I'm thinking of getting a fish tank at some point in the next year or so. Does anyone know of any fish tanks that would fit in with mid-century modern decor? It can either be a vintage tank or a new one. Were any tanks made with the white plastic that was so popular during the 60s? I'd like it to be in the dining area and I'm planning in the future to get a Saarinen tulip table (hopefully with the teak top) so something that would maybe work with that. I guess something white or with a teak-like wood would probably work best. Thanks.
Not so!
Barrympls, fish tanks have come a long long way in the last few years. We have a 175gal, which is pretty huge, marine reef aquarium. It's a very simple glass box with a flat low profile lid. We build a mid-cent looking credenza specifically to hold it and enclose the plumbing. It really looks quite decorative as the fish and the coral and such are gorgeous.
Now a days there are also cst acrylic tanks that have no seams and are very sleek looking, tho moer of a post-mod look than a mid-cent look. However, creating a more modernist appeal would certainly be doable by a creative person.
BUT and this is a BIG but...Cloudburst, I caution to to spend a considerable amount of time deciding what you want in a fish tank. If it's just a 10-20gal guppy tank, then no worries. You'll learn how to care for them eventually and probably be sick of the whole thing in a couple of years. However, if you really want to get involved in aquaculture, you need to learn quite a bit about habitat maintenance, what kinds of flora and fauna play well together and what kind of work you are setting yourself up for. If you go the route of a marine set up, which really are the only ones worth it in my opinion, there is a lot to learn. My hubby probably spends about a day a month caring for the tank. Cleaning, salinity measurements, de-proteinization, special foods to keep the fish healthy and colorful. It's not a simple thing. And it's pricey. Fish can cost hundreds of dollars and the 'live rock' that grows the invertebrates and coral is some thing like $50 bucks a pound. Then there's all the pumps tubing and back up power needed to protect your investment in livestock. A lot of this work goes for the larger fresh water tanks as well. Tanks are a bigger commitment than a dog.
Lastly, and this is my personal pet peeve with the tank is that it's noisy. The pumps emit a constant hum, not matter how good and supposedly 'silent' they are. And you hear the water filtering around as well which isn't a pleasant waterfall sound but more of a piddling. I can't sit in the room whre the tank is for long as I always need to run to the loo. So there you have it...I hope I haven't scared you off, cuz the pleasure of looking at the tank can be quite lovely and meditative, but they are work!
Tuff call
Fish tanks are fantastic....theres nothing more attractive and engaging than a well kept tank.
I appreciate your dilema as they have never really been embraced as a design object , therefore a black hole exists in place of lots of different ideas for display.
Maybe you could design a base and have it made by a fabricator. A lot of modernist design lends itself to simple concepts.
Or find a real sturdy 50's table and reduce the area of the top and have a tank made to measure.
It's true, marine environments are a big ask for beginners and Olive is real fortunate that her partner takes care of the business side of things, however, theres a less complicated scene that can look as good as marine with just a fraction of the commitment......Cichlids.
I kept a 200 gallon tank for years and it gave me such pleasure. These fish are highly colourful and vert robust. They require similar attention not unlike standard tropical fish. If you use particular types of bottoming sand you can achieve that cartoon colour marine look. They also breed readily and are mouth-brooders which is a fascinating thing to observe.
Something to bear in mind about Cichlid's is that they are highly territorial and if not given enough space to chill-out they become quite keen on killing each other. I once had a powder blue Malawi, a true serial killer......it wiped out my full tank !
Cichlids
Funny you should mention those, moto-mod. That was a our 'starter' tank. We had lake Malawi's for about 5 years. Two fish in one 50gal tank. They're pretty but spend a lot of time hiding in their holes. the marine guys are much more 'swim-my' and as AzC sez, much more colorful...c'mon AzC I only had cobalt blue hair for a short time and only on a small part of my head! Heck, it was 1979 and I was thrashin' it to the Buzzcocks! The very idea of thrashing in a mosh pit now a days makes my joints ache!
Clouldburst, you def can get into this fish tank think as deep as you wantto go...they're lovely but remember... caveat emptor!
A great, albeit expensive...
A great, albeit expensive option is to try to find an ADA tank (Takashi Amano). Very clean and supremely minimal, no cheesy faux woodgrain trim, simply 5 pieces of beveled tempered glass siliconed together. They're quite heavy, as the glass is much thicker than that a standard Petco tank, to absorb the bowing stress from the lack of a top support brace. Definitely the tank du jour when it comes to glass; I'd go so far as to say they're seen as the Knoll equivalent of aquariums, with a price tag to match. They even have a cool sticker.
I also had a full blown reef tank and had kept them for over 20 years. Not anymore though, as it became a terrible money pit, especially within the SPS realm, and I could never leave home from more than a week - very high maintenance. Noise is definitely a huge factor; heat and humidity were big pains as well, not so good in close quarters with paintings and sculptures in the same room. But those annoying factors are decreased significantly with a freshwater tank, and can be just as beautiful and therapeutic as anything you can put in a glass box filled with water.
In any event, I'd try to stay away from older tanks. Inherent scratches, inferior materials, yellowing plastics, decreased clarity, etc. Also, from what I remember, the adhesives used at the time were supposedly guaranteed for 50 years. Now, whether there have been advancements on silicone rubber in the last half decade is beyond me, but the last thing you'd want to deal with is a failed seal. Coming from experience, it is a horrible feeling coming home to a half empty tank and an inch of water on your floor.
Well,
I guess that I should have been a bit more specific. I'm talking more in lines of the housing for the fish tank...not the actual tank itself. I guess I could always have something designed, but does anyone know of any pics of a good design for such a thing. Do cool-looking housing units for fish tanks exist...either past or present? My brother-in-law (not the architect brother-in-law but the drummer) sets up fish tanks and maintains them for a living. But he mostly deals with the tanks themselves...not the housing for them. He's on the look-out for something that would match my decor, but I thought that maybe people who were also into the same decor might have some ideas. I'll also get a good discount in things like fish, aquarium supplies, and I know he'll help me maintain the thing so that's not really an issue.
I've got my tank built-in to...
I've got my tank built-in to the wall as part of the renovations, but its empty for now and my next project is to fill it up with the rock, let it cycle, etc.
If built-in isn't an option for you, I'd take a trip to the pet shop and ask who they may deal with, and go for simple cabinetry that will blend in best with the rest of your walls, rather than something that detracts from the fish too much. Assuming you are going the marine route, you'll need to consider space above for lighting and heat dissipation, as well as the bottom for sump tank, possible chiller, and storage for assorted paraphernalia. Look on the web too, there's a few sites I remember that had some great designs.
Good luck!
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