Gizmodo: Aquarium

LED Earth Globe Aquarium Addresses Poorly Represented Fish Bowl Rave Demographic

Jack Loftus — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

As if fish had it bad enough. They're trapped in a tiny bowl, dependent on you to toss them a handful of dried shrimp from time to time, and now with this glass LED-illuminated globe bowl they're going to be forced into an underwater rave every time the lights go off. Still, this little $50 half gallon bowl is pretty cool looking, even if it does tease the fish with a map of their native habitat (oceans and lakes) whenever you hit the switch. Any aquarium pros out there know if LED's are the proper lighting for fish? [Wrapables via Nerd Approved]

Dolphin Gets Prosthetic Tail

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Winter was just two months old when she got her tail caught in a crab trap—and rendered a useless stump—off the coast of Florida. After a long recuperation and a year and a half of hard labor by one of the veterinary world's top prosthetics wizards, Winter became the first dolphin to receive a functional but fake tail, qualifying her, according to the Daily Mail, as the "world's first bionic sea creature." Here's the story:

When they found Winter injured and flopping around in the ocean, rescuers took her to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she recovered, but couldn't get her swimmin' skillz back. Worse, her doctors thought she might throw out her back trying to swim with her stump.

Enter prosthetics master Kevin Carroll who, says the Daily Mail, "has designed prosthetics for dogs, an ostrich, and even [one lucky] duck." Carroll checked out the situation and thought coming up with the prosthetic would be easy. In the end, though, it took a year and a half to construct the 30" silicone and plastic tail, due to the fact that inside the prosthesis' slip, the spine of the dolphin has to have the freedom to move any which way. (By contrast, a leg bone typically stays put when a prosthesis is slipped over it.)

Check out more pics of the happy-looking Winter at the Daily Mail. [Daily Mail]

Azoo Eco-Desk Puts a Self-Cleaning Aquarium in Your Desk

Haroon Malik — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:30:00 EDT

I'm pretty sure Missy Elliot had something similar to Azoo's Eco-Desk, which has a self-cleaning tropical fish aquarium contained within a glass and aluminum body. Alas, hers was made by Lamborghini, so this is the poor man's / international female hip-hop star's iteration, but it's still a bit of cool for your apartment. The glass top rests on a hinged support, which can be pulled open to allow Nemo to escape back home, or better yet, add some company to the captives inside. The aquarium contains Azoo's solution for biological, water and temperature control, meaning you don't have to worry about anything other than why your Coi Carp look so damn uncomfortable.

If you have to ask about pricing, well, you know the deal. We'll pass on this one, we just don't think it is very secure—those two mermaids escaped without even smashing the glass. Ridiculous. Hit the link for some more fishy-fun images. [BornRich]

Moody Acquario: Bathing With The Fishes

Sean Fallon — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:00:00 EDT

There is something about aquariums that is just plain cool—and the Moody Acquario is definitely a cool bathtub. While I can see where the designers got the idea, the logic behind the $14,500 price tag is a little harder to fathom. I mean, the design itself is pretty basic and it doesn't look all that comfortable to sit in. Plus, you have all of those fish quietly laughing at your whale-like physique or less-than-impressive manhood. [Giant.co.uk via Apartment Therapy via Born Rich]

Aquadom Is Largest Cylindrical Aquarium on the Planet

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:10:48 EST

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.What do you do with a 25-meter-high acrylic glass cylinder, 238,000 gallons of sea water, 2,600 fish from 56 different species, and two divers? The Aquadom, the largest cylindrical aquarium in the world, that's what. In its core there's an elevator that travels through a cylinder of glass. As you will see in the videos after the jump, it's simply stunning.

Located in the atrium of the 5-star Radisson SAS Hotel in Berlin Mitte, the $18.8 million aquarium is 36 feet in diameter and sits on a 29.5-foot-tall concrete foundation. Without a doubt, the most impressive thing about the aquarium from an engineering point of view is the glass surface. Built by Reynolds Polymer Technology, it required 41 R-Cast pannels, 26 for the outside cylinder and 15 panels for the inside, plus 16 on-site bonds. The precision of the work, required to hold that water volume and pressure, it's amazing. Reynolds is specialized in creating this kind of aquarium, among other things, which other jewels like the AB Baltic Mega Mall Aquarium, which holds 43,000 gallons of water but has reef sharks, or the aquariums of the famous the Burj-Al-Arab tower, in Dubai.

It was built in 2003, but we just came across it as we prepare our trips to CeBIT 2008, which is going to happen in Hannover on March but will serve as a perfect excuse to jump to Berlin in order to see friends for the weekend.

Needless to say, the Radisson SAS Hotel Berlin is going to be one of our destinations, hopefully staying in one of the rooms that overlook this awesome piece of engineering. And I will get my diving computer, just in case we can convince the pair of full-time divers that clean and feed the fish every day to let us dive for 30 minutes. [Flickr, Radisson SAS Hotel Berlin, Reynolds Polymer and Wikipedia via Below the clouds]

Spaceariums Put All Other Aquariums to Shame

Adam Frucci — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:20:00 EST

Aquariums are pretty neato decorations, even if you need to imprison a bunch of fish that your kids will try to emancipate after they see Finding Nemo. But if you think a regular old aquarium is cool, take a gander at the Spacearium. Suspended from the ceiling, lit up all slick-like, and can be used as a room divider if you so desire.

These things are pretty thin, but depending on how long you order yours to be, it can hold between 55 and 73 gallons of water (fresh or salt, depending on your preference). A nice touch is being able to keep the external filtration system up to 15 feet away, keeping the tank itself nice and pristine. You'll pay dearly, however, as these bad boys will run you between $4,900 and $8,400, and that's before you start buying fish for the damned thing. [Product Page via Dvice]

Fish Bridge Connects Two Aquariums; if Only Fish Were Smart Enough to Use it

Adam Frucci — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:22:39 EST

This sweet fish-tank setup features a gigantic water bridge that connects two tanks, allowing the fishy inhabitants to travel between the two habitats at their leisure. It was housed in the former Evanston, IL, coffee shop the Liquid Potion Lounge, and it was amazing. Sure, it's highly unlikely that the fish even realized that the bridge actually connected two things, but fish tanks don't exist for fishes' amusment: they exist for ours. And this one fits that bill just fine.

[The Contaminated via Oh Gizmo!]

Videos of Cars Converted Into Aquariums

Sean Fallon — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:20:52 EST

Have an old beater car sitting in the driveway that doesn't run and smells like ass? Grab a blowtorch, a hose and head to your nearest pet store. Apparently cars can make for some sweet looking aquariums —as you can see from the video of the car above which is currently on display in the Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok. Two other videos of converted cars are available after the break.

[doobybrain via about:blank]

Wall Mounted Aquarium is the Next Best Thing to a TV

Christopher Mascari — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:04:09 EDT

Aqua Photo, a Korean based company, did the most logical thing to an aquarium, they mounted it on the wall and made it look like a TV. With specs that sound more like a TV rather than a fish tank, this aquarium has a 1460 x 640 cm measurement, 100 watt back light, and a 35 fish capacity. At $2132, the Aqua Photo Wall Mounted Aquarium even has the huge price of an expensive TV. [Uber-Review via tfts]

Brand's Latest USB Ushers in the Age of Aquarium

AddyDugdale — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:03:58 EDT

Here at Gizmodo we like our aquariums (or should that be aquaria?) and you know we like anything that plugs into a USB port. Bearing this in mind, Brando have combined the two to bring, literally, minutes of fun to your desk...

So, let's get this right. It's an "aquarium" where the fishes are plastic and they swim around a "tank" with white-painted caves that look like a skirting board. All this for $23? Brando, you are spoiling us.

Brando USB interactive acquarium [Krunker]

Wi-Fi Fish Tank Lets You Care for Your Goldfish From Afar

Adam Frucci — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:00:00 EDT

Thanks to the magic of technology, soon you won't have to rope one of your friends into feeding your fish when you go on vacation. Mohamad Abou El-Nasr, an assistant professor at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology in Egypt, has developed the Wi-Aquarium, a Wi-Fi–equipped fish tank that allows you to feed your fish, control the lights, filter, and temperature, and even see your fish over the internet using a webcam. It'll even send you an email daily on the status of your precious aquatic friends. Now you'll never have to come home to a floater again — at least not one you weren't ready for because you saw it a few days ago via the webcam feed. –Adam Frucci

Broadband Wireless Exchange [via The Raw Feed]

USB Miniquarium Has Close Encounter with Alien Life Forms

Charlie White — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:27:09 EST

This is certainly not the first USB aquarium we've seen, but never has there been a population of tiny aliens involved in the festivities. Just fill this USB Miniquarium up with water and those flying saucers will have their first encounter with this plastic city, powered by a USB cable to your PC or four AA batteries. Might be a good night light for the kids. It's $19.45. – Charlie White

USB Aquarium with floating Aliens [Newlaunches]

Tiki Aquarium: Heavy Juju, Watery Yet Potent

Charlie White — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:30:00 EST

Some of us are obsessed with the Tiki, obeying his commands at every turn. Now we have a Tiki aquarium to satisfy our jones, taking its honored place on our Tiki bar and harkening back to the sacred Tiki statues of days gone by.

The water-filled statue includes a saltwater kit so you can fill the aquarium with authentic aqua-life from the seas around the original Tiki's native habitat. Add a few torches and now your tiki parties can be nearly authentic. Too bad this aquarium's so expensive, costing $429 for the 24.5-inch-tall unit.

To all you tiki followers, we offer this hardy salutation and incantation: Pen-oo-may lay, kiki bo-bo. – Charlie White

Obey the Tiki, Indeed [Coolness Roundup]

O Aquarium/Vase: For Flowers, Fish

Mark Wilson — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:22:58 EST

Produced by Paris studio 5.5 Designers, the O Aquarium/Vase is an elegant combination of aquatic and plant life that will beautify your home without torturing the fish like those beta+flower minitanks do.

Sure, the concept is simply a vase stuck in a bowl, but it's executed with grace and that counts for a lot. Now where should we stick our treasure chest/diver/topless mermaid bubbler? – Mark Wilson

5.5 Home [via core77]

USB Aquarium Gets Bigger, Prettier

Travis Hudson — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 10:11:22 EST

I am happy to report this is not a post about that wretched PS3, rather it is a post about a super-fun, awesome USB Aquarium. We've seen them in the past, but this one is a bit better because it is twice as large and well over twice as pretty. The aquariums are available in four different themes: Winter Wonderland, Xmas Paradise, Framed Aquarium and Undersea Volcano (since when can fish live around volcanoes?). If my interpretation is correct, these fake USB fishtanks go for 2,980 Yen, or approximately $25. The best thing of all—it's not a freaking PS3. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via EverythingUSB]

Wall-Mounted Aquarium: Ditch the TV, Install Life

Charlie White — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 13:07:55 EDT

Here's a great substitute for that wall-hanging LCD TV: a touch of reality on your wall with an all-in-one wall-mounted aquarium from Aussie Aquariums. They're available in a variety of shapes and sizes, including both rectangular-shaped models and round ones that look like portholes. Putting one of these in your house is going to take some installation doing, but the result is oh-so-cool. Pricing is between $250 and $1000, not including installation.

We really want one of these, but I don't think we'd want to have an aquarium hanging right over our heads in the bed, as you see in the picture above. That bubbling noise, plus the ever-present possibility, however slight, of a sudden deluge of cold water and flipping fish in the bed in the middle of the night might prove daunting indeed. More likely, what if one of the fish jumps out, landing in your open, snoring mouth? – Charlie White

Product Page [Aussie Aquariums, via BornRich]

USB-Powered LED Aquarium Lamp

Travis Hudson — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:12:38 EDT

Yep, you read that right. This is a USB-powered lamp .. that is also an aquarium. Yep, you guessed it right again, this is another strange device from the Japanese weird-stuff manufacturer, Thanko. Unfortunately, it isn't a real aquarium. Rather it houses two fake fish that just float and bob around. The lamp itself has 17 LEDs that comes in green, blue or red. It will set you back roughly $21 and will likely make the ladies (or guys) weak at the knees. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Everything USB]

Something's Fishy Around Here

Charlie White — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:52:30 EST

Some clever people are using their flat panel displays to play back a video loop depicting fish swimming around in a tank. Well now here's a twist on that idea, where you hang a fish tank on the wall and disguise it as a flat panel display. Available with a choice of six tropical reef-like backgrounds, the AquaVista 500 is an aquarium that includes everything you need to set up a hospitable environment for fish, including gravel, a vacuum, a fishnet and a special extendable claw to help you reach all the way down to Davy Jones locker. Just add fish and water, and you're good to go. The aquarium has a built-in overhead lighting system, as well as a pump, filtration system and heating controls that are all regulated by a proprietary embedded LCD control panel. Available with a decorative wood or plastic frame, the aquarium is 4.5 inches thick and 26 inches square, holding 6.6 gallons of fresh water. The turnkey system includes a wall mounting bracket, and at $300 it's a lot cheaper than that plasma or LCD display you've been gawking at. Hang it near your front door for the most powerful feng shui.

AquaVista Tank [Red Ferret]

Product Page

Robotic Carp Are Just As Ugly

tgrumet — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 18:40:31 EDT

Leave it to the Brits to make a robotic carp. In a place where fish and chips wrapped in newspaper is a delicacy, I guess it only makes sense, but this new robot fish was biologically inspired by its fried brethren and can now be viewed at the London Aquarium. It took just three years to come up with these self-sufficient suckers and you'll find them swimming around in their own tanks, entirely on their own (no wires, we promise). Embedded sensors promise true AI and the fish can swim at a maximum speed of 20-inches per second. So what of future fake fish? "We want the fish to have the ability to look for its own charging station, just like a real fish looking for food," says lead researcher Professor Huosheng Hu. AT least the kids won't have to worry about finding one of these floationg belly up anytime soon.

New breed of 'fish-bot' unveiled [BBC News]