqua Forest Aquarium...

The shop specializes in "Nature Aquarium Style," meaning real plants used to emulate natural vistas within the tank. The aquariums have a real "bonsai"-like quality to them, and the hand-blown glass filters give a clean look -- definitely a few steps up from the ol' goldfish in a bowl.

Link: Aqua Forest Aquarium

-lily

Comments (17)

Gorgeous!

posted by Nougat on February 1st 2008 at 9:59am
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I would not feel the least bit sorry for a fish couped up in one of those tanks!

posted by Michael W. on February 1st 2008 at 10:06am
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Wow. I never knew I wanted an aquarium until today.

posted by alisonwonderlandd on February 1st 2008 at 10:15am
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gorgeous, but how do you clean the gravel???

posted by tomahto on February 1st 2008 at 10:27am
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AquaForest is the best place ever!

And if you do get into it, check out the San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Plant Society http://sfbaaps.org/home.html

posted by JG on February 1st 2008 at 10:31am
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Amazing!!

posted by Eric D M on February 1st 2008 at 10:40am
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Wow that little tree with the fish is so surreal. I really really want that.

posted by Kate (NC) on February 1st 2008 at 11:13am
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So very gorgeous! But, man, I'd bet I'd kill it within a year.

Me Plant Time = Dead Plant(s)

posted by ami on February 1st 2008 at 11:21am
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So beautiful! Reminds me of museum dioramas.

posted by spaceagemouse on February 1st 2008 at 11:46am
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wow.

posted by trygve on February 1st 2008 at 2:17pm
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Stunning.

posted by Garrett on February 1st 2008 at 2:49pm
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I really like that... I was not a fan of fish tanks until now...even without the fish!

posted by speedmike on February 1st 2008 at 3:47pm
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Pretty cool looking- but fish ALWAYS remind me of being a kid, and having to constantly clean the STINKY fish bowl.

posted by TracyJ on February 2nd 2008 at 7:13am
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Fantastic solution to the boring old school tanks!

posted by KellyBrooke on February 2nd 2008 at 9:51pm
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Stunning, but oh my god would they be awful to keep clean.

posted by dancingspring on February 5th 2008 at 6:58am
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Underwater forests like this require very high powered lights and diligent pruning. Also, you have to be careful about picking your fish - only the meekest will do, since the plant arrangements are so easy to disturb. This is a very zen enterprise about shifting things around just so :)

posted by verasue on February 13th 2008 at 2:10pm
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Just for everyone's knowledge, those tanks ARE NOT tanks from Aqua Forest, they have beautiful tanks, but those pictures are from the aquatic gardener's competition of 2007.

Stealing pictures and not putting the proper rights for them is bad journalism/blogging....

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=0&id=20
for the lower picture

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=1&id=190
for the top picture.

posted by heinzanova on March 2nd 2008 at 9:22pm
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