coffee table fishtanks

[The-Wolf]

I apologise in advance for this rant! Sorry.

Coffee table fish tanks are a very bad idea; they were created by some furniture manufacture to be the ultimate functional fashion accessory for the home.
They are in my opinion cruel, ugly, impractical, way overpriced and a waste of space!
If you have one or are considering getting one then, (sorry but I think it’s cruel)
get rid of it or just don’t buy one! The practicality of these “tanks” is only as a fashion item and not as a living environment for fish.
You cannot, I repeat, cannot keep tropical fish in them; as the condensation on the glass tops would defeat the object of looking down on them. This leaves you with coldwater fish and that will lead to uninformed people overstocking, and what’s worse, overstocking with Goldfish! Then there is the whole use as a table all that banging about when placing items on it and taking them off again. (Sound is amplified 10 fold in water.) Also to view the fish at a decent angle would mean lying stomach down on the floor. What is the point!

Ok rant over, remember this is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours.
I feel slightly better now I’ve put pen to paper, as it were.

 

[Guppylover]

I've seem one of these coffee tables before!
...I didn't know it was cruel though...
It had the approx space of a 10gal and there where 5 goldfish inside, I knew there were to many goldfish inside but apart from that it seemed ok... it had a filter and everything.

 

[rvm]

I agree to a point, but if you look at the clearseal one here it has good space (36g for the largest), comes with a filter, and states that you can only keep coldwater fish and how many you can safely keep in there. It also has rubber supporting the top from the actual base so that vibrations are kept to a minimum. I know it isn't ideal, but I've seen fish living in far worse conditions than that!!!
On a note about the coldwater vs tropical; I have heard that because there is an air gap between the lid and the main tank, the condensation does not get that bad if you keep low temp tropical fish!
Not saying I think they are a brilliant idea, just not as bad as you made out, and certainly not as bad as those betta purses, or aquababies things I have seen!!!!

 

[LoveMyOscar]

...

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I really don't like them. Novelty tanks really piss me off in general.

I agree with Danio, word for word.

 

[Silly me]

view the fish at a decent angle would mean lying stomach down on the floor

some fish looks grreat from the top.. ?

sorry if you dont like them, but more people buy 30gal tank and full them with oscars and tinfoil barbs than people that buy a coffee table tank..

there is lots of second hand tank for sale from people than cant keep his fish alive plus I'm more scared if the large numder of <10gal tank sold, then the 50+ coffee table tanks

 

[kev]

If the reasons stated above don't put you off surely the £1200 price tag would!!!

 

[rvm]

Yeah, that I agree wholeheartedly with. £1200 is horrendously overpriced for a 30 odd gallon tank!!!!!!

 

[The-Wolf]

some fish looks grreat from the top.. ?

Yes some fish do look great from the top becuase they were bred for
PONDS, not to be put into tanks.

And i doo agrree with you about the smaller tanks but that is another story

 

[rvm]

Yes some fish do look great from the top becuase they were bred for
PONDS, not to be put into tanks.

And i doo agrree with you about the smaller tanks but that is another story

I do agree. I was just saying that there are far worse novelty tanks out there than the coffee table ones. If you had one that wasn't being used as a coffee table (i.e same sized tank, but no glasses and mugs being put on it) then it'd be a perfectly good tank for a lot of different types of fish.
As for the noise. I put coffee on my tanks sometimes, and they get vibrations from the doors closing, the lids shutting etc. I know it's not to the same degree. I'm just saying they're not as bad as you make out!

 

[The-Wolf]

I was just saying that there are far worse novelty tanks out there than the coffee table ones.

yes there are, but as I said thats another story.

sorry but I feel so stongly about these tables that I just have to shout it out....


I HATE THEM!

 

[rvm]

Thats fine. I guess thats the purpose of the forum!!!

 

[Eve]

Yes actually I agree with you Danio.

I have however seem them in kitchen tale size, and I have to see that they are very neat. NOT that I would put fish in them, or buy them by simple fact alone. But filled with water and decorations.....might be interesting.

The Ones that piss me of are the ones that hang on the wall. 20 gl tank that is no wider then a good dictionary. grrrrr

 

[sunflower]

Go Evey Baby!

 

[Daveo]

I just got rid of my 5 galllon tank the other day but not for that reason. I only had one fish in it and the fish didn't move much anyways. 8)


Daveo