Help me with a colorful, "unnatural" tank. I can't do it alone.

[threnjen]

My kid is convinced he wants an aquarium for his birthday in May. He's only turning 5 and it's going to be an instructive task to have his own tank even though I'll be doing the tough stuff. I honestly thought he would forget about it but I forget he is a thoughtful, "science-y" fellow and he keeps talking about it so I think I will follow through for him.

I have a 20L that I bought at the Petco $1/1 that will fit nicely on his dresser. Think the dresser will hold it?? It's an Ikea dresser. I get really paranoid about this. Both our 90g and 10g are on stands that are made to support this kind of weight. I told my husband to hop up and sit on the dresser and if it seems ok we are probably good to go.

I go all natural in my tanks, you know, driftwood, plants, rocks etc. His centerpiece items that he is excited about are superhero statues. Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man and Captain America. I am certain that he will want some nice bright colored gravel to go along with this.
There has GOT to be a way to make this, if not attractive to me, tolerable and still fun for him. Like maybe I can theme it with some various gradient colored gravels.
Does anyone make a finer-grained colored gravel or sand so that he can have cories?

Anyone got pictures of your themed unnatural tanks?

Any ideas? I just can't do the unnatural thing very well

 

[mikem691]

Petsmart has some good kid theme items including caption america
here is a link
Aquarium Decorations: Fish Tank Ornaments & Aquarium Rocks | PetSmart

 

[GodFan]

Try to get him to do black diamond blasting sand. Looks kinda shiny black. You could buy figurines and coat them in aquarium safe silicone. Throw in some easy to grow plants and they can be in the jungle lol

 

[azmodan]

You could do a Lego decor aquarium, that way he could build the structures himself.

 

[threnjen]

@Mike yeah those figurines! Those are the ones he DESPERATELY wants. In the store they have a bunch of different superheroes.

But OMG Azmodan HE WOULD LOVE THAT. He would absolutely LOVE IT. He is OBSESSED with Legos. This is an amazing idea.

GodFan I adore the idea of the black blasting sand. This would actually look really good with silly statues/figurines too. Maybe a black background.

Thanks gang this is helpful so far!!

 

[threnjen]

I bet we have enough loose Legos to build a whole mosaic background for a tank too. My husband kept every Lego he ever had and it was a LOT.

That Cpt America statue has only one review saying it's crap. I'd bet I can convince him to turn some of his Legos into aquarium ornaments instead. We could build an arch, or a parthenon type place, or lots of cool stuff. I think he would be totally into it and it would really let him participate.

Black blasting sand, colorful lego buildings - this all sounds perfect to me.

Azmodan my hubby says you are a genius

 

[sabrinarichard]

You could do a Lego decor aquarium, that way he could build the structures himself.

I'm 20, and really want to do this! Is it safe ? And, I would probably do a blend of small bags of different coloured gravel.. Sand could be a problem if you want him to deal with some of thethe water changes.. I've always been carful of what I've put in my tanks, it's always been aquarium safe objects, glass, or live .. Could you put any figurine in a tank ?

 

[threnjen]

I don't think you can put in anything, because the paint on the item could be a toxin. So it has to be aquarium safe.

I just did some googling and Legos are totally aquarium safe. Great news! I found some cool stuff too.

I'm still not going to pretend to love decorations, but I would NOT hate looking at this stuff every day.

Chatted with the hubby and he HAS a pirate ship set in his bins of old Legos and thinks it would look pretty cool sunk like that! I think we're on the right track!

 

[azmodan]

I bet we have enough loose Legos to build a whole mosaic background for a tank too. My husband kept every Lego he ever had and it was a LOT.

That Cpt America statue has only one review saying it's crap. I'd bet I can convince him to turn some of his Legos into aquarium ornaments instead. We could build an arch, or a parthenon type place, or lots of cool stuff. I think he would be totally into it and it would really let him participate.

Black blasting sand, colorful lego buildings - this all sounds perfect to me.

Azmodan my hubby says you are a genius

Sounds awesome! Be sure to post pics of how it turns out. Here's some continued inspiration: http://www.pinterest.com/hotlegos/lego-fish-tanks-n-aquariums/

Of course my real money making idea has always been to make tiny little fake lobster traps for RCS to live in. Maybe you could incorporate something like in a Lego sunken ship theme.

 

[newbie_dave]

Oh man what an idea I have 3 girls so don't get the chance to look at Lego often haha but Lego do an iron man Malibu mansion set up quiet cheep would look cool in the sand

 

[Mebbid]

I would say do a black gravel with a small amount of single colored gravel mixed in. It was a nice effect on my first tank with mostly black and a smidge of dark blue mixed in.

 

[GodFan]

Yes very cool idea! Btw virtually anything is aquarium safe once coated in a nice layer of aquarium silicone
Ih and the malibu mansion idea? Brilliant! Maybe alittle bit old for a 5 year old but as a die hard iron man fan I like it lol

 

[newbie_dave]

They had start wars Lego aswell I'm sure my fish would appreciate a desert scene from Star Wars just need to find a sarlack haha

 

[Caliban07]

A few weeks ago I was watching a programme. The 100 best toys ever. It counted down to number one. I couldn't wait! I was so disappointed when they announced it was Lego.

This thread has just explained that decision...

 

[threnjen]

Caliban what the heck, Legos are the best toy in the known universe

I proposed this idea to the kids and he was like "noooo I don't want all the Legos in the water!" So I had to assure him we would only use daddy's Legos. Kind of too bad because kid had a couple sets from an Atlantis theme that are specifically underwater themed.

I think it will need to be a pirate ship. We have some Mermaid mini figs too. I think this is going to be pretty cute if I really put in some effort.

Mebbid, like the idea of black with touches of color. I still need to look into where to get some colored that isn't too coarse so he can have some cories.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Fresh2o]

A few weeks ago I was watching a programme. The 100 best toys ever. It counted down to number one. I couldn't wait! I was so disappointed when they announced it was Lego.

This thread has just explained that decision...

I enjoyed Legos in my childhood years (this was before all of the specialized pieces). Basic building blocks; you were limited by your imagination and the pieces available. The only time I did not like them was when I stepped on them with bare feet.
Never thought of using them in the aquarium; pretty cool.

 

[ArtistGardener]

What fun reading these responses! I am an artist by profession and also used to teach Odyssey of the Mind (a children's creative problem-solving competition) so this kind of problem seems like an awesome challenge. I, too, like the natural look, but it is his tank so you are so right to let him do this. A single color gravel (just buy it, he doesn't have to chose everything), simple dark background, and plastic, silk or real plants will tie it all together and make it easier on your eyes. Either the super hero or Lego theme would work! Post images when you're done!

 

[Old Scales]

Awesome adventure Thren,
You have one lucky little guy there. I wish more parents would do things like this with their kids. I applaude you. Yes, post pictures. OS.

 

[Brookster123]

Sounds like a spectacular idea threnjen! Only negative I can find in the equation is object permanence.. Once it belongs to the fish, it cannot be retrieved, rolled around the floor and replaced In the tank.. Than again I was an aweful little tornado of a child haha. Post pics!

 

[chevypride]

Sounds super fun to make! My suggestions:

1: use black sand, with either Lego coloured gravel mixed in, or loose Lego pieces.

2: use one of those huge flat pieces (like the base.. If you were building a Lego house?) as a background. You could build shelf type things on it or caves coming off of it.

3: get Lego coloured fish (red, yellow, blue)

4: you can buy Lego plants... And use those.


Or I found this tank online; it's kind of natural with a Lego idea hah.