27 geekiest (and weirdest) fish tanks
Does your fish live in a bowl or a rectangular tank? Has he or she been looking a little depressed lately? Do you even know whether your fish is a he or a she?
Look, fish are people too, and they deserve more than just some rocks, a few fake plants, and a treasure chest that intermittently pukes bubbles. Take a look at this gallery of 27 (or so) geeky, weird, and occasionally dangerous fish tanks and let them inspire you to upgrade the digs of your fishy little friends.
Long time fans of mine (I think my Mom is the only one, but I try to stay optimistic) will recognize a lot of these fish tanks from my Fish Tank Friday series from OhGizmo.com, the very first blog I ever wrote for. These are by no means all the fish tanks I had the honor of covering, and if you're still hankering for more after this lot, we won't take it personally if you decide to read OhGizmo in addition to DVICE every day. (Because we read it, too. - Ed)
Behold the gallery below!
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2. Zero Edge Zero Edge is like an infinity pool for fish. All-glass construction means that there are no borders, and water continuously flows over the top of the tank and down the sides. This makes for a cool effect, but you also run the risk of having your fish make a run for it. Zero Edge Aquarium, via OhGizmo
3. Blowfish The blowfish lung trainer will help genetically engineered children of the future take advantage of their customized special abilities, like underwater breathing. Seriously. Will Carey, via OhGizmo
4. Fish Phone There are fish. In this phone. This fully operational phone. Thanks LG, glad you could make such things possible! Via OhGizmo
5. Flowarium The water spills out but the fish don't, thanks to a cunningly concealed strainer at the spout of the waterfall. Includes artificial fish and a cleaning brush (?) for just $130. Hammacher, via OhGizmo
7. Floating Garden For the lazy and/or eco-conscious, this fish tank uses a floating garden that recycles and cleans the tank water while fertilizing the plants at the same time. Duende Studio, via OhGizmo
8. Fish Hotel Most people choose not to take their fish on vacation, which isn't fair. This fish hotel in Amsterdam is a resort that caters specifically to temporarily abandoned pets, with four floors of rooms, a tennis court, and even a pool. A POOL! Via OhGizmo
9. Funnel Fish are put into this conical tank in a restaurant in Beijing at the top, and then removed from the bottom after six days, which is the maximum amount of time that they can stay alive in this thing. Sushi, anyone? Via OhGizmo
10. Chumby This fish-friendly Chumby accessory will monitor the health of your fish, and while you're away, allow you to feed your fish and monitor it via webcam. The Chumby also senses bubbles and vibrations and transmits them to other Chumby-equipped tanks where they're reproduced, allowing fish to communicate with each other over the Internet. Via OhGizmo
12. Infinity Aquarium The Infinity Aquarium is 100% guaranteed to confuse the heck out of your fish, provided you can figure out how to get them in there in the first place. BCXSY, via OhGizmo
13. MAD Tank The MAD Architects design for a fish tank is 100% guaranteed to confuse the heck out of any of your fish that have managed to figure out the Infinity Aquarium. MAD, via OhGizmo
14. Pet Fish While fish may not be the most interactive of creatures, this tank has little cups that stick out from the side that let the fish stick their heads out to be fed and tickled. Higo, via OhGizmo
16. Iced Fish As the exterior of this tank melts, the interior gets replenished with fresh water, which likely causes some serious existential issues for the fish inside. Via OhGizmo
17. Bird Tank Likely a confusing situation for all parties involved, this fish tank has a bird cage submerged in it. Via OhGizmo
18. Overpass Perhaps the coolest fish tank evar (EVAR) are these two aquariums that are connected by this epic elevated overpass. According to eyewitness reports, fish did actually manage to get from one side to another. Amazing. Via OhGizmo
19. Picard's Tank It's hard to get much geekier than Star Trek: TNG, and you can own the very same sort of fish tank that Livingston lived in for just $1,000. Dome Aquarium, via OhGizmo
21. Aquarium Phone Booth I honestly have no idea who these fish are attempting to call. They do look a little bit lost; maybe they're trying to contact the aquarium to get someone to give them a ride home. Good luck, little fellas. Via OhGizmo
22. Fish Forest If you look close enough, you'll see the fish in this picture. There's actually an international contest for creative aquatic plants layout, and people come up with some fairly spectacular tanks. You can see more of 'em at the link. Adana, via OhGizmo
23. Augmented Fish Reality The Siamese Fighting Fish in this fish tank can actually drive it around, thanks to a suite of infrared sensors that detect when the fish get close to one side of the tank and then command the wheeled base to move in that direction. OSU, via OhGizmo
24. RhythmFish How many fish musicians do you know? Zero? That's just because they don't have the right equipment. Your fish need RhythmFish, a tank that translates data from water flow sensors into audio and video output. Coroflot, via OhGizmo
26. Refrigerator Aquarium It's a fact: fish are tasty. And this aquarium is designed to keep them fresh (and alive) until you want to kill them and feast upon their succulent flesh. Until that day, the fish fertilize whatever vegetables you want to grow above their tank, and those vegetables in turn keep the aquarium water clean. Mathieu Lehanneur, via OhGizmo
27. Fish Loft Fish are used to having a flat roof over their heads all the time, so this water-filled loft that gives them a chance to go supra-surface is opening up a whole new world to our finned friends. Fish Loft, via OhGizmo
1. Jellyfish Tank This tank is specially designed to create laminar flow of water around its inner surfaces, preventing the sea jellies from killing themselves in collisions. It's $500, sea jellies included. Product Page, via DVICE
6. Poor Little Fish Sink Is washing your hands really worth the life of your fishy friend? Of course not. This sink is cleverly designed so that the water that comes out isn't actually taken from the tank with the fish in it, but I can't imagine that makes the fish feel much better about things. Yan Lu, via OhGizmo
11. Fish Tricks You really can teach your fish to swim through hoops and play football, soccer and basketball. All you need is this $30 kit and a whole lot of patience. R2 Fish School, via OhGizmo
20. Fish Arcology If your fish are fans of SimCity, they'll certainly appreciate living in this arcology comprised of six individual interconnected habitat spheres. Each of these is custom made and can be yours for about $3,400. Octopus Studios, via OhGizmo
25. Fish Wheel Finally, a tank that "allows your dearest pet to travel the polluted ocean from the comfort of his own home." Not like he has a choice: as the tank spins, the fish has to keep moving, lest he be left high and dry to do whatever the opposite of drown is. Raw-Edges, via OhGizmo
15. Fried Fish Apparently, this is a fish. Apparently, it's living in a deep fryer, in a layer of water under the oil. Apparently, the fish feeds off of scraps from the fried food and can live for five to 10 years. Apparently. Via OhGizmo